Objective
The conventional electricity grid will not reach the estimated 1,64 billion people
in developing countries without access to electricity in the foreseeable future.
Renewable energy, and in particular PV, can contribute directly to the alleviation
of poverty through the provision of electricity for basic services. PV systems
can provide power for a wide range of applications including: systems for use
in social services, such as health clinics (refrigeration for vaccines, sterilization
and lighting), schools and community centers; domestic solar home systems that
provide electricity for lighting and low power appliances such as a radio; community
battery-charging units; and water-pumping for the provision of water for drinking,
livestock and in some cases irrigation requirements. In many areas the technology
is cost-competitive with traditional alternatives, such as kerosene lamps and
small diesel generators.
The objective of Task 9 is to increase the rate of successful deployment of PV systems (i.e., the rate of rural electrification) in developing countries. This is being promoted through enhanced cooperation and flow of information between the IEA-PVPS Programme and developing countries, development banks, multilateral and bilateral aid agencies, and other targeted groups within developing countries. Task 9 has drawn upon other similar existing programmes and networks and is building upon these to provide an effective and efficient programme that addresses the needs and potential of developing countries, multilateral and bilateral donor agencies and development banks.
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Approach
In order to achieve its objective, the collaborative work is organized into three
Subtasks with the following objectives:
- Subtask 10: Deployment Infrastructure: contributes to overcoming the critical barriers to widespread PV deployment and implementation through the development, dissemination and application of a series of Recommended Practice Guides (RPGs) to promote the necessary infrastructure requirements in developing countries.
- Subtask 20: Support and Co-operation: stimulates awareness and interest amongst the multi- and bilateral agencies, NGOs and other target sectors on the technical and economic potential and opportunities arising from energy/PV. This will enable decision-makers to obtain the expertise and knowledge that is required for the appropriate deployment of PV.
- Subtask 30: Technical and Economic Aspects of PV in Developing Countries: identifies the various technical supply options available and considers the issues relating to the preparation, design and implementation of PV deployment programmes.
The Experts appointed to the Task cover a broad range of experience, including technical PV experts, development economists and sociologists, and other renewable energy technologists. The Task also includes representatives of the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme, and developing country representatives also participate.
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Subtask 10: Deployment Infrastructure
- Aim
To develop and disseminate a coherent series of Recommended Practice Guides (RPGs) to promote the necessary infrastructure requirements in developing countries to help overcome the critical barriers to widespread PV deployment and implementation.
- Activities
- Information Compilation and Analysis
- Recommended Practice Guide Preparation
- Dissemination and Promotion of Recommended Practice Guides
- Activity 11: Information Compilation and Analysis
A revized format for the document Photovoltaics in Developing Countries : An Overview has been prepared. The document will be a short (20 page) overview of the issues to be considered when a developing country PV deployment programme is being developed. It states the key points and the messages of Task 9. Publication of the overview document is planned for March 2003.
Twelve case studies have been compiled by the Task Experts to provide supporting information, covering PV experience in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Jordon, Kenya, Kiribati, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Philippines, the Sahel nations, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia and Zimbabwe. The issues are dealt with more thoroughly in the individual Recommended Practice Guides being developed in Activity 12.
- Activity 12: Recommended Practice Guides
The Financing Mechanisms for SHS in Developing Countries: the Role of Financing in the Dissemination Process RPG was published in October 2002 and final drafts of four other RPGs have been prepared. Their publication is planned for March 2003. The status of the RPGs is summarized below.
- Activity 13: Dissemination and Promotion of Recommended Practice Guides
One RPG has been published on the Task 9 website and was distributed at a Task 9 workshop in Switzerland in October 2002. Further workshops are being planned where the RPGs will be disseminated to a wide audience.
All the RPGs will be freely available from the internet or on CD-Rom. This will also facilitate easy and regular updating of the Guides. The work of Task 9 was also presented at the PV in Europe Conference in Rome in October 2002.
- Work Planned for 2003
Publication of the remaining four Recommended Practice Guides, the Case Studies and the Overview Document will take place in March / April 2003.
