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Off-grid electrification with solar home systems: The experience of a fee-for-service concession in South Africa
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Lemaire, Xavier (2011) Off-grid electrification with solar home systems: The experience of a fee-for-service concession in South Africa. Energy for Sustainable Development , Vol.15 (No.3). pp. 277-283. doi:10.1016/j.esd.2011.07.005 ISSN 0973-0826.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2011.07.005
Abstract
In rural areas of developing countries, electrification projects with photovoltaic systems were conceived as pilot projects with the implementation of a limited number of systems. After considerable financial support from international donors, photovoltaic systems were often quickly abandoned few years after their installation. Using micro-credit institutions in the energy sector or implementing small utilities with a fee-for-service model is now considered as two desirable options to create a dynamic self-sustained market for solar home systems.
South Africa launched in 1999 an ambitious off-grid solar electrification programme with fee-for-service concessions. Operating as small-scale utilities, fee-for-service concessions have facilitated the implementation on a large scale of solar home systems and solved the issue of high up-front cost and of long-term maintenance.
This paper focuses on operational and design issues linked to the implementation of fee-for-service concessions. Even in a challenging institutional context, some South African operators seem almost able to reach their break-even point. The case of one concessionaire is detailed and serves as a basis for a discussion on the benefits and difficulties linked to the fee-for-service model and on the potential for replication.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Journal or Publication Title: | Energy for Sustainable Development | ||||
Publisher: | Elsevier Ltd. | ||||
ISSN: | 0973-0826 | ||||
Official Date: | 2011 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Vol.15 | ||||
Number: | No.3 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 7 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 277-283 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1016/j.esd.2011.07.005 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge
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