African firms identify two major obstacles to business: finance and electricity

Transcription

1 FINANCING C&I SOLAR

2 INTRODUCTION

3 African firms identify two major obstacles to business: finance and electricity Biggest obstacle to business identified by firms in Sub-Saharan Africa Electricity Access to finance Practices of the informal sector Tax rates Political instability Corruption 7,7 6,3 6,3 9,6 21,4 20,7 Access to reliable electricity Grid electricity is often limited and unreliable Independent generation requires upfront capital investment and ongoing fuel and maintenance costs Crime, theft and disorder 5,6 Access to land Transportation Customs and trade regulations Tax administration Inadequately educated workforce Business licensing and permits Labor regulations Courts 4,9 4,2 3,5 3,1 2,9 2,3 0,9 0, % of respondents Access to finance Loans are often high interest, require 1-1.5x collateral and are extended for 2 years or less Reluctance to lend and high fixed costs of diligence present barriers to credit Source: World Bank Enterprise Survey 3

4 $M USD $M USD $M USD Yet without financing, a large upfront investment is required to switch to independent renewable generation Solar PV requires large upfront CapEx but very low ongoing maintenance costs Diesel has a very low upfront cost; But exposes firms to high operating cost and uncertainty in price and supply Third party financing can convert solar into an operating expense for firms. However finance is not generally available 4 Indicative expenditure For solar PV generation 4 Indicative expenditure For diesel generation 4 Indicative expenditure for solar generation with PPA 3,5 3,5 3, ,5 2,5 2, ,5 1,5 1, ,5 0,5 0, Year Year Year Capital Expenditure Operating Expenditure Solar PPA/Lease 4

5 SOLARAFRICA Platform Project 335 kwp SOLUTION: SOLARAFRICA PLATFORM

6 The SolarAfrica Platform TECHNICAL CONTRACTORS & DEVELOPERS: Funding For Projects Procurement Services Technical Expertise, Standard PM, Templates (Legals) Project Origination New Monitoring Project Opportunities POWER USERS: One-Stop-Shop - Financed Solutions Partner network Financing Lowest Offers Legal Proven Project Delivery Insurance Structuring Full-Service Solution INVESTORS: Access to the C&I Market Standardised Investments Diversified Project Set 6

7 Platform Activity PROGRESS TO DATE: Completed around 1.6 MW ~25M USD to deploy over next 18 months Nearing 20 technical contractors and developers on platform Immediate Pipeline 6.5 MWp Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, RSA, Mauritius. 7

8 SOLARAFRICA Platform Project 385 kwp WHY DOES SOLAR NEED FINANCING?

9 Why solar needs financing? 1 Show why SOLAR ENERGY is attractive to the C&I Market because its cost competitive AND 2 Solar PV has become a directly accessible technology 9

10 Competitive Energy US$ /MMBTU 10 Years 10

11 Definitions: Providing cheaper power to commercial and industrial customers Projects that have some or all of the following attributes: Commercial & Industrial Solar Around 50 kwp 5MW Private purchaser Built on site (Roof or Ground) Behind the Meter / Replace Generators LCOE: A Better Energy Price Comparison INITIAL COSTS + MAINTENANCE + INSURANCE + REPLACEMENT [+ FUEL] ENERGY PRODUCTION (KWH) \ 11

12 kwh / US$ Solar Electricity LCOE 0,45 0,4 0,35 0,3 0,25 0,2 0,15 0,1 0,

13 Energy Revolution Technicall y Accessible Fundamental change in the choices available to businesses. First time in 100 year history of the utility model have more than one choice: The Old Days One energy company Scale very important Reliant on a feed-stock Central Generation Product: Electricity (kwh) The Future Choice to generate own power Scale hardly important Very little dependence Localized Generation Product: Electricity (kwh) 13

14 Solar: an accessible source of energy 14

15 Why solar needs financing Cheaper SOLAR ENERGY Technically Accessible VS. EXISTING GRID / GEN More Expensive Technically Accessible Financially Accessible? Financially Accessible? You cannot PAY the LCOE you can only BUY panels? Finance turns PANELS into POWER 15

16 SOLAR4AFRICA Platform Project 858 kwp AFRICAN C&I MARKET

17 Minding the Gap Typical Market Growth Distributed Solar (Based on US experience) Innovators: Not financially driven Value being first to market Leading by example Slide by: A123 Systems 17

18 Finance Essential to Bridging the Gap Two things become important: Finance Must be able to PAY the LCOE Simplicity As EASY as renting a Generator? Slide by: A123 Systems 18

19 SOLARAFRICA Platform Project 46 kwp THE BUSINESS OF TURNING PANELS INTO ENERGY

20 Purchase Price SolarAfrica Plans PPA PLAN Terms: Pay ±0% upfront kwh Charge No Ownership Payment = LCOE Years 20

21 Purchase Price SolarAfrica Plans PAY-BY-SOLAR PLAN Terms: Pay ±30% upfront Annual Payment (kwh) 8-15 years Ownership transfers Tax benefits for offtaker Years 21

22 Risk Matrix: Financed solution best align incentives Outright Purchase Incentivized to Oversize Assume Production Risk Use Own Capex for Non-Core Asset Incur Insurance, O&M Costs Product: Panels Financed Solution Incentivized to Size Optimally No Production Risk (Pay For Power) Retain Capex for Core Business Insurance, O&M Included in Tariff Product: Energy (kwh Tariff) 22

23 Project Snapshot: Garden City Shopping Mall Providing an innovative solar solution to the largest retail mall in East Africa Largest solar-covered carport canopy in Africa; amongst the 5 largest solar installations in East Africa High impact project First mixed-use development in East Africa to gain LEED certification CO2 reductions of >490 tonnes per annum Energy output of 1,246,000 kwh per year, enough power for 280 homes Top tier partners Managed through SolarAfrica Built by a leading UK solar EPC Example Schletter solar car port Timeline NVI Energy inspection Equipment starts arriving Installation ongoing Jan Feb Apr Commissioning begins July 23

24 Project Snapshot: Garden City Shopping Mall Providing an innovative solar solution to the largest retail mall in East Africa 24

25 Value Proposition For Power Users: Technology Suppliers Financed Solutions Managed Operations Only Pay for Power Produced Installation & Design Firms Proven Project Delivery Developers 25

26 Questions? Jake Cusack Johan Pienaar 26