Further dissemination of the documents will be through the internet and activities
in Subtask 20. Any feedback received will be incorporated into revisions
of the RPGs. Dissemination is to be coordinated with IEA PVPS
Task 1.
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Subtask 20: Support and cooperation
- Aim
To stimulate awareness and interest amongst the target sectors on the technical and economic potential, opportunities and recommended practice of PV systems. This will enable decision-makers to obtain the expertise and knowledge that is required for appropriate PV system deployment.
- Activities
- Support to Multilateral and Bilateral Donors and Development Banks
- Cooperation with REWP and IEA/OECD
- Activity 21: Support to Multilateral and Bilateral Donors and Development Banks
The Operating Agent presented the work of Task 9 to the Swedish
International Development Co-operation Agency in January 2002.
As a result of this a Swedish representative attended the 7th Task 9 Experts Meeting and Sweden is considering formalizing its participation in Task 9.
A second workshop on “PV Deployment in Developing Countries” was held for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on 4th October 2002 in St.Gallen, Switzerland.
- Activity 22: Co-operation with REWP and IEA/OECD
Task 9 is planning a final workshop in China to act as a high profile event to disseminate the work of Task 9 and to promote the RPGs to as wide an audience as possible.
- Work Planned for 2003
Two workshops are planned for 2003. A workshop for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will be held in conjunction with the 8th Task 9 Experts’ Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam in March 2003.
The workshop is being jointly organized by CORE (The Council for Renewable Energy in the Mekong Region). A number of people at the ADB have expressed their interest in attending the meeting, as has ACE (Asean Centre for Energy). Funding for the workshop has been confirmed by Ademe and GTZ.
A second workshop on PV will be held for ECOWAS (The Economic Community of West African States) in late 2003.
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Subtask 30: Technical and economic aspects of PV in developing countries
- Aim
To investigate the techno-economic aspects and potential of PV systems in developing countries. The objectives are to identify the various technical supply options available and consider the issues relating to the preparation, design and implementation of PV deployment programmes.
- Activities
The subtask has the following two activities:
- Programme Design and Implementation
- Proposal Preparation
- Activity 31: Programme Design and Implementation
Activity 31 is considering issues relating to the preparation, design and implementation of PV deployment programmes: the various technical supply options - stand-alone systems, diesel hybrid village/mini grid systems and grid-connected systems; and the availability and use of new analysis tools. This will provide guidance for programme planners on the various rural electrification approaches and the technical supply options available. A draft version of the Recommended Practice Guide, provisionally titled: Programme Design and Implementation is under preparation.
- Activity 32: Proposal Preparation
Activity 32 will provide guidance to potential developers on
the potential sources of finance for PV deployment programmes and the processes involved in accessing this finance. The processes by which finance can be obtained from the World Bank Group, bi-lateral donors, utilities etc. will be identified and summarized in a Recommended Practice Guide, provisionally titled: Funding Sources. The first draft of the guide is being prepared.
- Work Planned for 2003
The documents will be published in 2003 and will be launched, with the RPGs from Subtask 10, at an international workshop. Further dissemination of the documents will be through the internet, activities in Subtask 20 and in co-ordination with Task 1.
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Task 9 participants
Current participants and experts supporting them are listed in Task 9 participants.
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Task meetings
- Meetings Held
- 1st Experts Meeting, 14-16th October 1999, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- 2nd Experts Meeting, 8-9th February 2000, Washington DC, The USA.
- 3rd Experts Meeting 2-3rd October 2000, Marrakech, Morocco.
- 4th Experts Meeting, 26-27th March 2001, ASEAN Centre for Energy, Jakarta, Indonesia.
- 5th Experts Meeting, 12-13th September 2001, Ottawa, Canada.
- 6th Experts Meeting, 25-28th February 2002, Oaxaca, Mexico.
- 7th Experts Meeting, 3-5th October 2002, St.Gallen, Switzerland.
- Planned Meetings
- 8th Experts Meeting, 25-26th March 2003, Hanoi, Vietnam.
- 9th Experts Meeting, Late 2003 in association with ECOWAS (venue to be confirmed).
- 10th Experts Meeting, Early 2004 in China in conjunction with final conference.
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