ABSTRACT
An independent evaluation of the EU's Lomé PV Foilow-up Programme, which funded the installation of PV systems for rural households in the outer islands of Kiribati and Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean, was carried out in 1998 / 99. It found that, after more than 5 years of operation, 95% of the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed by a solar utility in Kiribati were still working well. The users were delighted with their solar-powered household lighting, radios and cassette players, and the solar utility had created 27 sustainable new jobs, half of which were in the poor rural areas of the outer islands. The new solar utility had therefore contributed not only to social development, but also to poverty alleviation. Studies of PV rural electrification schemes in other Pacific Island States and in rural Africa have not found the same levels of success. Although good quality PV system components are a basic requirement, our studies show that it is not simply the PV technology which lies at the root of a successful PV utility. Far more important is the institutional infra-structure which is put in place to ensure the long term sustainability of the PV Utility scheme.
