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Project country: Colombia

Sector: Energy

Expert Partners: E Co. Ltd., Crown Agents, Imperial College London Consultants

This skill-share helped design an energy auction to improve rural access to non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE).

Colombia has been working to bring energy to all corners of the country, but about 2 million people still do not have access to this basic public service. To close this gap, the Institute for Planning and Promotion of Energy Solutions for Non-Connected Zones (IPSE) is planning to carry out an energy auction aimed at expanding the energy service coverage in off-grid areas (ZNI). Skill-share experts provided IPSE with capacity building support on the design of the auction process for NRCE uptake, reviewing the social, technical and financial dimensions of the process and the NCRE solutions being auctioned.

Three key aspects were included:

• A gender approach guaranteeing a high social impact of the final energy solutions to be implemented in education, health or community centres.

• Proposals to achieve technical and financial sustainability of energy solutions resulting from the auction.

• Proposals for a solid business model to ensure a long-term operation.

Key Actions:

• Through monthly peer review meetings, IPSE gained the knowledge to adopt gender, equality and social inclusion (GESI), as well as technical and financial considerations of NCRE into auction design processes for rural electrification.
• Seven webinars on off-grid energy provision increased IPSE’s capacity on the new technologies and business models for off-grid areas.
• The skill-share examined how to evaluate energy project’s impact to expand coverage in isolated areas with a focus on sustainability. It provided information, case studies, and demonstration of innovative methodologies to account for gender considerations and assess the potential impact of technologies on multiple components of livelihoods in rural communities.

 

 

 

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• IPSE personnel (more than 10 participants) acquired new knowledge on topics related to GESI policies, business models, and strategies / mechanisms to attract private investments in the off-grid areas of Colombia.
• GESI was considered in the design of the first auction for rural electrification in off-grid areas in Colombia.
• Technological and fund-raising considerations were made while assessing business models, financial risks, and energy projects' sustainability.
• Project selection process design was improved, to consider technical, economical, and environmental criteria. This is guaranteeing long-term sustainability of rural electrification projects and supports Colombia's goal to reduce GHG by 2050.