Electricity is a scarce luxury for about 34% of the population in Peru. In an effort toward a monumental outreach program bringing power to the poorest regions of the country, Energy and Mining Minister Jorge Merino is kicking off the ?National Photovoltaic Household Electrification Program? this week.

The goal of the project is to establish a supply of electricity for poor, underdeveloped areas of Peru currently lacking any access to the power grid. Right now, about a third of the population fits in this category, but Merino hopes to slash that fraction down to about only 5% by 2016.

The plan is to install Solar Panels by which these otherwise disconnected neighborhoods can harvest electricity from the sun. So far, over 1600 panels were installed in preceding initiatives bringing power to the province of Contumaza. In order to fulfill the remainder of the desired coverage for the program goals, about 12,500 more panels will need to be installed.

An estimated 500,000 households and 2 million citizens would benefit from these subsequent installations through the program. This is, of course, no small feat and would represent Latin America?s first major photovoltaic installation.

The program could also prove a windfall for Solar industry contractors while offering a landmark of success for proponents of Solar energy. Considering the possible methods of accomplishing this tall task, the solar solution makes the most sense, as the average solar radiation levels in Peru can reach up to about 5 kWh per m² during the middle of the day.

Speaking on the project, Merino homed in on the focus of the project, indicating that the program is ?aimed at the poorest people, those who lack access to electric lighting and still use oil lamps, spending their own resources to pay for fuels that harm their health.?