Rationale and objective
There are around 2 billion people in the world who do not have access to adequate
clean water supplies, electric lighting, primary health care, education and other
basic services. At the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations in 2000, the
international community adopted the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
and set clear and ambitious targets for improving the conditions of these disadvantaged
people. The focus of the programmes of the world's development assistance agencies
(bilateral and multilateral donors, development banks, NGOs) are now clearly aimed
at poverty alleviation in general, and at achieving the MDG targets in particular.
PV is uniquely attractive as an energy source to provide basic
services, such as lighting, drinking water and power for incomegenerating work, for the people without access to electricity. After five years of work, PVPS Task 9 (PVSDC) has adopted the primary mission of Increasing the sustainable use of PV in developing countries in support of meeting the targets of the Millennium Development Goals.
The objective of PVSDC 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 the other international development stakeholders.
PVSDC has drawn upon the experience of the participating
countries aid and technical assistance programmes, as well as the
work of agencies, such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF),
World Bank and United National Development Programme (UNDP).
By this means, objective and impartial information is published and disseminated through workshops and seminars. PVSDC's work
with PV also takes account of other renewable energy technologies,
such as micro-hydro and wind. The team advocates use of the
most appropriate technology in particular circumstances and
does not simply promote PV.
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Achievements in 2004
Task 9 has been operational since May 1999. The Phase One
Workplan, which comprised three subtasks, concluded in April 2004.
- Subtask 10: Deployment Infrastructure
This work 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.
The aim has been 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. The
Recommended Practice Guides (RPGs) published by Task 9 can be downloaded from the publications' section.
The overview document of issues for photovoltaics in developing
countries “Photovoltaics for Development: The Key to Success”,
previously anticipated for publication in early 2004 is the only
outstanding deliverable from Phase One. The document will present
a short overview of PV deployment in developing countries and the
key points and messages of Task 9, as previously indicated. However, it is also being realigned to emphasise the linkages to the
Millennium Development Goals and the International Action
Programme that emerged from the conference, Renewables 2004,
held in Bonn in June. This document is now expected to be published in early 2005.
Five Recommended Practice Guides (RPGs) were published during
2002 and 2003. New, extended Executive Summaries for each of the
RPGs were written towards the end of 2004. It is anticipated that
these will be translated into a number of different languages. The
RPG's have been promoted at a number of Workshops (see below),
and are all available for download from the main IEA PVPS website.
- Subtask 20: Support and Co-operation
PVSDC 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 enables decision-makers to obtain the expertise and knowledge that is required for the appropriate PV system deployment. Task 9's global outreach is illustrated in Figure 2.
A seminar and three workshops were organized in 2004. The seminar
took place in March for the Swedish International Development
Co-operation Agency (SIDA) and other Swedish stakeholders. A major
two-day workshop, From Projects to Markets: Perspectives for Private Sector Participation, was held for the German Development Bank, KfW, and the German Technical Co-operation Agency, GTZ at the GTZ Headquarters in Eschborn in March. Two half-day workshops were organized for Francophone stakeholders: The Role of Photovoltaics
in Rural Electrification Programmes was an integral part of the
workshop of the “Club of Rural Electrification Agencies” held in
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in May. In June a workshop was held
at the Direction des Relations Économiques Exterieures (DREE) of
the French Ministry of Finance in Paris, to coincide with the
European PVSEC. Task 9 held discussions with the World Bank on
possible future joint workshops and information dissemination.
The work of Task 9 was also presented at several conferences and
seminars in developed and developing countries including PVSEC-14
in Bangkok, (January), Renewables 2004 in Bonn (May), 19th EPVSEC
in Paris (June), WREC-VIII in Denver (September) and at a joint
meeting with Task 1 for Australian stakeholders in Sydney
(September 2004).
The Norwegian Development Agency, NORAD, continues to show
interest in joining PVSDC in the future and a seminar, similar to that organized by SIDA (see above) and earlier for the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA), has been offered.
Task 9 has established linkages with organisations such as the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP), the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) and the EU Energy Initiative (EUEI). The immediate priority is to ensure that these (& other relevant) groups are aware of IEA-PVSDC activities and network.
This activity aims to ensure that Task 9 is meeting the expectations of its target audience, as well as increasing the dissemination of Task 9 materials. All Task 9 reports are available for download from the publications' section of the IEA PVPS website. Some additional materials, such as workshop presentations are made available via Task 9's website.
- Subtask 30: Technical and Economic Aspects of PV in
Developing Countries
This Subtask identifies the various technical supply options available and considers the issues relating to the preparation, design and implementation of PV deployment programmes.
The guide, entitled “PV for Rural Electrification in Developing Countries - Programme Design, Planning and Implementation”, was published in September 2003. A new draft of the document Financing PV Deployment in Developing Countries was approved by the ExCo in March 2004.
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Phase 2 workplan
The workplan for a Second Phase, continuing some of the work from Phase One and
introducing a number of new elements, was approved by the Executive Committee
in May 2004. In order to achieve the ongoing and new objectives, the collaborative
work under Phase Two is organized into four Subtasks.
Preparatory work and planning of three new subtasks has been
undertaken during 2004. The activities will commence in earnest in
2005.
- Subtask 20: Support and cooperation
This is a continuation and expansion of the outreach work of phase 1.
- Subtask 40: PV energy services for rural electrification and povery alleviation
This work reviews and investigates the techno-economic aspects
and potential of PV systems for provision of rural services and
poverty alleviation. This focuses on the role of PV in the provision of water, health, education and Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) services, PV battery charging stations, hybrids and village mini-grids. The approach is to collate information from topical PV case studies and use the information to develop review documents and guides.
