The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Quality Assurance Capacity Building for the Off-Grid Solar Sector (P171037) Quality Assurance Capacity Building for the Off-Grid Solar Sector (P171037) OTHER | World | Energy & Extractives Global Practice | Recipient Executed Activities | Investment Project Financing | FY 2020 | Seq No: 1 | ARCHIVED on 25-Mar-2021 | ISR41499 | Implementing Agencies: CLASP, CLASP Key Dates Key Project Dates Bank Approval Date: 14-Jan-2020 Effectiveness Date: 22-Jan-2020 Original Closing Date: 30-Jun-2021 Revised Closing Date: 30-Jun-2021 pdoTable Project Development Objectives Project Development Objective (from Project Appraisal Document) The objective of the small grant is to provide Quality Assurance (QA) for technical standards and specifications of off-grid solar products to help facilitate off-grid energy access solutions in targeted countries. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project Objective? No Overall Ratings Name Previous Rating Current Rating Progress towards achievement of PDO -- Satisfactory Overall Implementation Progress (IP) -- Satisfactory Implementation Status and Key Decisions Test Methods & Standards (Component 1)  Followed the stakeholder engagement process in Uganda in anticipation of receiving the final documents describing the QA framework for component-based solar home systems being implemented in that country  Co-chaired the semi-annual meeting of IEC TC 82 JWG-1, held virtually due to the pandemic in November 2020  Updated three templates used as part of the product certification process for solar energy kits to reflect the new requirements contained in IEC TS 62257-9-8: the cover/addendum letters that accompany test reports and the standardized specification sheets/books that are posted online  Updated the test report templates (Excel workbooks) that labs use to capture test results for solar energy kits to reflect the new tests required to assess conformity with IEC TS 62257-9-8  Revised and updated all program policies to reflect the new VeraSol branding and quality standards (IEC TS 62257-9-8) for solar energy kit certification  Continued to work with the IEC on publishing French translations of IEC TS 62257-9-5:2018 and TS 62257-9-8:2020 Expected in 2020-H2 • Draft a globally applicable QA framework for component-based solar home systems based on final documents from Uganda • Co-chair the semi-annual meeting of IEC TC 82 JWG-1, which is likely to be held virtually in April or May 2021 • Draft a technical note describing the calculation of daily energy service (Wh/day) presented on Spec Book s for solar kits in “product families” in cases where the full system has not been tested; these values have been added to family Spec Books to enable kits listed in product families to participate in development programs such as KOSAP and BGFA • Continue to work with the IEC on publishing French translations of IEC TS 62257-9-5:2018 and TS 62257-9-8:2020 Issues • See Annex A for a summary of progress and achievements made possible by co-funding from other sources Market Surveillance (Component 2) • Completed market check testing (MCT) at University of Nairobi Lighting Laboratory (UoN-LL) of two certified products sampled from Ethiopia and Kenya • Followed up with two manufacturers to address cases of possible non-compliance • Contracted with 3/25/2021 Page 1 of 5 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Quality Assurance Capacity Building for the Off-Grid Solar Sector (P171037) Intertek Hong Kong to conduct market check testing of certified products • Purchased samples of one product from Kenya for market check te sting at Intertek Hong Kong • Conducted initial trial of a market check test method to assess the proper function and accurate performance advertising of PAYG systems in the field Expected in 2021-H1 • Sample and complete MCTs for two more certified products at contracted testing labs • Continue efforts to identify and observe certified products in Kenya and Nigeria • Brainstorm and identify alternative approaches to market surveillance, especially for certified products not available in retail markets • Revise market check test method for PAYG systems and determine next steps for effective implementation National Policy Support and Capacity Building (Component 3) • Engagement with WB country focal points and government partners to revise, develop, implement country -level QA action plans. Details provided under “Focus Countries” below. • Began development of standards implementation toolkit to be used for capacity building of stakeholders involved in national QA efforts • Published Technical Note 33, which provides guidance on how to determine whether a given test report can be used to assess conformity with the quality standards • Coordinated among the following development partners and program implementers on off-grid solar product policy s upport: o GIZ – Energising Development (EnDev) and Green People’s Energy for Africa Initiative o GOGLA o IFC and T etra Tech – FCDO Africa Clean Energy (ACE) Program o REEEP – Beyond the Grid Fund for Africa o SnV – K OSAP and other programs o Tony Blair Institute o UNDP o USAID – Power Africa Focus Countries • Burundi o Revised QA Action Plan through discussions with WB • CAR o Held introductory meeting with WB tea m to discuss potential TA for QA o Provided comments on ToR for off-grid market assessment • DRC o Developed draft QA action plan in discussion with WB and implementing partners • Ethiopia o Participated in Off-Grid Task Force • Haiti o Participated in the launch of the Off-Grid Electricity Fund (OGEF) o Revised QA