HAITI
Rural Development Through Productive Uses of Energy
Of the nearly 10 million people without access to electricity in the Latin America and Caribbean region, over 60% are in Haiti.83 At 45%,84 Haiti’s electrification rate is the lowest in the western hemisphere, and of the unelectrified households, 82% are in rural areas.85 Chronic underinvestment, political instability, mountainous terrain, and poor quality roads have made the expansion of Haiti’s electric grid extremely difficult.
HAITI
Rural Development Through Productive Uses of Energy
Of the nearly 10 million people without access to electricity in the Latin America and Caribbean region, over 60% are in Haiti.83 At 45%,84 Haiti’s electrification rate is the lowest in the western hemisphere, and of the unelectrified households, 82% are in rural areas.85 Chronic underinvestment, political instability, mountainous terrain, and poor quality roads have made the expansion of Haiti’s electric grid extremely difficult.
Demand is the primary driver of mini-grid profitability and ensuring that demand will match a mini-grid’s scale is always a key concern for developers. Haiti’s high poverty rate means that many of the Haitians who benefit from PHARES mini-grids lack the awareness or resources needed to invest in new electric appliances. Addressing this risk to financial viability for mini-grids will help ensure more are developed.
That is why the alliance is supporting a program designed to stimulate demand for electricity among Haitian microentrepreneurs. This program, Promoting Economic Development through Productive Uses of Off-Grid Electricity, will help entrepreneurs served by mini-grids, and particularly women entrepreneurs, identify and acquire useful electric appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, mills, grinders, egg incubators, and hair clippers, and will provide them with valuable business training.
The project aims to establish whether these interventions (electric appliances and training) can successfully help Haitian entrepreneurs experience significant improvements to their livelihoods. It is also hoped that these entrepreneurial activities will improve mini-grid load factors and make mini-grids more profitable and attractive for development in Haiti.
Together with local upstream partners Fonkoze, Palmis Enèji, and the Haitian Institute of Energy, the Alliance will research local needs and then identify, source, finance, distribute, and service suitable products. A robust impact measurement program will help track progress and surface insights and best practices. The program will test various financing and delivery mechanisms to determine the most impactful uses of grant funding and subsidies, and will establish best practices for this approach.
This project is in the early stages of development, with phase 1 pilot projects aiming to distribute appliances to 150 entrepreneurs and establish which types of appliances can support sustainable income-generating businesses.
Demand is the primary driver of mini-grid profitability and ensuring that demand will match a mini-grid’s scale is always a key concern for developers. Haiti’s high poverty rate means that many of the Haitians who benefit from PHARES mini-grids lack the awareness or resources needed to invest in new electric appliances. Addressing this risk to financial viability for mini-grids will help ensure more are developed.
That is why the alliance is supporting a program designed to stimulate demand for electricity among Haitian microentrepreneurs. This program, Promoting Economic Development through Productive Uses of Off-Grid Electricity, will help entrepreneurs served by mini-grids, and particularly women entrepreneurs, identify and acquire useful electric appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, mills, grinders, egg incubators, and hair clippers, and will provide them with valuable business training.
The project aims to establish whether these interventions (electric appliances and training) can successfully help Haitian entrepreneurs experience significant improvements to their livelihoods. It is also hoped that these entrepreneurial activities will improve mini-grid load factors and make mini-grids more profitable and attractive for development in Haiti.
Together with local upstream partners Fonkoze, Palmis Enèji, and the Haitian Institute of Energy, the Alliance will research local needs and then identify, source, finance, distribute, and service suitable products. A robust impact measurement program will help track progress and surface insights and best practices. The program will test various financing and delivery mechanisms to determine the most impactful uses of grant funding and subsidies, and will establish best practices for this approach.
This project is in the early stages of development, with phase 1 pilot projects aiming to distribute appliances to 150 entrepreneurs and establish which types of appliances can support sustainable income-generating businesses.
Phase 2 will see appliances distributed to 450 entrepreneurs with the goal of testing different financial structures. Ultimately, this project will make mini-grids more economically viable, helping to scale up and improve the financial sustainability of the PHARES project, while improving the lives and livelihoods of rural Haitians.
