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INSABA has been completed The INSABA Project has been completed on March 31, 2008. With the INSABA toolkit, a handbook plus tools are now available that allow easy assessment of viability of productive use projects. These tools are easy to understand and to use by local advisors and SME. Application of the tools is not too intricate but still provides information on all necessary parameters for a thorough assessment of productive use projects. The toolkits are effective in sorting good / feasible projects from non-viable projects. Building on the information of these tools, business plans can be prepared, e.g. for submission to financing institutions. Within the course of INSABA, these tools proved to be an effective decision making tool and added to the experience gained by the entrepreneurs as well as helped make some difficult decisions about the future and direction of their businesses. Moreover, the toolkits provided excellent training materials for advising and assisting businesses.
The INSABA toolkits are available in the downloads section. INSABA has proven the economic feasibility of productive use not only through theoretical market assessment, but also through first projects that have been implemented.
Descriptions of INSABA business ideas and their successful implementation are available in the downloads section. Once the small scale INSABA ideas created a market it created demand for the relevant RE energy systems at the same time. This already has begun to grow into a lucrative branch for some RE energy companies in Namibia where several have started to manufacture and sell small packaged systems which support the INSABA business ideas. These packaged systems constitute an ideal product which is marketed by the Solar Technicians in their function as interdisciplinary advisors (IAs).
INSABA partner of Namibian Energy Conference and Exhibition On 28 and 29 March 2008 a conference and RET exhibition was co-organized by INSABA partner Solar Age in Namibia’s capital Windhoek The event took place in Windhoek’s old power plant which today functions as a multipurpose commercial center. According to the topic of the conference “Namibia’s Electricity Crisis – What can you do about it?” a number of different case studies and experiences about electricity autonomy, renewable energy for productive use, energy efficiency and behaviour change for Namibian households were presented. Presentations during the two-day conference were open to the public, but targeted relevant SMEs, industrial actors as well as public institutions. Mr Roedern from Solar Age was among the speakers and gave an overview of the INSABA project and its process of identifying and encouraging small businesses for development of productive use of RE. In times of rising energy prices, renewable energy applications may prove more attractive to successful businesses and may serve as viable alternative source.
More information about the conference speakers and the exhibition can be found here. INSABA Project presented during international renewable energy conference in Washington (WIREC) Prof Francis Yamba, Centre for Energy, Environment and Engineering Zambia will present results and lessons-learned of the INSABA project during the up-coming ‘Washington International Renewable Energy Conference’ (WIREC) from 4.-6. March 2008. WIREC is the third global ministerial-level conference on renewable energy issues after meetings in Bonn (2004) and Beijing (2005). This year it is hosted by the US Government. WIREC brings together government officials as well as civil society and business leaders to address options for scaling-up renewable energy technologies. In an official side-event entitled ‘Sustainable Energy Markets: The African experience’ Prof Yamba will discuss opportunities and constraints for wider application of renewable energies in Africa. The panel is hosted by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and brings together other key players of current energy projects in African countries, such as local experts from the German Organisation for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and renewable energy businesses. INSABA at the Western Cape Renewable Energy and Climate Change Summit A public exhibition on RET was held within the framework of the Western Cape Renewable Energy and Climate Change Summit at the Cape Town Convention Centre in June 2007. The event was hosted by the Western Cape government and co-faciltated by OneWorld and INSABA. INSABA was demonstrated at both the INSABA / OneWorld and Atlantic Solar stands at the exhibition. There were 32 exhibits in total to include financiers, suppliers and government departments involved in renewable energy. Just over 400 participants attended the conference. For more information on the Western Cape Renewable Energy and Climate Change Summit please refer to http://climatechange.org.za
Multiplication Workshop on Market Analysis and Business Viability, Ondangwa, Namibia, 14 – 16 May 2007 INSABA partner Solar Age Namibia facilitated a comprehensive workshop and field training from 14 – 16 May 2007 in Ondangwa, Northern Namibia. 17 participants, mainly solar technicians from SMEs, took part in the training. The trainees are usually clients for running pre-packed small RE units and at the same time intermediaries for selling RET to new start-up entrepreneurs. Hence, the full scope from surveying energy needs and basic services to market analysis and assessment of viable businesses has been presented and trained. A highlight of the workshop has been the practical questionnaire interviewing part with all participants being confronted with the real non-electrified world and the needs of its dwellers. The workshop used a community surveying questionnaire and analysis tool conceptualized by Namibian Environmental NGO DRFN. The workshop also allowed participants to work out a set of small scale RE-based business ideas.