action plan in coordination wit h WB and government of Haiti o Began discussions on establishing multi-stakeholder technical working group, including sharing guidance/experience from other countries • Kenya o Initiated dialogue with KEBS inspection department regarding collaboration on PVoC o Provided TA to KEBS on QA framework for SHS larger than 350 W o Pursued potential funding for capacity building for University of Nairobi Lighting Lab o Participated in Kenya Off-Grid Solar Quality Standards Committee • Madagascar o Supported development of training materials and participated in training for solar operators o Supported development of training materials and participated in training for government officials o Supported the ongoing establishment of a Public-Private Dialogue Platform in Madagascar, sharing experiences and resources from West Africa (Senegal, Burkina Faso and Mali) o Coordinated PV OC experience and knowledge exchange between governments of Madagascar and Ethiopia and Côte d’Ivoire o Reviewed draft communication strategy for awareness raising regarding exemptions for duties and taxes for quality-verified solar kits o Participated in weekly meetings with WB and government of Madagascar Nigeria o Provided guidance to Nigeria REA on QA for locally assembled products o Initiated draft standards enforcement and market surveillance plan for S ON o Revised QA action plan through discussions with WB • Rwanda o Revised QA Action Plan through discussions with WB • Somalia o Pursued engagement on QA with WB • Sudan o Held introductory meeting with WB team to discuss potential TA for QA • Uganda o Revised QA Action Plan through discussions with WB o Participated in the Uganda Technical Committee meeting to review the IEC quality standard (-9-8) to address technical queries and provide guidance on developing a suitable transition approach for the implementing the adopted standard. o Participated in key stakeholder meeting with UNBS, REA, USEA and the WB to discuss a suitable strategy the enables Lighting Global verified products to continue to be sold on the Ugandan market as businesses transition to the new IEC quality standard. o Participation in stakeholder workshop to discuss Ugand a's long-term QA framework for component-based systems. • ECOWAS / ECREEEE o Continued monitoring efforts linked to regional standards harmonization Expected in 2021-H1 • Continue engagement in focus countries, including addition of CAR and Sudan; refer to “Focus Countries”, below, for details • Develop and begin delivering training sessions on QA for WB practitioners; training to be held online and in-person, as feasible according to COVID-19 restrictions • Look for ways to engage and advise client governments on the design and implementation of off-grid appliance promotion programs • Continue development and initiate deployment of standards implementation toolkit to be used for capacity building of stakeholders involved in national QA efforts • Continue coordinating QA activities/interventions among development organizations, programs, and nation al stakeholders Focus Countries • Burundi o Support the WB develop a ToR for a study to establish a quality baseline for Burundi and guide the design of a suitable OGS compliance framework. o Commence support for the implementation of the above-mentioned study in Burundi. o Initiate engagement with government on QA for off-grid solar • CAR o D evelop QA Action plan through engagement with WB and government partners o Initiate engagement on QA with national stakeholder s DRC o Work with WB and DRC government to finalize QA action plan o Introduce technologies, standards and QA framework to national stakeholders o Support development of QA roadmap • Ethiopia o Continue supporting government t o develop implementation strategy for off-grid solar o Begin preparing implementing agencies for conformity assessment and standards enforcement • Haiti o Continue supporting establishment of multi-stakeholder technical working group o Continue providing TA for implementation of RBF o Support hiring of local communications firm; input to awareness-raising strategy and materials o Engage with standards bureau and other stakeholders on standards adoption and development of QA roadmap • Kenya o Provide TA to KEBS and Technical Committee in adoption of IEC quality standards o Continue working with KEBS on conformity assessment of off-grid solar o Support capacity building of University of Nairobi Lighting Lab to test to current version of IEC test methods (IEC TS 62257-9-5) o Continue engaging with stakeholders via Off-Grid Solar Quality Standards Committee • Madagascar o Participate in additional training for solar operators and government officials o Continue supporting development and implementation of public-private dialogue platform o Lead experience-sharing event between governments of Madagascar and Côte d’Ivoire o Continue supporting development of PVoC o Provide TA for harmonization of national standards with IEC TS 62257-9-8 • Nigeria o Provide TA to SON on standards implementation, including transition period, market surveillance and standards enforcement o Support further development of linkages between QA for off-grid solar and national energy access policies o Provide guidance on stakeholder engagement as part of post-standards adoption strategy o Continue supporting actors involved in NEP to build up QA framework for component-based SHS o Contribute to training program for local inspection agents to certify installation of component-based SHS • Papua New Guinea o TA for locally-hired consultant to support standards adoption • Rwanda o