In 2003 I met a guy working for a start up NGO in Managua that was working to provide solar panels and electrical generation equipment to the country side. I'm not sure how successful the project is/was, nor the source of his funding.
Nicaragua's a great place for solar energy utilization, but the problem is the same in Nicaragua as it is in Washington DC: availability of replacement parts, or alternatively, appropriate design. Solar panels aren't overly complicated but they do require careful fabrication and when they are damaged can not easily be replaced locally, so a sort of dependence is developed.
The issue, from a development standpoint, is sustainability. It's one thing to provide solar panels, and entirely another to arrange for them to be replaced/maintained as necessary. It's not impossible, but it's the challenge for development professionals everywhere.
Personally I hope it works out. I think solar power would be a huge boon for smaller communities, and I've studied energy policy intensely. If energy policy and development is your cup of tea you might be interested in my paper "Nicaraguan energy sector: characteristics and recommendations (2005)" available from
http://therandymon.com/content/view/32/67/.
