LocationsAn ambitious project rolled out on rooftops in northern Argentina left behind lessons that challenge how we think about encouraging the adoption of new technologies. The UNDP Argentina Accelerator Lab looked into the experience, and in this blog we share what we learned about what makes — or breaks — the energy transition at the household level.
Renewable Energy Lessons From the Kitchen With Doña Petrona
August 15, 2025
PNUD Argentina
Long before MasterChef hit the screens, Doña Petrona was already a cooking icon on Argentine television. Born in 1898, her cookbooks have sold more copies than the Bible in the country, reaching their 123rd edition, and it got translated into several languages — even Russian.
In mid-20th century Argentina, millions of people learned how to use natural gas almost without realizing it. It didn’t happen through technical explanations, instruction manuals, or formal training. It happened through Doña Petrona. She never talked about valves, pressure, or energy efficiency. She taught people how to cook. And in doing so, she was also teaching them how to use a new energy source: natural gas. Making a shepherd’s pie or a homemade flan on live television became, unintentionally, a tutorial on how to light a burner, adjust the flame, or clean the stovetop. This kind of learning — rooted in everyday life and focused on what truly matters — is essential when we talk about technological innovation. Especially when that innovation is tied to basic rights, like access to energy.
Between 2016 and 2017, over 4,000 solar water heaters were installed in social housing across the province of Jujuy, potentially reaching up to 16,000 people. These systems were specially designed to withstand the extreme temperature swings of the Puna region, with support from Fundación EcoAndina, an organization working with renewable energy since 1987. The goal was to harness solar energy as a tool to reduce energy poverty. This was a unique project for several reasons: its large scale, the geographic diversity of its implementation —spanning rural and urban areas, both small and large— and the wide range of infrastructure and socioeconomic conditions across the targeted communities. However, beyond the numbers and the magnitude of the logistical effort, the real question wasn’t how many devices were installed, but how many were actually used.
Renewable Energy: The Work of UNDP’s Co-Lab
Between May and June 2024, the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Argentina carried out a study to better understand the actual use of solar water heaters in social housing and the barriers to their adoption. Through surveys with 129 households, 10 in-depth interviews, and one focus group, this research offered firsthand insight into how — or why not — renewable technologies are adopted in contexts of energy poverty.
The project Sun at Home: What Works to Adopt Renewable Energy in Social Housing led to a field study whose results we’re pleased to share in this report. One of the main findings was that, despite overwhelmingly positive opinions, the actual adoption of solar water heaters was quite limited: only 7% of households used it as their sole source of hot water, 35% combined it with electric or gas systems, and the remaining 58% didn’t use it at all. You can read the full report here.
Among those who didn’t use the system, many never installed it, gave it away, sold it, or fully disconnected it. The reasons were varied: technical issues (like low water pressure, poor orientation that didn’t capture sunlight, or poor installation or substandard materials), unstable water networks, and precarious housing conditions.
Yet the biggest obstacle was something else: there was no training or follow-up. The solar heaters were delivered without any hands-on guidance, and the only support offered was a technical manual. As a result, people were left to figure things out on their own — or, at best, rely on neighbors for help. The findings from the Jujuy experience align with others we’ve seen regarding the persistent barriers to the effective adoption of renewable energy solutions.
What Did We Learn from the Solar Water Heater Experience in Jujuy?
Using a solar water heater should be as easy as frying an egg on Sunday morning. But for that to happen, you need more than just the technology — you need support. When people don’t understand how the system works, they make do. When the heater is poorly oriented, the water doesn’t get warm. When there’s no pressure, there’s not enough for a proper shower. And when no one explains what to do with the steam during summer, the device becomes a hazard instead of a solution.
Even so, some users came up with their own strategies: they came up with fixes like adding drainpipes to relieve pressure and prevent boiling, installed mixers to regulate temperature, cleaned the glass panels to improve heating, adjusted usage times, and shared tips with neighbors. They learned through trial and error — and taught each other along the way.
People in Jujuy learned however they could. Back in the day, Doña Petrona had been hired by Argentina’s national natural gas company to promote the shift from wood-burning stoves to natural gas. But she didn’t teach about gas. She showed people how to enjoy life more one recipe at a time.. In the case of solar water heaters, the challenge isn’t just technical — it’s cultural. It’s not enough to hand out devices: you need to be present — to listen, adapt, and truly walk alongside people. You must build trust — not just infrastructure.
In innovation processes and in the promotion of new technologies, it’s essential to create experiences where people learn by doing. Ensuring the adoption of renewable energy solutions isn’t just about installing a panel or a solar water heater — it’s about understanding and supporting the routines, knowledge, and habits of those who will use them. In other words, it’s about teaching people how to use them without it feeling like a lesson. Like Doña Petrona. Like someone showing you how to fry an egg — and, without meaning to, transforming the lives of thousands of households.