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Diffusion of solar PV in East Africa: What can be learned from private sector delivery models?
Author(s) -
Muchunku Charles,
Ulsrud Kirsten,
Palit Debajit,
JonkerKlunne Wim
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: energy and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.158
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 2041-840X
pISSN - 2041-8396
DOI - 10.1002/wene.282
Subject(s) - electrification , photovoltaic system , photovoltaics , environmental economics , rural electrification , general partnership , grid , business , sustainability , renewable energy , electricity , service (business) , service delivery framework , marketing , economics , finance , engineering , electrical engineering , geography , ecology , geodesy , biology
Solar photovoltaic (PV) will play the leading role in addressing off‐grid electricity access; it can be applied almost anywhere and used in a wide range of applications for households, businesses, institutions and communities. However, to fully exploit this opportunity, off‐grid markets that need these solutions need to be effectively penetrated. This article focuses on delivery models for off‐grid solar PV solutions and how they address barriers such as awareness, acceptance, access and affordability. It is based on a survey of 13 solar PV businesses in East Africa, supported by the Energy and Environment Partnership Programme[Note 1. A challenge fund that provides grant funding to support ...] and implementing the following delivery models: Retail, Pay‐As‐You‐Go (PAYG), Consumer financing, Mini‐grid and Fee‐for‐service. The survey is complemented by supporting literature and incorporates experiences from a University of Oslo research project on a village scale energy access model in Kenya and case studies of solar PV mini‐grids in Senegal and India. Experiences from implementation of the different models are analyzed and generic descriptions provided. The models are compared to illustrate their suitability and effectiveness for delivering different levels of energy access. Retail and PAYG models are identified as effective at reaching scale, while the mini‐grid and fee‐for‐service models demonstrate good potential to affordably and sustainably deliver a wider range of electricity access. The limitations of conventional rural electrification strategies are also discussed and the potential to incorporate some delivery models into electrification programs assessed. This article is categorized under: Photovoltaics > Economics and Policy Photovoltaics > Systems and Infrastructure Energy and Development > Economics and Policy Solar Heating and Cooling > Economics and Policy