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Introduction

Supporting services can be defined as any additional support needed to address weaknesses or gaps in the delivery model, or socio-cultural factors that need to be considered for the service to work (in a given context). This section focuses on the employees and the communities. It will address potential challenges and opportunities of community engagement at the project side, give an overview of further training programs for your personnel, and give a short insight into community-based models.

Definitions

Lack of interest and participation

Community members may consider local or state government bodies as responsible for the provision of energy services or a culture of active participation has never been established. Some might even see participating in the project as a waste of time and resources. But language barriers, appropriation by the elite and local conflicts can also be causes for non-participation.

Gender inequality in participation

The opportunities women and men have, varies from region to region. While in some areas women and men are equal, in other areas women have no decision-making rights. This is not only disadvantageous in terms of equality. The input of women can help to strengthen the technical design of a project by providing other insights.

Guiding Principles

Provide training for your staff

A cornerstone for the successful establishment and maintenance of an off-grid solar (OGS) project is its personnel. During the construction of the plant, care should be taken to train them beforehand. Before entering a solar plant the employee needs a danger briefing including health and safety regulations. The operation and maintenance (O&M) of the facility should be carried out by trained staff which meet the relevant qualifications to work safe, accountable and responsible. Especially in rural, emerging markets this can be challenging, as qualified personnel is not always available. Therefore developers should consider offering their employee standard training which is provided by public training institutes and international organisations as well as further education opportunities for instance in the form of certifications/ diplomas. A selection of training institutions in the OGS sector can be found in Table 1. The industry is changing fast, so does the technology. Therefore a developer should create a continuous training scheme, internally and externally, including opportunities for qualification and development.

Table 1: List of training institutions (own extended illustration according to USAID, 2022)

Name	Description	Area of action
Renewables Academy (RENAC)	RENAC is a provider for training and capacity building on renewable energy and energy efficiency based in Germany. Additionally to solar energy, they also offer courses on other renewable energy sources as well as on business development. The offer includes a variety of ready-made trainings for individuals, tailor-made trainings for industry and organisations and academic programmes. The formats take place online or on-site at the RENAC training center in Berlin. In addition to the regular training programmes, RENAC also offers projects in partnership with other organisations in developing countries. These are usually free through financial support by third parties.	Worldwide, online
Energy Delivery Modes (EDM) Training by UNITAR	The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) offers a wide range of courses and training activities for a diverse audience. The free EDM training aims to build staff capacity to support the integration of energy access and sustainable delivery models of modern energy services into humanitarian and development programming. It is based on the EDM Toolkit developed by IIED and CAFOD. The course consists of three modules: Module 1: Introduction to Energy Access in Displacement Contexts Module 2: Hands-on Design of Energy Delivery Models Module 3: Developing & Managing Your Energy Project	Online
Cornerstone of rural electrification (CORE)	The CORE initiative was jointly launched by ARE, ICA, IRENA, SforAll, UNEO and UNIDO to address the immense capacity building and technical assistance needs to support the development of DRE systems. It offers technical assistance to Practitioners on aspects related to improving safety, efficiency and reliability of decentralised electrification projects; Communities (especially women) on productive use of electricity; and to Governments on enhancing the policy and regulatory framework in support of decentralised electrification.	Online
Asteven Renewable Energy Academy	Asteven Energy is the first Innovation Enterprise Institution(IEI) approved by the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) and accredited by Nigeria’s National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to offer a National Innovation Diploma (NID) in Solar Energy Technology. It is accredited by the ECOWAS Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) as a recognized institution for training and certification in Solar Photovoltaic (Off Grid) Installation in Nigeria. Offers: Solar Photovoltaik installation training (SPVI) For beginners and for those with limited knowledge National Innovation diploma in solar energy technology	Nigeria, UK
Ashdam Solar Academy	Ashdam Solar specialized in design, installation and O&M of off-grid solar systems in Nigeria. They offer a variety of online courses, including basic information of renewable energy generation over system configuration and installment to customer service. Furthermore they have several onsite and blended (online and onsite) courses. One example is the “Solar Queen Program” which explicitly addresses women.	Nigeria, online
Blue Camel Energy Academy	The academy provides a range of online and onsite (tailored) training services for the renewable energy industry. Excerpt from the course list: Solar Photovoltaic Installation and supervision (SPVIS) Solar street lightning Technical vocational education & training TVET) Energy management course Solar system sizing & maintenance Finance	Nigeria, online
Ecowatt Nigeria	Ecowatt is a solution provider for sustainable development with focus on affordable and clean energy development. The company offers hands-on training courses and workshops which can vary from standard to tailor-made courses. They also organize trainings and study tours to Germany/Europe. Due Diligence for Solar Industrial and Commercial Energy Audit Training ISO 50001 Energy Management System EnMS	Nigeria
GreCo Academy	GreCo Academy provides quality training that covers the entire solar energy value chain from finance, marketing, management policy-making and solar engineering. They also offer a variety of free courses. Excerpt of course offer: Basics of how to start a solar business Business and Finance Energy efficiency in buildings Customer service Policies and regulations Homer software Data collection	Online
National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN)	NAPTIN is a parastatal training institute under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Power. In this context it offers training and certification among others for generation companies (GenCos) & distribution companies (DisCos), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). Excerpt of course offer: Technical courses: NGSDP (Graduate skills development programme) NTSAP (Technical skills acquisition programme) PGD (Post graduate diploma in Power system O&M) On-the-job training Non technical courses: Leadership & Management Marketing & Customer Service Electricity trading, regulation & pricing Other, non-technical & soft-skills	Nigeria
Renewable Energy Technology Training Institute (RETTI)	The training institute provides tailored education within and across the value chain of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Design and Installation Safety course Maintenance Business and entrepreneurship Starting a profitable solar business Import	Online
Rubitec Academy	Rubitec Limited is a leading Nigerian renewable energy company. Rubitec Academy is an initiative to partner with academic and training institutions in Nigeria and abroad in developing future leaders in Renewable Energy and Environmental Science through a 1-year workplace training programme. Requirement is experience in the field. SPVI SPVIS Minigrid designer	Nigeria

