Rail-less solar mounting supports remote rooftop solar project in Peru

By Fiona Maguire-O’Shea, S-5!

Projects like Soledad illustrate the role innovative mounting systems can play in expanding renewable energy access while reducing installation costs and complexity.

Reliable electricity remains a major barrier to economic growth in remote communities worldwide. In Soledad, Peru, an Amazon rainforest community reached only after days of travel by road and river, a new off-grid solar expansion is helping a local plantain flour production facility increase output, support local farmers and create more economic opportunity. The installation also demonstrates how rail-less solar mounting can simplify rooftop installations in hard-to-access locations. 

The photovoltaic project was led by Canadian-based charity Light Up The World (LUTW), which provides photovoltaic systems and hands-on renewable energy training to underserved communities. With support from industry partners, including donated solar mounting solutions from S-5! and solar modules from Silfab Solar, LUTW expanded the facility’s energy capacity to support increased production.  

S-5!’s support for the Soledad project builds on an earlier LUTW collaboration in Huarcaya, Peru, where the company provided solar attachments for an off-grid school serving nearly 150 students and more than 15 teachers. That first partner project demonstrated the real-world impact of reliable solar access in remote communities and helped set the stage for continued collaboration. 

Expanding economic opportunity through solar 

The solar-powered facility is operated by Terra Nuova, a Peru-based development organization, and the Winchinkim Agricultural and Aquaculture Producers Association (ASPAAW), a local producer association supporting agricultural and aquaculture-based economic development in the region. The facility first began production in 2022 after LUTW installed its initial solar system. Since then, it has become a critical source of employment and economic activity within the region. 

The latest solar expansion will allow the facility to significantly increase production capacity by powering industrial-scale dehydration ovens used in plantain flour manufacturing — a growing export product for markets including Europe and Ecuador. Plantain is a staple food source in the region, and the facility can process up to 60 tons of green bananas per month, providing a reliable market for local producers whose crops previously had no guaranteed buyer. 

“This is the first major business in Soledad,” explained Aaron Cohen, executive director of LUTW. “By expanding the facility’s energy capacity, the project is helping create stable employment and income for local families while supporting farmers throughout the region.” 

“Before, producers didn’t have a consistent, reliable place to sell their crops,” said Alan Mariano Antich, general manager of ASPAAW and plant manager. “Many experienced losses because there were few market opportunities. Now, the plant purchases from local producers, giving them a market that is 100% guaranteed.” 

The impact extends well beyond the facility itself. More than 500 people live in the surrounding community, and local farmers depend on the plantain processing operation as a key source of revenue. With additional energy capacity now available, the facility expects to double both production output and workforce capacity, growing from eight to 16 employees. 

Overcoming extreme installation challenges 

While the humanitarian impact is significant, the project also highlights the logistical advantages of a lightweight, rail-less rooftop mounting system in difficult-to-access environments. The recent installation expanded the facility’s total system size to 32 kWp, with the S-5! PVKIT supporting 42 panels accounting for 16 kWp. By utilizing the facility’s existing metal roof, the team avoided the added materials, labor and complexity of building a separate ground-mounted support structure. 

Reaching Soledad requires approximately three days of travel to the nearest road-accessible point, followed by two additional days by boat along the Rio Santiago River, with travel limited to daylight hours due to difficult river conditions and lack of navigational lighting. 

In a location where every component must travel by boat, S-5!’s lightweight attachment technology reduced the shipment to just three compact boxes of brackets and clips, dramatically lowering transportation costs, simplifying logistics and making the project far more practical to execute.  

“This project demonstrated how critical lightweight, adaptable rooftop mounting technology can be for remote solar deployments,” said Cohen. “Reducing material weight, transportation complexity and labor requirements makes projects like this far more achievable.” 

Renewable energy driving economic opportunity 

For LUTW, the project represents more than rural electrification; it is a long-term investment in local economic sustainability and a blueprint for other similar projects in the Peruvian Amazon. 

By pairing renewable energy infrastructure with workforce training and community-led development, the organization aims to create systems that continue generating economic opportunity long after installation crews leave. 

The collaboration also demonstrates how commercial solar technologies can support humanitarian and community development efforts in some of the world’s most challenging environments. 

“When I visited the first project in Huarcaya, I saw firsthand what access to electricity can mean for a community,” said Juan Carlos Fuentes, director of international business at S-5! “It was more than solar on a roof. It reinforced that we are not just providing products; we are delivering practical solutions that help make clean energy more accessible where it is needed most. With the Soledad project, that impact extends even further — supporting local production, creating economic opportunity and helping strengthen the community for the long term.” 

As demand for resilient off-grid solar solutions continues to grow globally, projects like Soledad illustrate the role innovative mounting systems can play in expanding renewable energy access while reducing installation costs and complexity.  

To learn more about LUTW and how your organization can become a corporate partner in helping bring power to remote, off-grid communities, visit www.lutw.org.