Footnotes
- Source: IEA, “Global energy crisis shows urgency of accelerating investment in cheaper and cleaner energy in Africa”; available at: https://w/ww.iea.org/news/global-energy-crisis-shows-urgency-of-accelerating-investment-in-cheaper-and-cleaner-energy-in-africa
- Source: Tracking SDG7 – SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset; available at: https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/downloads
- Source: Tracking SDG7 – SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset; available at: https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/downloads
- Source: IEA, SDG7: Data and Projections; available at: https://www.iea.org/reports/sdg7-data-and-projections
- Source: Tracking SDG7 – SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset; available at: https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/downloads
- Source: SEforAll “Lasting Impact: Sustainable Off-Grid Solar Delivery Models to Power Health and Education” (2019), available at: https://www.seforall.org/publications/lasting-impact-sustainable-off-grid-solar-delivery-models
- Source: 60_decibels: Uses and Impacts of Solar Water Pumps; available at: https://storage.googleapis.com/e4a-website-assets/Use-and-Impacts-of-SWPs-July-2021-v2.pdf
- Source: Authors’ calculations assuming average-sized smartphone battery (4,000 mAh, 3.8V; 15 Wh) and average electricity rates in the US and Europe ($0.15- $0.30 per kWh) vs. typical charging service cost in developing contexts.
- Source: IFC, The Dirty Footprint of the Broken Grid, 2019; Available at: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/industry_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/financial+institutions/resources/dirty-footprint-of-broken-grid
- Source: IFC, The Dirty Footprint of the Broken Grid, 2019; Available at: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/industry_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/financial+institutions/resources/dirty-footprint-of-broken-grid
- Source: World Bank, Underutilized Potential: The Business Costs of Unreliable Infrastructure in Developing Countries, 2019; Available at: https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/10.1596/1813-9450-8899
- Source: World Bank Enterprise Surveys; available at: https://www.enterprisesurveys.org/en/enterprisesurveys
- Source: Authors’ calculations, leveraging Tracking SDG7 – SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, IEA per capita electricity consumption data
- Source: Energy for Growth Hub, The Modern Energy Minimum; Available at: https://www.energyforgrowth.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/01/FULL-Modern-Energy-Minimum-final-Jan2021.pdf
- Source: Authors’ calculations, leveraging US EIA data for US historicals, IEA per capita electricity consumption data, and World Bank country designations.
- Source: IEA Data Browser, Available at: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser
- Source: Authors’ calculations based on regression analysis of per capita GDP and electricity consumption data vs. HDI score
- Source: Authors’ calculations, leveraging IEA per capita electricity consumption data, IEA residential share of electricity consumption data, and UN DESA World Population Prospects 2022 medium variant projections (all publicly available).
- Source: IEA Data Browser, Available at: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser
- Authors’ calculations based on IEA, Tracking Transport 2021, available at: https://www.iea.org/reports/transport
- Solar PV indirect emissions occur during the manufacturing, distribution, installation, and disposal of systems component
- Source: IRENA, Power Generation Costs, 2021; Available at: https://www.irena.org/publications/2022/Jul/Renewable-Power-Generation-Costs-in-2021
- Source: Bloomberg New Energy Finance, “Battery Pack Prices Fall to an Average of $132/kWh, But Rising Commodity Prices Start to Bite”, available at: https://about.bnef.com/blog/battery-pack-prices-fall-to-an-average-of-132-kwh-but-rising-commodity-prices-start-to-bite/
- Source: IEA, Annual energy storage additions by country, 2015-2020; available at: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/annual-energy-storage-additions-by-country-2015-2020
- Source: Author’s calculations leveraging NREL’s U.S. Solar Photovoltaic System and Energy Storage Cost Benchmarks: Q1 2021
- Source: Rockefeller Foundation, Electrifying Economies; Available at: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/rf-microsites/electrifying-economies/
- Source: SEIA, “Solar Industry Research Data”; available at: https://www.seia.org/solar-industry-research-data
- Source: Ember Data Explorer; available at: https://ember-climate.org/data/data-explorer/
- Source: Author modeling leveraging data from CAIT and assuming that OECD countries reach net zero by 2050, emerging economies by 2060, and energy-poor countries by 2070, with emissions growth reversed in the latter by 2040
- Source: Author modeling leveraging data from CAIT and assuming that emissions grow at a CAGR of 2.8 percent per year through 2050 and 1.4 percent in the following decade, only beginning to decrease starting in 2060.
