Clean Energy Mini-Grid Policy Development Guide

The Clean Energy Mini-Grid Policy Development Guide, developed in partnership by ARE - ALER's partner, AMDA, INENSUS, the AfDB Green Mini-Grid Help Desk, and UNIDO - ALER’s partner, outlines the various forms and models that public-private cooperation could take and reflects on the outcomes of policy decisions on mini-grid deployment.

Mini-grids have been identified as a critical tool towards achieving universal electricity access by governments, donors and private sector actors alike. To enable the sustainable deployment of mini-grids, the public and private sector need to cooperate. Policies and regulations which support the most suitable mini-grid delivery models need to be developed to allow the sector to scale.

Five critical conclusions may be drawn from the guide:

Sustainable mini-grid business/delivery models require scale;
The way in which mini-grids are ultimately deployed, including the degree of private sector involvement, depends on decisions taken by government;
Large government control over mini-grid deployment, minimum financial subsidies and low end consumer tariffs cannot all be achieved at the same time;
The development of electricity demand in rural areas is difficult to predict, making it important to introduce demand risk mitigation instruments in the policy framework;
The risk of a sudden end to the project, i.e. the termination risk, ought to be considered by policy makers and regulators.

You can see the Guide here and get more information here.