SDS-105
Verification Services of Solar Home System (SHS) Installations by Electric Cooperatives under the Photovoltaic Mainstreaming (PVM) Component of the Access to Sustainable Energy Project (ASEP-Window 2)
The Solar Home Systems (SHS) project is the first component of the Access to Sustainable Energy Project (ASEP) grant agreement supported by $12.8 million from the European Union (EU) and $2.4 million from the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid (GPOBA). SHS is in line with and supports the PV Mainstreaming (PVM) component of the Republic of the Philippines’ strategy for achieving full electrification, a Department of Energy (DOE) initiative. The DOE estimates, in its Household Electrification Development Plan, that at least 400,000 of those households will be most economically connected with modern solar home systems. PVM is part of the larger DOE-EU Access to Sustainable Energy Programme. PVM is the provision of SHS packages as a utility service in which utilities own the systems and provide for operations, maintenance, parts replacement, and other customer services; while households pay a flat, monthly, regulated fee to the local Electric Cooperative (EC). Regulation is provided by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
PVM, in keeping with global best practices, is a service-oriented program. SHS packages include panels, lithium-ion batteries, LED lights, and low-voltage, DC appliances like radios or fans, depending on the level of service provided. Specifications will focus not on watt-peakage but rather on the hours of service that customers can expect from their lighting and appliance array. The GPOBA and the EU through the World Bank (WB) signed separate Grant Agreements with the private organization LGU Guarantee Corporation (LGUGC) to undertake the PV Mainstreaming Program.
As Transaction Manager, NPC is responsible for the tender design, awarding, execution, verification, and payment from the WB to SHS Supplier & Installer Contractor (SIC). SDS was commissioned by the NPC to undertake the verification assignment.
1. Designed an efficient Verification Plan with a Verification Checklist to minimize the failure of some SHS packages by reporting to the EC, the partner implementer for this project, and ECs in turn will rectify installations based on the list of recommended items that need to be fixed.
2. Reviewed all Installation Acceptance Sheets (IAS) and related documents confirming turnover of SHS from EC to Household with the approval of the EC installer.
3. Prepared Verification Tranche Report (VTR) and corresponding individual verification reports for review and approval by the NPC.
4. Physically verified 3,050 SHS installations comprising 10% of the allocated SHS installations through random sampling, and conducted a socio-economic and customer satisfaction survey among the beneficiaries/clients; and provide reports on:
5. Updated a cloud-based Project Monitoring Tool (PMT) daily with Individual Verification Reports (IVRs) and other reporting documentation. The VA shall submit a Verification Tranche Report (VTR) and once all IVRs for the respective tranche have been uploaded; a completion or Final Report will be submitted with the results of the socio-economic and satisfaction survey. Further, the Report also contained an assessment of adverse social or environmental impacts inflicted by the physical installations of the SHS packages, as per the World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESSF) for ASEP. Furthermore, the Report contained feedback on customer satisfaction with installations and SHS-related training provided, and inclusion of gender indicators, e.g., number of women beneficiaries, number of woman-headed household beneficiaries, and women’s preferences for light bulb location.