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DFID-TERI Partnership for Clean Energy Access : Africa Update

April 2015

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The DFID - TERI Partnership for Clean Energy Access in Africa is a collaborative action research venture to pilot scalable business models for the provision of clean cooking and lighting solutions to poor households, with a special focus on Kenya and Ethiopia.

Initiated in 2011, the approach is aimed at increasing the community's awareness and at creating demand for clean energy products and services, thereby promoting the use of improved cooking and solar lighting solutions on a much larger scale. Increased private sector participation, in partnership with the government, NGOs and research institutions, has been key to achieving these results through the establishment of clear performance standards and the development of sustainable business models that address underlying issues including demand generation, mass production and distribution channels, selection and training of sellers, financing, education of users, after sales servicing and maintenance.

The four main action areas under the project include:

• Stakeholder networking and outreach
• Multi-stakeholder training and capacity building
• Implementation of cook stoves and solar lighting solutions
• Policy engagement for accelerated development of the sector

Project Target : To reach 2,00,000 people by 2015 through the adoption of clean lighting and cooking solutions in 40,000 households

Project Achievement as of 2015:

Significantly larger impacts are expected through demonstrations and the replication of best practices and processes which have been strengthened through piloting and innovation in both technologies and business models. 10 new technologies and delivery models for clean lighting solutions have already been developed and tested under the project in Africa.

Project implementation is being carried out through two national focal points (ACTS in Kenya and HoAREC/N in Ethiopia), under an incentive based model that incentivizes 13 private and developmental organizations in Ethiopia and 6 in Kenya, based on the number of systems sold. Nearly 700 people have been trained through trainings and workshops conducted under the program, including capacities built for over 450 solar and cookstove technicians and trainers.

In Ethiopia, TERI concentrated on developing and strengthening the energy value chain through the facilitation of SMEs, helping them build backward channel linkages and by providing technology based training and skill development.

In Kenya, where the market is comparatively more developed in solar PV products, TERI employed an incentive based model to encourage distributors to scale up distributions through the creation of a sales force who received a portion of the payment from every sale.