Include community engagement

Community members are still largely excluded from substantive aspects of decision making and implementation processes that are essential for their long-term viability and sustainability. According to Sesant et al. the lack of community involvement is a “missed opportunity”. Integrating communities in the development process of mini-grids can foster a sense of local ownership and can improve the functionality of the project.

Community involvement should start right in the beginning. A key part of the planning progress of a mini-grid is the community needs assessment where the demand is estimated. An early exchange with the local community can help to understand the energy needs and willingness to pay for energy services. Furthermore the communities can help to understand the local resource rights and prevent future conflicts. Developers can also consider the involvement of the community in the ownership model. There are various options, ranging from sole ownership to a partnership with the company (USAID, no date). Business models that are co-created with the users may enhance competitive advantage while integrating the voice of the community.

To ensure the commitment of the community, a strong community representation in the operation and maintenance of a mini-grid is inevitable. Accordingly, comprehensive training is advantageous for a smooth operation. An extensive engagement can enhance the acceptance of the project.

Consider aspects of gender equality

To improve diversity and inclusion developers should provide training for all genders. A selection of training academies already offers courses targeting women specifically. There is a greater potential of gender-sensitive approaches to reduce household poverty and increase the overall wellbeing of the community . Women benefit from an increase in electricity supply by spending less time on household production, which results in them having more time for economic activities. This in turn leads to an increase in employment and factor incomes which benefits the whole community.

To ensure a comprehensive and diverse perspective, women and other disadvantaged members should be included in decision processes. Developers should also consider women-led groups for better representation. Public meetings and other outreach efforts should take place at times when women can attend and should be adapted to women needs.

Community-based model

Community-based models are characterized by the fact that the administrative, financial and technical responsibilities for running the system are carried out by the local actors. Especially in remote areas where institutional and technical infrastructure may be lacking, it can be particularly beneficial to empower local actors to manage the administrative, financial and technical aspects. However, there is also evidence of failed community-based models due to a gap in local capacity and a rushed ownership transfer.

Existing Tools

• Diagnostic tool for effective gender integration (ICRW and Acumen)

Based on the study of seven case studies from different industries and geographies, the report “Women and social enterprises: how gender integration can boost entrepreneurial solutions to poverty” (source), contains a new framework that outlines the ways in which gender can influence key business decisions. This framework can be applied as a diagnostic tool to uncover opportunities to more effectively integrate gender in ways that will support the business and social goals of these companies.

https://www.icrw.org/gender-equity-in-textile-clothing-and-footwear-manufacturing-resource-hub/self-diagnostic-tool-and-scorecard/

• Insensus Open-source MicroPowerManager

The software facilitates the entire data management for decentralized electric utilities (DEUs) within a single platform. Operators and maintainers no longer need to operate their own server, but can transfer and access their data on the platform without further IT knowledge.

https://micropowermanager.com/

• Solar Power Europe - Operation & Maintenance: Best practice Guidelines Africa Edition

The document assists the reader in developing a general understanding of the topic. The guideline addresses O&M contractors as well as installers, owners, investors, financiers, monitoring tool providers, technical consultants and interested stakeholders in Sub-Saharan Africa

https://api.solarpowereurope.org/uploads/Africa_edition_O_and_M_Best_Practice_Guidelines_fdea430b58.pdf

• USAID - Community Involvement in Mini-Grids (Mini-Grids Support Toolkit)

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) developed a toolkit for mini-grid developers including a section for community involvement. The section consists of various modules on how to engage local communities, how to assess energy needs and community support, a description of conflict types that may arise and how to measure the social benefit and impacts of a project.

https://www.usaid.gov/energy/mini-grids/community

• Community Energy Toolkit (COMET)

COMET is a role-playing software tool built around a representation of a mini-grid system, intended to be used as an educational and collaborative planning tool in designing a community-sized mini-grid system. The tool is designed to be used within a process that explores mini-grid planning and operational decisions. After the simulation, one can generate reports and analyse data on consumer demand and payments. Communities can develop workable solutions to challenges of managing a community-sized mini-grid, such as system sizing, tariff-setting, and demand-side management. By playing as a group, the players can also improve their understanding of energy technology, practice negotiation and consensus-building skills.

https://www.enactpartners.org/comet

Bibliography