Methodology

Is there an officially approved national electrification plan?

Is the electrification plan developed based on demand assessment and/or geospatial least cost analysis?

Are there geospatial maps conveying the timeframe of planned grid extension?

Were there any public consultations while developing the plan?

Is there a provision for the plan to be periodically evaluated?

Are the electrification plan and the updates publicly available?

Does the plan detail how it will be funded?

Are there institution(s) responsible for carrying out the following functions:

Is there a requirement for periodic progress reports tracking progress towards the defined energy access target?

Does the tracking get published?

Does the plan target a service level (e.g., power availability, number of guaranteed hours of power supply, etc.)?

Does the electrification plan include decentralized energy solutions (either/or both mini grids and off-grid systems)?

Does the plan include productive uses (e.g., agricultural, commercial, and industrial activities)?

Does the plan include community facilities (e.g., health centers, schools, administrative buildings)?

Does the plan specifically address the electricity access of vulnerable groups (e.g., female-headed households, informally settled people, displaced people or any other vulnerable group identified in the country context)?

Does the plan encourage the leveraging of private-sector financing?

Does the government have a dedicated funding line or budget for electrification (e.g., funded national program, budget item, rural electrification fund to finance grid extension)?

Are there capital subsidies paid to the utilities to provide distribution systems to rural areas/villages?

Are there consumer financing mechanisms (i.e., utility loans, on-bill financing, micro-loans etc.) and/or direct subsidies available to support the payment of connection fees by consumers?

Are there consumer financing mechanisms targeting specifically vulnerable groups (e.g., low-income households, female-headed households, informally settled people, dsiplaced people and/or any other vulnerable group identified in the country context)?

Does the government specify standards of performance on reliability (e.g. number of guaranteed hours per day, duration of the electricity, frequency of outages, etc.)?

Is there a reporting system in place to track standards compliance?

Are there programs which aim to develop solar hybrid mini grid systems or support the development of solar hybrid mini grid systems?

Are there programs to support hybridization of diesel mini grids?

If the country has a national electrification strategy and/or plan, does it encourage development of "portfolios" of mini grids (i.e., clusters of mini grids developed and operated by the same developer) instead of site-by-site?

Do mini grid developers have access to geospatial data through an online platform, to help them plan their investments?

Is there a national or large-scale program to increase productive uses of electricity for mini grid customers?

Is there a national or large-scale program to engage with communities who are about to receive mini grid electricity or who have just recently received mini grid electricity, to increase awareness, uptake, and demand for electricity services?

Are there industry associations relevant to mini grid developers?

Are there publicly funded mechanisms to secure results-based viability gap funding for operators?

Are there specific debt financing facilities available to support mini grid developers?

Are there specific risk-mitigation facilities (e.g., foreign exchange risk, first-loss guarantees) available to support mini grid developers?

Are there duty exemptions for mini grid systems and/or individual components?

Can mini grids be owned and/or operated by private companies?

Are there opportunities to develop mini grids through both top-down and bottom-up approaches? (Under a bottom-up approach, mini grid developers select their sites; under a top-down approach, the government selects the sites)

Are mini grids legally allowed to operate in the country?

Are there clear registration, permitting or licensing procedures for mini grid operators?

Do the regulations clarify what will occur when the main grid reaches a mini grid's service area?

Are mini grid operators legally allowed to charge a cost-reflective tariff, even if it is different from the national tariff?

Are there clear rules that prevent the regulatory authority from unilaterally changing the tariff without due cause and without warning?

Are there clear rules for how tariffs can be adjusted over time?

Are there publicly available technical and safety standards detailing the requirements for mini grids?

Are there publicly available quality of service standards for mini grids (e.g., minimum hours per day, minimum uptime, etc.)?

Are there e-government or other initiatives that reduce bureaucracy that are applicable to mini grids (e.g., one-stop-shop permitting; online processes for tariff submission/review/approval; etc.)?

Are there national programs that aim to develop markets for stand-alone systems or support the development of stand-alone system markets, leveraging and/or in cooperation with the private sector?

Are there duty or tax exemptions in place for stand-alone systems?

If yes, are there clear eligibility criteria for subsidies?

Is consumer financing, including PAYGO or MFIs, available to support consumers to purchase stand-alone systems?

Is there support for low-income households to purchase the system / are pro-poor subsidies in place?

Is there public financing available to companies, such as grant funding or concessional finance?

Is there a financing mechanisms to support the purchase of solar power appliances (either through consumers or companies)?

Has the government adopted international quality standards for stand-alone systems?

Are there environmental regulations on the disposal of solar devices and stand-alone system products or components?

What is the cost per kWh that a residential consumer pays for the first 30 kWh of consumption per month? If there is a social/ lifeline/poverty tariff, please provide that tariff amount. Provide these details for the following years:

What is the electricity connection fee for residential consumers? If there is a subsidy for consumers in the lowest income bracket, please provide the subsidized cost. Provide these details for the following years:

Is there a mechanism to support grid-connected low-volume consumers such as social or lifeline tariff?

Is there a financing mechanisms for vulnerable groups (e.g. low-income households, female-headed households, informally settled people, displaced people and/or any other vulnerable group identified in the country context) regardless of the technology suppply (including grid, mini grid and off-grid)?