Task 9 Status Report - Annual report 2003

Task 9 Status Report
Deployment of PV technologies: co-operation with developing countries

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Last updated: 30 May 2004

Objective

Fig. 1 - Participants at the Task 9 Workshop, “The Role of Renewable Energy in the Mekong Regional Development Process,” in Vietnam, November 2003.

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 centres; domestic solar home systems that provide electricity for lighting and low power appliances such as a radio; community battery-charging systems; and systems for water-pumping 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 co-operation 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 guideline documents 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. Representatives from developing countries also participate.
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Subtask 10: Deployment infrastructure

Aim
To develop and disseminate a coherent series of guideline documents to promote the necessary infrastructure requirements in developing countries to help overcome the critical barriers to widespread PV deployment and implementation.
Activities
- Activity 11: Information Compilation and Analysis
  Sixteen case studies were compiled and published, including an introductory summary of all 16 case studies. The case studies describe experiences in PV deployment in relation to the Task 9 guideline documents on Institutional Framework and Financial Instruments, Capacity Building Requirements, Implementation Models and Quality Assurance (see Activity 12). All the case studies also provide information relating to the Task 9 guideline document on Programme Design, Planning and Implementation (see Activity 31).
  The case studies cover PV project and programme experience in Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cap Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, the Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Syria, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  A new draft of an overview document on issues for photovoltaics in developing countries was produced. The title of this document has now been changed to Photovoltaics for Development: The Key to Success. The document presents a short, 25 page overview of PV deployment in developing countries and states the key points and messages of Task 9. This document is expected to be published in early 2004.
- Activity 12: Recommended Practice Guides
  All five documents planned under this Activity have been published and the activity has been completed. The titles and publication dates of the guideline documents are summarized below.
  - Financing Mechanisms for SHS in Developing Countries: The Role of Financing in the Dissemination Process - Published October 2002
  - Summary of Models for the Implementation of Solar Home Systems in Developing Countries -Published March 2003
  - PV for Rural Electrification in Developing Countries - A Guide to Capacity Building Requirements - Published March 2003
  - Institutional Framework and Financial Instruments for PV Deployment in Developing Countries - Published September 2003
  - The Role of Quality Management, Hardware Certification and Accredited Training in PV Programmes in Developing Countries - Published September 2003
- Activity 13: Dissemination and Promotion of Recommended Practice Guides
  One document from Activity 11, all five from Activity 12 and one from Activity 31 have been published on the PVPS and Task 9 websites. These documents were also distributed on CD-Rom at Task 9 workshops in Mongolia (September 2003) and Vietnam (November 2003). Further workshops are being planned in France, Germany and Sweden, where these guideline documents will be disseminated to a wide audience.
  All the published documents are available to be downloaded from the internet. Internet publication should facilitate easy and regular updating of documents.
Work Planned for 2004
Publication of the overview document, “PV for Development: The Key to Success,” is planned for early 2004. 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 guideline documents. Dissemination is to be co-ordinated with PVPS Task 1.

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Fig. 2 - Following the Task 9 meeting and workshop in Mongolia, the experts also inspected the newly installed 200 kWp system at Noyon Soum. In its planned extension Task 9 will work on village power / mini-grid systems.

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
- Activity 21: Support to Multilateral and Bilateral Donors and Development Banks
  Two workshops have been held in 2003. The first, “PV for Development: The Role of the IEA PVPS”, was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in September 2003 in conjunction with the 2nd Mongolian International PV Conference. The second, “The Role of Renewable Energy in the Mekong Regional Development Process,” was held in Hanoi, Vietnam in November 2003. This workshop was attended by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Vietnamese Ministry for Industry and the Asean Region Centre for Energy (ACE).
  Task 9 held discussions with the World Energy Council (WEC) and the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP) on possible future joint workshops and information dissemination. The work of Task 9 was also presented at several conferences in developed and developing countries including the 3rd World PV Conference in Japan (May 2003), the GVEP - Latin American Conference in Bolivia (July 2003) and the Central Asian - European Solar Energy Conference in Uzbekistan (September 2003).
  Sweden has joined Task 9 and Norway, through its international development agency, NORAD, has expressed an interest in joining Task 9 in the future. Following the Task 9 meeting and workshop in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia has also expressed an interest in joining the Task.
- Activity 22: Co-operation with REWP and IEA/OECD
  Task 9 is planning a conference in China to act as a high profile event to disseminate the work of Task 9 and to promote the guideline documents to as wide an audience as possible. A concept paper for this workshop has been prepared.
Work Planned for 2004
A further three workshops are planned for 2004. These will be organised in France with the French International Development Agency (AfD) and Ademe, in Germany with GTZ and KfW, and in Sweden with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).
The guideline documents will be disseminated to a wide audience at these workshops.

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Subtask 30: techniacl 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
- Activity 31: Programme Design and Implementation
  Activity 31 is considering issues relating to the preparation, design and implementation of PV deployment programmes. A guideline document has been prepared and published which provides guidance for programme planners on the four phases of PV programme planning: preparation, design, implementation and monitoring / evaluation. This includes needs assessment, stakeholder consultation, social context analysis, national policy consideration, establishment of goals, technical supply options available, logistics and quality assurance. The guide, titled, “PV for Rural Electrification in Developing Countries – Programme Design, Planning and Implementation,” was published in September 2003.
- Activity 32: Proposal Preparation
  Activity 32 is compiling information for project developers on the potential sources of finance for PV deployment programmes and the processes involved in accessing this finance. The Activity is preparing a guideline document, titled “Sources of Financing for PV-Based Rural Electrification in Developing Countries,” which identifies and summarises the procedures of potential financing sources from multilateral and bilateral donors, to utilities, foundations and others. The final draft of the document is under preparation and is due to be published in early 2004.
Work Planned for 2004
The document, “Sources of Financing for PV-Based Rural Electrification in Developing Countries,” will be published in early 2004 and will be disseminated alongside all the other guideline documents on the PVPS and Task 9 websites and at the planned Task 9 workshops.

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Task 9 Extension and new workplan

Over the course of this first Phase of Task 9, a need for additional work on aspects of PV deployment in developing countries has been identified by Task 9 Experts and the target audience of Task 9. This has been partly due to the valuable feedback received from the support and cooperation actions undertaken up till now and from the process of guideline document preparation. At the ExCo Meeting of October 2002, a mandate was given to Task 9 to develop a Workplan for the extension of the Task. The draft Workplan for Phase 2 of Task 9 sets out a new programme organised into four main Subtasks, each of which will be led by a Task 9 member:

Subtask 20: Support and Cooperation (continuation of the existing Subtask)
Subtask 40: PV energy services for rural electrification and poverty alleviation
Subtask 50: Market penetration activities
Subtask 60: PV and the Kyoto Mechanisms

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Participants

Current participants and experts supporting them are listed in Task 9 participants.
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Meeting schedule (since 1999 and planned 2004)

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.
8th Experts’ Meeting, 25-26th April 2003, Lyon, France.
9th Experts’ Meeting, 2-3rd September 2003, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
10th Experts’ Meeting, 8-10th March 2004, Stockholm, Sweden.

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