Costs and Tariff Setting - Examples
Example: EnDev Senegal
Costs
Hybrid mini-grids would be cost-efficient without subsidies if the poorest segment of the population could pay 4,700 to 5,000 FCFA (7-8 EUR).
If the payment capacity is lower than that of the ‘optimal’ village, the supply should be limited to two or three, instead of four service levels, which better correspond to the group needs of the middle income segment. Fulfilling energy needs of the richest segment results in a considerable reduction of the profitability index.
If no investors are motivated to participate in the projects after these last considerations, then management lead by communal associations, which focus more on the benefits electrification, will reduce the amount of profit required and consequently the subsidies needed.
EnDev provides a subsidy of 70% of the initial investment costs. The operator and the rural commune contribute 20% to the initial investment, whereby the operator usually contributes 15% by providing services and logistics. The remaining 5% is covered by the commune mainly through treasury bills and the provision of manpower for the construction sites. The end-users pay 10% consisting of a connection fee and the reimbursment of pre-financed indoor installations.
Tariff Setting
The project suggested the tariffs to be aproved by the Regulatory Commision for the Electricity Sector. The calculation is equally based on socio-economic studies conducted in the intervention region as well as on the operator's business plan.
The end-users pay a connection fee in the beginning and a monthly fee for the electricity provided. A part of the costs for the indoor installations is pre-financed by the operator and has to be reimbursed by the end-user through a addition to the monthly payment within the first two or three years depending on the service level considered.
Four service levels according to end-users energy demand are defined by the Regulatory Commision for the Electricity Sector. Each service level corresponds to a certain power made available to the end-user.
| Service Level | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
| Power made available | 50 W | 65 W | 180 W | > 180 W |
For the levels 1 to 3 a limiter guarantees that the end-user can't exeed the contracted limit, whereas for level 4 a counter is installed.
The following table shows for each service level which appliances can be powered . For level 4 the average consumtion of an average rural household is considered. As the consumption within service level 4 is not limited in terms of quantity productive use could be considered as well.
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | |||||
| No. | Time of use (hours/day) | No. | Time of use (hours/day) | No. | Time of use (hours/day) | No. | Time of use (hours/day) | |
| Lamp 8 W | 4 | 2,5 | 7 | 18 | 11 | 29 | 14 | 34 |
| B&W TV | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||
| Colour TV | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | ||||
| Video | 1 | 1.3 | ||||||
| Radio | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| Cassette Radio | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | ||
| Fan | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Fridge | 1 | 10 | ||||||
| Consumption (kWh/day) | 0.146 | 0.304 | 0.677 | 1.716 | ||||
Tariffs are set as follows:
| PV-diesel hybrid mini-grid | Level 1 (FCFA) | Level 2 (FCFA) | Level 3 (FCFA) | Level 4 (FCFA) |
| Connection Fee | 20,000 | 37,500 | 65,000 | 100,000 |
| Monthly Payment during the first Years | 6,100 | 10,000 | 16,500 | fix part: 16,000 variable part: 139 FCFA/kWh |
| Payment Period for the Indoor Installations | 2 years | 2 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Monthly Payment after Payment for the Indoor Installations | 4,000 | 7,500 | 13,000 | fix part: 11,300 variable part: 139 FCFA/kWh |
In the first three serivce levels the monthly payment rate is fixed. Only for the fourth level electricity consumption is metered and a part of the fee hast to be payed according to consumption.
⇒ Back to Solar Section
