NRECA International has been a leader in the implementation of renewable energy generation for rural electrification. Over the past 20 years, NRECA International has developed power generation using biomass (Bolivia, India and others); wind energy (Chile and Dominican Republic); micro-hydro (Laos, Guatemala and others); small hydro (Costa Rica, Uganda and others); and solar energy (Dominican Republic, South Africa, Tanzania, and many others). NRECA International strives to design and develop rural power generation that is appropriate and sustainable, and renewable power features prominently in both grid-based and off-grid system generation options.

In Bolivia, NRECA International was able to implement a full array of renewable energy projects under a USAID-funded Electrification for Sustainable Development Project (ESD). The ESD project made a proactive effort to identify several types of renewable energy power options and interventions, including the use of solar home systems, development of micro-hydroelectric power plants, biomass power plants, and use of wind energy systems for water pumping applications.

The project financed the purchase and installation of over 2,700 solar home systems, 25 school lighting systems, a 1 MW biomass power plant, and installed several solar and wind water-pumping stations for village water supply. In addition, NRECA International established procurement, installation, and operational standards for solar home systems, collaborated in the development of a deep cycle battery for local fabrication, collaborated in the local assembly of battery charge controllers and high efficiency ballasts, and worked with the manufacturers to assure that the equipment was complementary for the systems purchased.