Experience with solar home systems in developing countries: A review

Solar energy is widely perceived as a promising technology for electricity generation in remote locations in developing countries. It is estimated tha t 1-3 million solar home systems had been installed by early 2000. An estim ated one-third of installed systems were backed by foreign donor support in government programmes and two-thirds supplied by commercial dealers. The e stimated growth in the deployment of solar lanterns is less than for SHS. O ne out of every 100 households that gain access to electricity in developin g countries uses solar power. In spite of these successes, doubts have aris en about the effectiveness and suitability of small PV systems for rural de velopment. Many organisational, financial and technical problems appear to present difficulties. A literature survey has been conducted to make an inv entory of experience with solar PV applications for households in developin g countries. The main finding is that an adequate service infrastructure is required to make projects viable. Household choice in system sizes is ofte n too restricted in donor-funded projects. Smaller systems sold for cash ca n he a good alternative to credit systems by offering to increased affordab ility. Gaps in existing knowledge have been identified, which could be over come by field monitoring programmes. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.