- Source: Author’s calculations based on OPEC crude oil reserves of 267 billion barrels and and 0.3714 tCO2/barrel from ‘Carbon Majors: Accounting for Carbon and Methane Emissions 1854-2010 – Methods & Results Report’
GEAPP Program and Partner Project Highlights
- Source: Benchmarking Distribution Utilities in India, October 2020, SPI & Niti Aayog; Available at: https://smartpowerindia.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/07/WEB_SPI_Electrification_16.pdf
- Source: Rooftop Solar final render; Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wwvbXpuWgs
- Source: Rooftop Solar final render; Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wwvbXpuWgs
- Source: SPI Customer Report; Available at: https://smartpowerindia.org/smart-power-india-launches-its-report-on-rural-electrification-in-india/
- Source: Health Effects of Diesel Exhaust; Available at: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/chemicals/diesel-exhaust-and-cancer.html ; https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/17/4/733 ; https://oehha.ca.gov/air/health-effects-diesel-exhaust
- Source: SPI Deployment estimates
- Source: ESMAP, Nigeria Tracking SDG 7, available at: https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/country/nigeria
- Authors’ calculation based on IEA 2019 data
- Source: FAO, Nigeria at a Glance, available at: https://www.fao.org/nigeria/fao-in-nigeria/nigeria-at-a-glance/en/
- Source: National Bureau of Statistics, available at: https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/
- Source: IFC, The Dirty Footprint of the Broken Grid, 2019; Available at: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/2cd3d83d-4f00-4d42-9bdc-4afdc2f5dbc7/20190919-Full-Report-The-Dirty-Footprint-of-the-Broken-Grid.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=mR9UpXC
- Source: IFC, The Dirty Footprint of the Broken Grid, 2019; Available at: https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/2cd3d83d-4f00-4d42-9bdc-4afdc2f5dbc7/20190919-Full-Report-The-Dirty-Footprint-of-the-Broken-Grid.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=mR9UpXC
- Source: Nigeria Energy Transition Plan, available at: https://www.seforall.org/events/launch-of-nigerias-energy-transition-plan
- Source: International Energy Agency Energy Statistics Data Browser; Available at: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser
- Source: International Energy Agency – South Africa; Available at: https://www.iea.org/countries/south-africa
- Source: South Africa Department of Energy Energy Balances 2018 (pg. 14); Available at: http://www.energy.gov.za/files/media/explained/2021-South-African-Energy-Sector-Report.pdf
- Source: GDP by Country; Available at: https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-by-country/
- Source: UNDP Climate Promise – South Africa; Available at: https://climatepromise.undp.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/south-africa
- Source: World Bank data; available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS?locations=MM. However, SPM estimates this number to be closer to 55%.
- Source: https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population/MM
- Source: SPM: Energising Agriculture in Myanmar; available at: https://downloads.ctfassets.net/nvxmg7jt07o2/aw1dQBBaMLxivJ7jRLu4Z/716b0732a3e83bfa6c3bbe50a573f565/Final_SPM-agriculturalvaluechains-final_1.pdf
- Source: Fulcrum, “Myanmar’s Post-coup Electricity Woes: Stalled Power Plans, Shattered Public Trust”; available at: https://fulcrum.sg/myanmars-post-coup-electricity-woes-stalled-power-plans-shattered-public-trust/
- [1]Source: World Bank, Myanmar Rice and Pulses: Farm Production Economics and Value Chain Dynamics (2019); available at: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/623701579900727742/pdf/Myanmar-Rice-and-Pulses-Farm-Production-Economics-and-Value-Chain-Dynamics.pdf
- Source: Myint, T and Myo Thu, K – National Export Strategy (2019) Rubber Sector Strategy, 2015-2019; retrieved from https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/2606
- Source: Myint, T and Myo Thu, K – National Export Strategy (2019) Rubber Sector Strategy, 2015-2019; retrieved from https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/2606
- Source: Myint, T and Myo Thu, K – National Export Strategy (2019) Rubber Sector Strategy, 2015-2019; retrieved from https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/2606
- Source: USAID: Rapid Market Assessment of Aquaculture Sector in Myanmar (2021); available from: https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00XCRW.pdf
- Source: World Data Population Comparison; Available at: https://www.worlddata.info/populationgrowth.php
- Source: GEAPP DREAM Initiative; Available at: https://www.energyalliance.org/news-insights/dream-initiative/
- Source: FAO Smallholder Farmer Data Portrait; Available at: https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/385074/
- Source: GIZ Solar Irrigation Market Analysis in Ethiopia, IWMI/FAO Suitability Framework for Solar Irrigation ; Available at: http://www.practica.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/04/Solar-irrigation-market-Analysis-in-Ethiopia_GIZ-NIRAS-IP-Consult-PRACTICA.pdf
- Source: Catalyst calculations leveraging information from the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency Minigrid Viability Report.