There are five main activities:
- Economic Assessment of PV Energy Services
- PV Based Energy for Water Services
- PV in Health, Education and ICT
- Battery Charging Stations and PV Hybrids and Mini-grids
- Role of PV in the Alleviation of Poverty
- Internal working groups and internet are being established to
identify information gaps and to define most appropriate work
areas for subtask 40.
- Subtask 50: Market penetration activities
This investigates technical and economic aspects of PV power packs
and large-scale (~ 1 MWp) grid-connected PV plants. There are many
locations in the developing world where electricity demand is
growing rapidly and lack of capacity frequently results in power cuts or 'brown-outs' caused by indiscriminate load shedding. This Subtask will collate relevant case studies and review situations in developing countries where network capacity and/or generation capacity needs to be increased and where it is cost-effective to install PV (or PV hybrids) as an alternative. The work will also examine emerging grid-connected or grid-support applications for PV in developing countries. The objective is to evaluate the techno-economic aspects of small PV Power Packs (which provide back-up power supply to customers when grid supplies are cut) and Grid support applications in developing countries.
The main outputs will be review documents and a number of relevant
case studies.
Australia will lead the work for subtask 50, commencing with a
review of grid-connected systems for developing countries.
This internal report will be completed early in 2005 and will establish the baseline for further work.
- Subtask 60: PV and the Kyoto mechanisms
This work collates and disseminates information from the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) process which may become relevant
to the deployment of PV systems in developing countries. Many
developing countries are looking to the CDM to help leverage
funding to achieve sustainable economic development, through
investment in renewable energy and end-use efficiency projects
which fit with their developmental needs. This Subtask will provide updated information on the opportunities for PV project developers and governments in developing countries arising from the CDM
process.
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. Work
includes dissemination of information on the development of the
CDM process in relation to PV projects in developing countries.
Outputs will be a newsletter providing regular updates on
developments in the CDM process, a review of bundling PV projects
for CDM new baselines and pilot projects.
Subtask 60 will commence with a review and short commentary
for internal discussion on the relevance of CDM for PV projects in
developing countries. Task 9 will maintain a watching brief for
future developments.
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PVPS and the millennium development goals
Delivering a real contribution towards achieving the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is one of the strong
driving principles behind PVSDC.
Neither access to modern energy services in general, nor
provision of electricity are recognised as specific goals in
themselves. Nevertheless they can play a central role in poverty
alleviation, through impacts on education, health and local
enterprise, as well as access to modern telecommunications and
information technology resources.
The MDGs and some of the roles for PV are:
|
| 1. | Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger - Lighting allows increased income generation and reliable electricity encour ages enterprise development, energy for water supplies for cooking and drinking and water for irrigation increases food production. |
| 2. | Achieve universal primary education - Electricity enables access to educational media and communications, energy helps create a more child-friendly environment and reduces school drop-out rates and lighting in schools allows evening classes and helps retain teachers. |
| 3. | Promote gender equality and empower women - Availability of modern energy means that women do not have to carry out survival activities, good quality lighting permits home study and reliable energy services offer scope
for women's enterprises to develop. |
| 4. | Reduce child mortality - Electricity can bring about less indoor air pollution, increased safety, free up more time to be spent on child care and provide pumped water and purification. |
| 5. | Improve maternal health - Energy services provide access to better medical facilities (vaccine refrigeration, equipment sterilization, operating theatres). Provision of cooked food and space-heating contribute to better health. |
| 6. | Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases - Energy services provide better medical facilities, and energy can help produce and distribute sex education literature and contraceptives. |
| 7. | Ensure environmental sustainability - Traditional fuel use contributes to erosion, reduced soil fertility and desertification, energy can be used to pump and purify clean ground water. |
| 8. | Develop a global partnership for development - Energy supply can contribute to the development of information and communication technologies in remote / rural areas.
|
Plan for 2005
The first Task 9 meeting of 2005 will be held at the World Bank in
Washington DC, to coincide with Energy Week. This is an important
gathering of stakeholders concerned with energy in the developing
world. This also includes a number of other events, including a
meeting of the Renewable Energy Financing and Policy Network
Forum, which is a World Bank input to the Renewable Energy Global
Policy Network (REGPN), which was a key outcome of the
Renewables 2004 conference in Bonn. Task 9 will participate in
Energy Week and the associated events and will make a presentation
in the session entitled Energy and the Millennium Development
Goals.
Now that the European Photovoltaic Industries Association (EPIA) has become a member of PVPS, Task 9 will cooperate with the EPIA
Catapult project, which promotes rural electrification in developing countries. Task 9 and EPIA will cooperate to organize a workshop at the 20th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Barcelona in June 2005.
Task 9 representatives will also participate in an ASEAN Regional
PV Standards Harmonisation Workshop in Laos in March.
Swedish participation in Task 9 will in 2005 expand to bring experts from Tanzania and Zambia to join the team. This recognizes the new emphasis on support for Africa, where there is a very large potential for PV but impact has been far less than, for example, in Asian countries. The World Bank and GEF have announced that they will increase support for projects in Africa, and this topic will be on the agenda of the G8, which will be chaired by the United Kingdom. An invitation has been received to plan a future meeting in Uganda.
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Participants
Task 9 participants and experts supporting them are listed in Task 9 participants.
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Meeting schedule (2004 and planned 2005)
- 2004 meetings
- 10th Experts' Meeting, 8-10 March 2004, Stockolm, Sweden.
- 11th Experts’ Meeting, 13-15 September 2004, Alice Springs,Australia.
- 2005 meetings
- 12th Experts' Meeting, 14-17 March 2005, Washington, USA
(to coincide with World Bank Energy Week).
- 13th Experts’ Meeting, 10-14 October 2005, Shanghai, China
(to coincide with PVTEC -15)
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