The IEA, through the Developing Country Team of the IEA  PVPS Implementing Agreement, is cooperating closely with the World Bank. The move will strengthen programmes aimed at bring power to some of the 2 billion people without electricity in the developing world.

The World Bank, which is one of the major source of finance for investments in developing countries, regards PV as a serious electricity supply option and is actively investigating ways of financing programmes to hasten the spread of PV throughout the developing world, where there is an immediate and cost-effective market for the technology.

The Bank's 'Solar Initiative' was launched to facilitate the use of the Global Environment Initiative (GEF) and other suitable financial resources for precisely this purpose. The GEF was replenished with USD 2 billion in 1995, half of which could be used for greenhouse gas mitigation projects - which includes PV - over the next three years. The Solar Initiative also aims to encourage and support R&D and international collaboration appropriate to the particular needs of specific developing countries.

Although the financial resources are available, the widespread lack of awareness of the economic viability of PV in target countries has prevented PV from being successfully incorporated into mainstream lending programmes. Under the terms of the cooperation, PVPS will provide assistance with publications, quality standards and certification, recommended practices, as well as providing a pool of expertise. All are urgently needed to accelerate the development of bankable PV projects. The first activity, which is currently underway, is to prepare a Solar Photovoltaic Power 'Theme Note', as one of a series of World Bank Publications. It is also anticipated that targeted workshops will be organized under the auspices of PVPS in association with the World Bank. These will address specific issues where results from PVPS tasks can be applied in the regions concerned.

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