- Source: Catalyst estimations leveraging World Bank Multi-tier Framework
- Source: Catalyst estimations leveraging GEAPP “Transforming a Billion Lives” Report; Available at: https://www.energyalliance.org/reports/
- Source: Catalyst estimations leveraging: CDM AMS-I.L. Electrification of rural communities using renewable energy — Version 3.0; Available at: https://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/DB/CCZKY3FSL1T28BNEGDRSCKS0CY0WVA, CDM AMS-I.F.Renewable electricity generation for captive use and mini-grid — Version 4.0; Available at: https://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/DB/VLTLVBDOD19GFSTDHAR0CRLUZ6YMGU, CDM AMS-I.B. Mechanical energy for the user with or without electrical energy — Version 12.0; Available at:https://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/DB/M204DLP0XMSWSZ9H4SIZ6W86M8RHCM and SE4ALL Emissions Tool; Available at: https://www.seforall.org/mini-grids-emissions-tool
- Source: NREL Island Energy Snapshot; Available at: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/62708.pdf
- Source: Energy Information Administration – Hawaii; Available at: https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=HI
- [1]Source:Energy Information Administration – Electric Power Monthly; Available at: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.php?t=epmt_5_6_a
- Source: The Socio-Economic Impacts of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) on the Population of Puerto Rico; Available at: https://ieefa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/12/PREPA-RSA-Cordero-Guzman-UTIER-REPORT-9-10-19-FIN-ENGLISH.pdf
- Source: The Socio-Economic Impacts of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) on the Population of Puerto Rico; Available at: https://ieefa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/12/PREPA-RSA-Cordero-Guzman-UTIER-REPORT-9-10-19-FIN-ENGLISH.pdf
- Source: Tracking SDG7 – SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset; available at:https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/downloads
- Source: The World Bank, “Nigeria – Food SmartCountry Diagnostic,” 2020.; Available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/34522
- Source: PWC. Boosting rice production through increased mechanisation, (2018); available from: https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/publications/boosting-rice-production-through-increased-mechanisation.html
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2020. Rome, 2020. doi: 10.4060/cb1329en. ; Available at: https://www.fao.org/3/cb1329en/CB1329EN.pdf
- Source: Boosting rice production through increased mechanisation, (2018); available from: https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/publications/boosting-rice-production-through-increased-mechanisation.html
- Source: Tracking SDG7 – SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset; available at:https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/downloads
- Source: Prospects for Energy Efficiency in Sierra Leone’s Power Sector; Available at: https://www.energyeconomicgrowth.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/Lucas%20Davis%20working%20paper.pdf
- Source: Estimations based on GEAPP Jobs report multipliers and International Labour Organization Hydropower Jobs ; Available at: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_emp/documents/publication/wcms_562269.pdf
- Source: Catalyst calculations based on World Bank Multi-tier Framework
- Source: CDM AMS-I.L. Electrification of rural communities using renewable energy — Version 3.0; Available at: https://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/DB/CCZKY3FSL1T28BNEGDRSCKS0CY0WVA
- Source: CDM AMS-I.D. Grid connected renewable electricity generation — Version 18.0; Available at: https://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/DB/W3TINZ7KKWCK7L8WTXFQQOFQQH4SBK
- Source: Catalyst calculations based on Tracking SDG 7.
- Source: IADB Energia Hub; Available at: https://hubenergia.org/index.php/en/indicators/access-electricity-service
- Source: IADB Energia Hub; Available at: https://hubenergia.org/index.php/en/indicators/access-electricity-service
- Source: Tracking SDG 7 Report; Available at: https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/country/malawi
- Source: IRENA Statistical Profiles – Malawi; Available at: https://www.irena.org/IRENADocuments/Statistical_Profiles/Africa/Malawi_Africa_RE_SP.pdf
- Source: Catalyst modeling based on expected improvements to power supply reliability for grid-tied customers served by the new BESS and VRE systems.
- Source: Catalyst modeling based on storage industry multipliers for direct BESS construction and general economy sector splits for Malawi applied to estimated employment multipliers from GEAPP’s 2021 Jobs Report.
- Source: Catalyst modeling based on displacement of stop-gap and backup power sources for households and businesses
- IEA Energy Statistics – Indonesia; Available at: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser