1. Belmopan, 10 December 2015
page 1
Capacity Development in
Renewable Energy Policy and
Mapping in Belize
Off-grid Rural Electrification
Initial Observations and Findings
Marc Torra
marc.torra@tta.com.es
Unai Arrieta
unai.arrieta@tta.com.es

2. 30 VILLAGES VISITED
VILLAGE NAME DISTRICT
El Progresso Cayo
Los Tambos Cayo
Santa Teresita Cayo
Selena Cayo
Fire Burn Orange Walk
Indian Church Orange Walk
San Carlos Community Orange Walk
Blue Creek Toledo
Conejo Creek Toledo
Corazon Creek Toledo
Crique Jute Toledo
Dolores Toledo
Dump (Bif Falls) Toledo
Golden Stream Toledo
Indian Creek Toledo
Jalacte Toledo
Jordan Toledo
Mafredi Toledo
Medina Bank Toledo
Na Luum Ca Toledo
Otoxha Toledo
Pueblo Viejo Toledo
San Antonio Toledo
San Benito Poite Toledo
San Jose Toledo
San Lucas Toledo
San Vicente Toledo
Santa Cruz Toledo
Santa Elena Toledo
Santa Teresa Toledo
Sunday Wood Toledo

3. EXISTING OFF-GRID RE PROJECTS
visited in the villages

4. • Year: 1998
• Place: San Benito de
Pointe
• Donation
• Funded by Government
• Status: Batteries and panels
missing. According to
residents they worked for 6
months
Solar Lights

5. Solar Home Systems
• Year: 1998 and 2007
• Donation
• Funded by Government
• Status: Many recipients sold
their parts. Others sold the
panel when the battery
failed. A few have been
buying new batteries that
usually last 3 years. Most
installations that still survive
not properly done.

6. Solar Systems at
Primary Schools
• Funded: Social Investment
Fund
• Location: around 5 villages
in Toledo
• Status: None of the solar
systems is working because of
lack of maintenance of the
battery bank.

7. Internet Café in
San Benito Pointe
• Year: 2009
• Funded by the GEF
• Cost: USD 47,000
• Status: Three computers
were stolen. Equipment non
operational because of lack
of maintenance of batteries.

8. Mini-grid in San Jose
• Year 2013
• Funded by the European
Union
• Cost: USD 194,000
• 20 households and a the
primary school
• Status: Disconnected one
month ago because of lack of
payment. Fees are not being
collected as expected. Meters
stopped working.
Mismanagement of funds by
previous Power Board.

9. page 9Belmopan, 25 December 2015
IT & Education Centre
• Year: 2009
• Funded by European
Union
• Location: San Antonio &
Laguna
• Computer Lab
• Status: it worked as such
for one year, then usage
was discontinued mostly
because it relied on
voluntary work to keep it
open.

10. Solar Systems in Schools
• Year: 2015
• Funded by US Capital
• 4 Schools: Conejo Creek,
Crique Sarco, Barranco and
Sunday Wood
• Solar systems with 15
computers
• Status: Working properly as
installation was very recent.
• A technician from San
Pedro Columbia is in charge
of maintenance and paid by
the donor.

11. Small Stand Alone
for Shop
• Funded by shopkeeper
• Location: Several shops in
Toledo.
• Origin: bought at local store
in Punta Gorda.
• Cost of the kit: Bz$ 3,600
• Able to run refrigerator and 5
lights.
• Allows shop to maintain cold
chain.
• Monthly Savings in fuel: Bz$
300. Investment recovered in
one year.

12. Corazón Creek
High School
• Year 2013, 2015
• Funded by various: US
Capital, US Government…
• 3 x 3.7 kWp solar systems
• Status: Working
perfectly. Very well
maintained because the
High School has the
knowledge and skills
available.

13. page 13Belmopan, 25 December 2015
Lessons Learnt
LightsSanBenito
SHSDonatedbyGoB
SolarSystemsat
SchoolsbySIF
InternetCaféinSan
Benito
Mini-gridinSanJose
SanAntonio&
LagunaITCenter
Solarsystematshop
ComputerLabsfor4
villagesbyUSCapital
3solarsystemsat
CorazónHighSchool
Direct donations to families do not work
Project must avoid open cell lead-acid batteries
Capacity building must include several villagers
Solutions must be provided to all village
Creating village boards to collect fees tend to fail
Skills for troubleshooting must be available in the village
Sense of ownership & financial viability are paramount
Solutions must not rely on voluntary work

14. 3 TYPES OF
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Pico-Solar Lighting
Stand-Alone
Lighting & Small
appliances
Micro-grid
Lighting,
Appliances &
Motors

15. Pico-solar

16. Stand-alone solar System

17. Micro-grids

18. THREE TYPES OF
BENEFICIARIES
Households
Families
Grocery shops
Pico-Solar
Stand-Alone
Micro-Grid
Public
Services
Schools
Heath Centers
Community Centers
Stand-Alone
Micro-Grid
Businesses
Milling & crushing corn
Hauling rice
Tourism
type sub-type solution

19. Results
based rent-
to-own
Importers
Households &
Grocery shops
Pico-solar &
Small stand-
alone
Loans &
Results
based
rebates
Anchor
loads
Households
Churches
Businesses
Public services
Large stand-
alone &
Micro-grids
Grants Ministries Public services Stand-alone
type applicants beneficiaries
THREE TYPES OF FINANCING
solutions

20. Basic Lighting
• Families without lighting
spends between Bz$ 10
and 25 a month in
kerosene, candles and
batteries.
• A pico-solar costs
between Bz$ 30 and 140
• Less than one year
savings can pay for it.
Results based
rent-to-own

21. • Shops tend to spend an
average of Bz$ 300 a month
in fuel
• This provides electricity for
2x1.5 hours a day
• Freezers become refrigerators
because cold-chain is broken
• Investment in small stand
alone kits can be recovered
in less than one year, less
than two if they include DC
freezer.
Results based
rent-to-own
Small Shops

22. Importer Manufacturer
$100
Sale on Consigment
Results based
rent-to-own
2
1

23. Importer
$180 (90%)
$200 (100%)
Results based
rent-to-own
1
2

24. Importer
Manufacturer$100
Equipment
Certifier
Results based
rent-to-own
12
34

25. Importer
$20 (10%)
$180 (90%)
Off-grid users
Ability to pay
Credit Institution
Results based
rent-to-own
1
2
3

26. $90 (45%) + Commission for CI
9 x $10 = $90 (45%) + Interest on arrears
Credit Institution
Off-grid users
1
2
Results based
rent-to-own

27. Fully Paid Outstanding
Credit Institution
Results based
rent-to-own

28. • Since 2009 Lighting Global has provided over 12 million
pico-solar lights (up to 10 Wp)
• They provide a list of certified products
• In 2015 they decided to include to the list small stand-
alone kits (up to 100 Wp)
Results based
rent-to-own

29. Results
based rent-
to-own
Importers
Households &
Grocery shops
Pico-solar
Small stand-
alone
Loans &
Results
based
rebates
Anchor
loads
Households
Businesses
Public services
Churches
Large stand-
alone
Micro-grids
Grants Ministries Public services Stand-alone
type applicants beneficiaries solutions
Loans & Results Based
Rebates

30. • A combination of loans and results based rebates
is provided so that the savings in fossil fuels pay
for the conversion to renewable energy.
TotalInvestment
Loan
Component
Results Based
Rebate
0 1 2 3 4 5 year
Own investment
Loan repayment
(face value)
Rebate (recover own investment)
Loan
=
Savings
Fossil Fuels
Interests
Loans & Results Based
Rebates

31. • Projects are standardized whenever possible
otherwise they are analyzed on a case-to-case
basis.
Standardized Tailored
Milling corn
Crushing corn
Hauling rice
Churches
Tourism
Furniture making
Pisciculture
Other
Loans & Results Based
Rebates

32. • Average daily consumption: ½ gallon (Bz$6) – Bz$120 a
month
• Power: 8 to 14 HP
• Estimated number of units: 80 to 120 in non-electrified
villages plus those from electrified villages
Loans & Results Based
Rebates
Corn Milling

33. • Cost of the kit:
Bz$8,000
• Loan component:
Bz$120 x 12 x 4
years = Bz$ 5,760
• Rebate: Bz$2,240
Loans & Results Based
Rebates

34. page 34Belmopan, 25 December 2015
Loans & Results Based
Rebates
• Previous solar system does not include batteries
• If the mill is used 2 hours a day, this means wasting 3 hours of
full
• Anchor Load means that the Corn Mill adds batteries to supply
electricity to neighboring dwellings
• It becomes a potential location where to keep adding other
business activities that require electricity (e.g. rice hauling,
freezing, etc.)
• Additional investment in batteries is to be paid from fees
charged to other users or revenues from extra business activities
• To facilitate prevision of income Energy Daily Allowance (EDA)
regulators can be installed.

35. • All villages have churches belonging
to different denominations
• Weekly services are between 2 & 5
• Almost all have generators
• Monthly expenditure in fuel is
between Bz$ 150 and 500
• Electricity is not required on days
with no service
Loans & Results Based
Rebates
Churches
• They could become anchor loads with loan component of between
Bz$9,000 & 30,000 plus rebate and also sell electricity to neighboring
dwellings.

36. • Average daily
consumption: 80 gallon a
day of diesel –
Bz$21,000/month
• Loan component at 5
years can be Bz$ 1.26
million
• Lodge becomes anchor
load and sells electricity to
neighboring village
Loans & Results Based
Rebates
Tourism

37. Results based
rent-to-own
Importers
Households &
Grocery shops
Pico-solar
Small stand-alone
Loans &
Results based
rebates
Anchor loads
Households
Businesses
Public services
Churches
Large stand-alone
Micro-grids
Grants Ministries Public services Stand-alone
type applicants beneficiaries solutions
Grants

38. page 38Belmopan, 25 December 2015
Grants
For Water
• Corazon Creek has no water
system
• During wet season water is
provided by up-stream
• Project could provide grant
for solar pumping during dry
season
• This could be implemented in
conjunction with Rural
Development

39. page 39Belmopan, 25 December 2015
Grants
• Many health centers and
posts have no electricity
• Doctors and nurses don’t
want to stay in them
• Project could provide grant
for solar lighting
• This could be implemented in
conjunction with Ministry of
Health
For Health

40. page 40Belmopan, 25 December 2015
Grants
• Many primary schools have
no electricity
• Students are not able to have
computer lab or even read on
a cloudy day
• Teachers are not able to have
proper infrastructure
• Project could provide solar
equipment in conjunction
with Ministry of Education
For Education

41. National or
District
Build curricula &
Create certification
from technical school
Installation
Troubleshooting
Testing of new
technologies
Local High school
Monitoring
Maintenance
Village Community workshops
Usage & Risk avoidance
Basic maintenance
level approach area
Three levels of
Capacity Building

42. page 42Belmopan, 25 December 2015
• The project shall provide capacity building to make sure
that the skills for maintenance and troubleshooting are
present at the village level.
• For example,
1. for troubleshooting by providing scholarships for
villages to attend technical school.
2. For preventive maintenance by involving high schools,
proving them with an electricity lab and other required
investments so that as part of their curricula they make
students responsible for the maintenance of the
systems in their villages.
Three levels of
Capacity Building

43. page 43Belmopan, 25 December 2015
Data Collection

44. page 44
Project Preparation
NAVCO & DAVCO (National), Census, TAA (Toledo):
• Location of unserved villages (coordinates)
• Current sources of energy and specifically, of electricity (solar or
generators)
• Number of shops, corn mills, rice haulers, corn hammers, …
• Type of equipment used (diesel, gasoline, solar,…)
• Expenditure in the above uses: Bz$/month in diesel/gasoline
Off-grid Rural Electrification
Data Collection

45. page 45
Expected Inputs: number and size (capacity) of projects, demand kWh
• Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries: Projects of increased productivity:
– Cold storage: onions etc.
– Irrigation
– Ice production for fish conservation
– Tilapia aquaculture
• Ministry of Education/Health:
– existing schools/health facilities, demand of electricity
• Ministry of Rural Development:
– Food processing: juices, added value products
• Belize Tourism Board
– Tourism (guesthouses, lodges etc.)
• Others: Private companies, NGOs, associations, other donors
– Restaurants, artisan crafts, associations: womens group, cooperatives etc.
– Telecommunication companies: communication antennas
Data Collection