In January, 2013, a publication on Pico PV Systems for remote homes has been edited under the coordination of IED. This publication is focused on a study on the pico PV systems technology and its applications. The study approaches on one hand the demand of the market, on the other hand the nature and supply of the products, their economics, and experience with various business models. There are clear lessons for the roles that should be played by governments, donor bodies and others in the markets for pico PV products and services as well as recommendations for the sustainable benefits for the users.

This publication comes from a workgroup of the International Energy Agency, IEA PVPS "Deployment of PV services for Regional Development", a workgroup coordinated by IED since 1993.

www.iea-pvps.org/task9

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On February 14th, the workshop for the launch of the National Energy Efficiency Plan of Cameroon took place in Yaounde in the Room of the Conferences of the Agency of Regulation of the Sector of the Electricity (ARSEL). This project intervenes in a context of chronic deficit between the demand and the power production in Cameroon, in particular with important unballastings since January 2013. The ARSEL, appointed in it by the Ministry of the Water and the Energy, decided to draw up a national action plan for the energy efficiency following the elaboration of a policy and a national strategy, based mainly on an in-depth study of the potential of energy saving.

During this workshop, the partners involved in the project meet to clarify the project objectives from the Cameroonian point of view, to define the main working axes, the methodology and the organizational methods to reach expected results. The project started officially.

The study, which benefits from a financing of the EUEI-PDF (European Union Energy Facility - Partnership Dialogue Facility), European program managed by the GIZ, will carry on:

• the reduction of electricity bills in the public buildings
• the improvement of the energy efficiency in the industry and services
• the raising awareness of the households to save the electricity
• the adaptation of the institutional and statutory frame to set up the action plan.

The study is organized in three phases: i) a first phase of diagnosis which will allow to collect the data and to define targets and priority sectors. ii) An analysis will be made during a second phase to elaborate the policy and the national energy efficiency strategy. iii) The third phase will end in the development of the strategic action plan which will define concretely the technical and not technical aspects: Specific activities, schedules, resources, institutional, advertising, legal, financial and statutory aspects.

The project leans on a participative approach: each of three phases will end with a workshop for the main partners from public and private sectors. Furthermore, between two workshops, the consultancy team, constituted by IED-France, EED-Cameroun and NBT-Belgique, will lean on the expertise resources identified with the starting up of the study in these three main phases.

In Cambodia, IED identified, studied and implemented a 200kW biomass power plant, based on rice husks gasification, to provide in electricity a rural area of about 4000 households, bringing a service 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.