11 Solar Photovoltaics on Land, Water, and Buildings
297
adoption of rooftop PV is spreading particularly in larger cities, as people start
perceiving PV as a cost-effective and reliable technology [13]. On the other hand, also
small-scale rooftop PV systems require a considerable up-front capital investment
that in these countries may be out of reach for a vast majority of the population.
In very recent years, however, rural communities in Africa are witnessing the
adoption of so-called pico and micro PV for low-income and rural households.
These off-grid solar-home systems generally consists of a single solar panel (with a
rating from less than 10–100 W), a small battery and a battery charger, and are used
to power small appliances such as LED lamps or torches, a radio and a mobile phone
charger. Larger solar home systems can power efficient stoves, smartphones and
solar-powered TVs or refrigerators. These solar-home kits can have a large impact
on the quality of life of people, allowing efficient and less polluting cooking, the use
of smartphones to aid connectivity and business opportunities, and “clean” lighting
powered by solar electricity (rather than costly and polluting kerosene lamps).
What makes today pico and micro PV accessible to a much larger customer basis,
is the introduction of innovative business models combining mobile-phone and solar
technologies. These business models, that avoid the need for costly one-off payments,
are called pay-as-you-go (PAYG) services. Often customers make payments for a
defined lease length until they fully own the system.
With PAYG, a basic solar-powered kit is purchased by the customer in installments, rather than paying a fixed sum in advance. An initial payment is followed
by payments in daily rates that can vary between 0.20 US$ and 2 US$. The costs
are calculated to be competitive with other forms of electricity generation, such as
battery-powered torches and diesel generators. Additionally, many schemes allow
adapting the daily rates (or even postponing them) making the scheme more accessible to rural communities (i.e. farmers, fishermen, etc.), who often have lower and
irregular income sources.
Payments can be made in a variety of ways depending on the scheme, but mobile
phone credit and scratch cards are normally adopted. In case of missing payments,
the provider of the PAYG service and of the solar kit can deactivate remotely (using
cell phone technology) the solar-home kit and reactivate it once the amount due
has been paid. This possibility enforces dramatically the loyalty of the customers in
submitting regular payments, and, as a consequence, the overall success of PAYG
schemes.
Box 11.10 shows a couple of examples of pico/micro PV plants deployed in
different countries of Austral Africa (South Africa and Zambia), whereas Box 11.11
shows an example of an off-grid installation on top of a nunnery in the Himalayan
region of Himachal Pradesh in Northern India.
Box 10–Pico and micro PV systems in Austral Africa
See Fig. 11.10.
297
adoption of rooftop PV is spreading particularly in larger cities, as people start
perceiving PV as a cost-effective and reliable technology [13]. On the other hand, also
small-scale rooftop PV systems require a considerable up-front capital investment
that in these countries may be out of reach for a vast majority of the population.
In very recent years, however, rural communities in Africa are witnessing the
adoption of so-called pico and micro PV for low-income and rural households.
These off-grid solar-home systems generally consists of a single solar panel (with a
rating from less than 10–100 W), a small battery and a battery charger, and are used
to power small appliances such as LED lamps or torches, a radio and a mobile phone
charger. Larger solar home systems can power efficient stoves, smartphones and
solar-powered TVs or refrigerators. These solar-home kits can have a large impact
on the quality of life of people, allowing efficient and less polluting cooking, the use
of smartphones to aid connectivity and business opportunities, and “clean” lighting
powered by solar electricity (rather than costly and polluting kerosene lamps).
What makes today pico and micro PV accessible to a much larger customer basis,
is the introduction of innovative business models combining mobile-phone and solar
technologies. These business models, that avoid the need for costly one-off payments,
are called pay-as-you-go (PAYG) services. Often customers make payments for a
defined lease length until they fully own the system.
With PAYG, a basic solar-powered kit is purchased by the customer in installments, rather than paying a fixed sum in advance. An initial payment is followed
by payments in daily rates that can vary between 0.20 US$ and 2 US$. The costs
are calculated to be competitive with other forms of electricity generation, such as
battery-powered torches and diesel generators. Additionally, many schemes allow
adapting the daily rates (or even postponing them) making the scheme more accessible to rural communities (i.e. farmers, fishermen, etc.), who often have lower and
irregular income sources.
Payments can be made in a variety of ways depending on the scheme, but mobile
phone credit and scratch cards are normally adopted. In case of missing payments,
the provider of the PAYG service and of the solar kit can deactivate remotely (using
cell phone technology) the solar-home kit and reactivate it once the amount due
has been paid. This possibility enforces dramatically the loyalty of the customers in
submitting regular payments, and, as a consequence, the overall success of PAYG
schemes.
Box 11.10 shows a couple of examples of pico/micro PV plants deployed in
different countries of Austral Africa (South Africa and Zambia), whereas Box 11.11
shows an example of an off-grid installation on top of a nunnery in the Himalayan
region of Himachal Pradesh in Northern India.
Box 10–Pico and micro PV systems in Austral Africa
See Fig. 11.10.