Africa is a focus of the German presidencies of the EU and the G8 As a part of the German EU-Presidency, the Ministry of Cooperation and Development BMZ hosted the Africa-EU Energy Forum from March 7 to 9 2007 in Berlin. Opened by Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, the forum included also the COOPENER Contractors Meeting. INSABA participated in this important meeting with delegates from all four member countries including politicians, who chaired the various project sessions. For their guests, InWent arranged a round-table discussion on renewable energy policy with MPs Hermann Scheer and HJ Fell. INSABA contractors used the opportunity to hold a project progress consultation in the Carl-Duisberg Haus and exchanged experiences with their project officer Olivier Pastre from Bruxelles. http://www.eu2007.de/en/News/Press_Releases/January/0202BMZAfrika.html
Successful training on stove-production held in Okandjira, Ovitoto Namibia 18 brand-new, improved stoves were produced during an INSABA workshop from 4 -15 December 2006. Usual cooking stoves require a high amount of precious fire wood leading to unsustainable depletion of forests. With the help of the more efficient “Tso tso stoves” fire wood consumption can be reduced by 60-80%. It is a low-cost method of energy efficiency which can be easily applied to every-day life. Cooking of extra-meals with the help of the new stove might lead to another income source for families and the manufacturing of wood efficient stoves could even create a business in itself. The training was conducted by two facilitators who work themselves as manufacturers of Tso tso stoves Okahao, Omusati. Tso tso stoves have been reported as becoming more popular among the Ovitoto community. A few trainees have also been identified as being particular skilled in stove making and could potentially set up own manufacturing centres for Tso tso stoves in their region.
“Get a Business from Solar” A
series of interventions on RE business development was hosted by
INSABA in Botswana and in Zambia late November 2006. Starting with a
workshop on technology evaluation, participants from industry,
finance and rural development went deep into economic aspects of
RETs, using a set of tools developed by INSABA. Following. in a
round-table discussion with press conference, participants and policy
makers started a dialogue on multi-level support for productive RE
applications. Towards the week-end a RE- technology show, the first
one ever in Zambia and only the second in Botswana, brought suppliers
and users together and attracted considerable interest from the
public and media. Similar events will now follow late April in South
Africa and Namibia. Training and exhibition on RET, Zambia, Lusaka, Nov 27- Dec 03, 2006 An exhibition and training intervention on RET, similar to the one described below for Botswana, will take place in Lusaka from Nov 27 until Dec 3 2006. RET suppliers and other interested parties are invited to participate. For more information please contact CEEEZ (see partners section for contact details). Training and exhibition on RET, Botswana, Gaborone, Nov 20-28, 2006 A training intervention on technical and economical criteria of key renewable energy technologies (RETs) will take place in Botswana Gabarone from Nov 20- 24. It will cover do basic designing and cost calculation as well as limitations and optimum working conditions for the productive use of RETs. Moreover marketing aspects for suppliers of RET will be tackled The training will be followed by a RET exhibition and policy round table to showcase the applications to media and wider public. A preliminary programme for the intervention can be downloaded here RET suppliers and other interested parties are invited to participate. For more Information, please contact Nozipho Wright at BOTEC (see partners section for contact details) New background study on SME profiles in Namibia This paper aims to provide a general overview of Namibia's SME sector. In particular it looks at how much the SME sector in Namibia impacts on GDP and the labour market in terms of employment and income; The study can be downloaded in the download section. Any feedback would be appreciated. Training on market assessment held in Cape Town August 18-19, 2006 The second stage of the INSABA Market Analyses Tool has been developed. SCs and IATs from all INSABA Target countries were trained to assess markets for goods and services produced with RE in the pilot regions. This training intervention took place back-to-back with the Project Interim Meeting and Change Management Workshop in Cape Town. The INSABA Market Analyses tool will be made available in the download section once it has undergone the final testing phase in the field and the review process. Half-time! Interim Project Review Meeting held in Cape Town The first half of the INSABA project lifetime is over. In order to review the progress made and to adapt the project plan to latest developments and evolving needs, INSABA Project partners from all involved SADC and EU countries came together in Cape Town on August 17, 2006. Together they discussed the way forward within the remaining 14 months and adopted reviewed action plans for each target country. INSABA
