File:Report PV Systems SI and Village Electrification Mozambique.pdf.pdf

Over the past years, in order to provide an alternative to grid electrification in rural areas of Mozambique, an increasing number of solar photovoltaic systems have been installed by different actors under a variety of projects. The two main types of projects carried out have been targeting, on the one hand, social infrastructure buildings (schools and health centres) and, on the other hand, village coverage with solar PV systems. Overall, the site visits revealed that where PV systems function as intended, they create important benefits and these benefits are much appreciated by the beneficiaries. At the same time, the visits also found that the maintenance and sustained functioning of PV systems in rural settings is a formidable challenge. Quite a number of cases were found where system breakdown or maintenance problems took considerable time to be addressed. This appears partly due to the fact that different institutions’ responsibilities and capacities for project implementation, monitoring and maintenance were not discussed and agreed upon in detail before project start. Also, the sustainability of maintenance needs (in terms of funding, human resources, spare parts and logistics) had not been thoroughly assessed before project start, and there had been limited analysis of the affordability of PV systems for private users. Given the varied nature of challenges encountered in the functioning of existing PV systems in rural areas, it appears recommendable to address them in a systematic way, looking at all the stages of a project, including preparation, inception, realisation and maintenance. Hence it is recommended to address both technical and institutional requirements comprehensively throughout the project process, including post-installation maintenance and recurrent funding. Source: GTZ 2010.

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