Revise QA Action Plan through discussions with WB and government partners • Somalia o Coordinate with WB and government to draft QA action plan • Sudan o Develop QA Act ion plan through engagement with WB and government partners o Initiate engagement on QA with national stakeholders • Uganda o Commence support for the adoption and implementation of a Quality Assurance framework for component-based Solar PV Standards in Uganda o Commence support for the preliminary design of an OGS compliance framework that builds on the existing legislative and administrative foundation (and identifies legislative gaps that need to be addressed) • ECOWAS / ECREEEE o Continue monitoring efforts linked to regional standards harmonization and provide TA as needed Issues • COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our policy support activities. o 3/25/2021 Page 2 of 5 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Quality Assurance Capacity Building for the Off-Grid Solar Sector (P171037) Reduced the bandwidth of key staff, reducing our team’s responsiveness and our availability to support WB country focal points. o Inability to participate in activities in-person ha s, in some cases, reduced the effectiveness of our TA for governments. o Several planned activities linked to QA at national a nd programmatic levels have been delayed. • Many organizations are involved in activities linked to QA, with limited pre-existing coordination of efforts. The CLASP team continues to prioritize coordination among these diverse actors and is seeking to align our proposed approach in each country with the efforts of others. • See Annex A for a summary of progress and achievements mad e possible by co-funding from other sources Analysis, Monitoring and Evaluation (Component 4) Progress in the reporting period • Kenya Consumer Experience Study o Hired a market research firm, EED Advisory, to carry out the field work o Drafted an inception report o Developed the sampling frame and questionnaire for household interviews o Conducted trial interviews to test the questionnaire o Continued to engage the Kenya OGS Standards Steering Committee o Sought funding from the FCDO-funded ACE program that would enable KEBS to carry out limited testing of non-certified products as a complement to this study • All-Access Electrification Pathways o Conducted a literature review, which points to a more decentralized grid of the future that will require innovation on storage, smart metering, efficient appliances, and innovative business models Expected in 2020-H2 • Kenya Consumer Experience Study (with co-funding from IFC, FCDO, and others) o Conduct household survey o Conduct key informant interviews o Analyze survey results and report on the findings • All-Access Electrification Pathways (with co-funding from FCDO) Develop a framework for the analytical model using data from the literature review as key inputs o Flesh out the analytical model o Conduct interviews with industry experts to fill in important data and knowledge gaps o Draft a report on the findings Issues • See Annex A for a summary of progress and achievements made possible by co-funding from other sources Risks Overall Risk Rating Risk Category Rating at Approval Previous Rating Current Rating Overall Moderate -- Low 5. Results Project Development Objective Indicators IN00834615 ►Number of client countries receiving techincal assistance support on QA as a result of this project (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 -- 4.00 5.00 Date 01-Oct-2019 -- 01-Mar-2021 30-Jun-2021 IN00834620 Individuals in client countries trained on QA (Number, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 -- 20.00 25.00 IN00834621 Market check tests performed on off-grid energy products (Number, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 -- 2.00 15.00 IN00834618 Documents submitted to the IEC (Number, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 -- 0.00 1.00 3/25/2021 Page 3 of 5 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Quality Assurance Capacity Building for the Off-Grid Solar Sector (P171037) IN00834619 Memoranda or reports documenting research findings (Number, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 -- 0.00 2.00 IN00834622 Number of consultations done, as per Stakeholders Engagement Plan (SEP) (Number, Custom Supplement) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 -- 52.00 30.00 Intermediate Results Indicators IN00834616 ►Client countries developing, adopting, and implementing QA standards (Number, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 -- 4.00 2.00 Date 01-Oct-2019 -- 01-Mar-2021 30-Jun-2021 IN00834617 ►Percentage of grievances resolved, as per Stakeholders Engagement Plan (SEP) (Percentage, Custom) Baseline Actual (Previous) Actual (Current) End Target Value 0.00 -- 100.00 100.00 Date 30-Sep-2019 -- 01-Mar-2021 30-Jun-2021 Data on Financial Performance Disbursements (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Currency Original Revised Cancelled Disbursed Undisbursed % Disbursed P171037 TF-B1753 Effective USD 0.80 0.80 0.00 0.39 0.41 49% Key Dates (by loan) Project Loan/Credit/TF Status Approval Date Signing Date Effectiveness Date Orig. Closing Date Rev. Closing Date P171037 TF-B1753 Effective 14-Jan-2020 22-Jan-2020 22-Jan-2020 30-Jun-2021 30-Jun-2021 Cumulative Disbursements 3/25/2021 Page 4 of 5 The World Bank Implementation Status & Results Report Quality Assurance Capacity Building for the Off-Grid Solar Sector (P171037) Restructuring History There has been no restructuring to date. Related Project(s) There are no related projects. 3/25/2021 Page 5 of 5