Workshop on Change Management and Training and Coaching Techniques
held in Cape Town A three day integrated training workshop on Change Management and Training Techniques was held in Cape Town RSA from Aug 14-16. The main aim of the work-shop was to learn from methods and techniques used in Change Management for implementation of advisory services within INSABA. Therefore, during the training, building blocks in change management were developed along the practice example of INSABA itself. Sessions alternated between project related issues and methodological inputs nurtured by both the systemic and the gestalt approach in advisory services. INSABA
in the news in Botswana An article on the INSABA project titled ‘Renewable Energy Technologies for Businesses’ was published in the Mmegi newspaper of 30 June 2006. The article was accompanied by an advert that called for short proposals on the business oriented use of renewables. The news article can be downloaded here INSABA at
the European PV-Hybrid and Mini-Grid Conference, France INSABA was presented at the EIE-sponsored European PV-Hybrid and Mini-Grid Conference that took place in Aix en Provence, France on May 11-12, 2006. Klaus Knecht and Heinz Böhnke of InWEnt, Germany, as well as Conrad Rödern of Solar Age, Namibia, represented the INSABA project team at the Conference. More specifically the project activity in the pilot area in Namibia was presented. See the section “pilot regions” for more information on INSABA’s activities in Namibia. Second
INSABA integrated training workshop held in South Africa, April 23 -
28, 2006 INSABA’s second 5 day training intervention on market analysis and feasibility check was held in Gauteng, RSA on April 23 -28, 2006. During the workshop, the African partners were trained to apply the INSABA market analyses tools to their projects. The training also covered aspects of business planning, marketing and financing as part of the feasibility studies to be conducted. New
background study on SME profiles in Botswana An assessment of the production/business profiles of SMEs in Botswana has just been finalised (a similar study on Namibia is planned). The studies will be made available in the download section as soon as they are approved. The study can be downloaded
in the download section. Any feedback would be appricieted. INSABA at the COOPENER Contractors Meeting, Dec 6-7, 2005, Brussels The Project was presented by Klaus Knecht of InWEnt, Germany, and Belynda Petrie of OneWorld, RSA, who presented the INSABA results and contributed to discussion on the contribution of COOPENER projects to the delivery of sustainable energy services. “Toolkit Seminar”
held in Gobabeb, Namibia, October 24 – 28, 2005 A five day integrated training workshop on communication, and feasibility check (“Toolkit Seminar”) has been held from 24 to 28 October 2005 in a RE research station in Gobabeb, Namibia. The main goal of the seminar was to equip local partner organisations with:
The training also covered some aspects of project planning and financing. This training prepared local partners to start fieldwork in the pilot regions according to the overall objective of the project. See the “training” section for more information Kick-off Meeting held in Cape Town, June 13 – 18, 2005 The Kick-off Partner Meeting was held on June 13-18, 2005 at the OneWorld Sustainable Investment Office, Cape Town, South Africa. Representatives of all project partner organisations gathered to establish the relationship between the project partners and ensure the efficient coordination of activities. They reviewed the activities outlined in the project proposal to identify the necessary inputs, to discuss the procedures for implementing country specific activities, and to identify outstanding tasks and assign responsibilities. Like this, a fine tuning of the project planning was done and action plans were developed. The INSABA project is now ready to start and all partners are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration. |
Successful examples are the Solar Cell-phone charging business in Namibia and the photo-shop in Botswana.
Based on the positive findings of the pre-feasibility study, the solar cell phone charging business was set up in Namibia. The entrepreneur is a resident of an informal settlement who operates a small shop selling basic commodities. He got a solar cell phone charging system from a local solar supply company. The system was custom made for this application and the business owner obtained technical advice from the IA. Shortly after installing the system in early November 2006, the business idea won the prestigious Sam Nujoma Innovative Entrepreneur Award 2006 in the “Bright Ideas” category.
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