Consultants For Desk Study On “Renewable Energy For Irrigation”

Are you a consultant interested in joining an organisation with a long term commitment to fighting poverty? Are you looking for development assignments at an international level?

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is looking for:

Consultants for desk study on “Renewable Energy for irrigation”

SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation, funded from public and private sources. SNV was founded in the Netherlands in 1965 and currently works in 38 countries world-wide. SNV is a specialised advisory services and knowledge-brokering organisation. We provide capacity development support to local and national organisations at the government, non-government and private sector levels. SNV provides advisory services in the sectors Renewable Energy, Agriculture and Water Sanitation & Hygiene. Climate Change, gender and governance are cross cutting issues. 

INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

SNV's advisory services focus on creating effective solutions with local impact. We work in partnership with a wide range of clients to impact poverty and build capacity worldwide. From donors such as DGIS, EC, USAID, AusAID and DFID, to philanthropic foundations and leading corporates, we help our clients achieve their development objectives and make a difference where it matters most.

Background of SNV’s involvement in using renewable energy for irrigation:

In several countries, SNV proposed innovative ways to use renewable energy for irrigation. Through these initiatives, some lessons were learnt and research has been done. SNV’s objective is mainly to replace existing fossil fuel generators by renewable energy applications. For this purpose, potential renewable energy technologies being considered include: solar (PV), wind, biogas, and micro-hydro as well as fuel combinations. Ultimately, SNV hopes such projects will provide benefits to the poor population by: increasing the level of services, raising incomes and improving employment rates, saving time particularly for women, and reducing greenhouse gases. Our approach is market-based; we are looking into sustainable renewable energy solutions for irrigation that could eventually be implemented at scale by local stakeholders without the need for external intervention.

SNV’s main proposed initiatives are the following:

• Niger and Cambodia: Low-Speed Wind Pump for Agriculture and Clean Water Applications, locally fabricated, adapted to small scale farmers.
• Niger: Low Wind Speed Hybrid Irrigation systems for agriculture
• Ghana and Cambodia: PV solar water pumping for irrigation for smallholders in order to increase their agricultural yields and eventually result in increased incomes, employment and living standards
• Uganda: Wind energy to lift water from boreholes into raised storage tanks.

1.    General objectives of the Study:

The study will mainly consist of an inventory and analysis of experiences in renewable energy for irrigation in developing countries worldwide that have been successful in improving living conditions of poor populations. 

Secondly, assess the added value SNV can bring if we would engage more widely in using renewable energy for irrigation, by focusing on fossil fuel/appliance replacement.

2.    Specific objectives of the Study:

a.     Technology:

According to different contexts and sites:

• Identify which available renewable energy technologies have proven to be most technically viable in the replacement of fossil fuels generators fossil fuels for irrigation
• Analyse why these are successful, which conditions need to be met, and which lessons have been learned from earlier attempts
• Assess performance of the renewable energy equipment mainly used.
• Identify best technological options in terms of price, operating costs and quality
• Compare advantages and disadvantages of different technologies in different contexts, with a focus on biogas and solar.
• Establish the list of main pump suppliers and equipment able to ship to SNV countries.

b.    Financial viability:

• Identify conditions for financial viability for smallholders
• Explain main project costs (capital cost, operation and maintenance expenses), based on varied sites and technologies
• Identify main drivers of the cost of projects as well as payback
• Provide examples of brief cost-benefit analysis for each technology, according to defined site conditions

c.     Market:

• Identify conditions for market development feasibility, from suppliers’ side (companies selling equipment) and end-users’ side
• Identify and describe successful experiences of market development with appropriate renewable energy technologies for irrigation
• List general actions to undertake for successful market development in the context of developing countries

d.    Risks and constraints:

• Identify main risks and constraints involved in switching to a renewable energy supply for irrigation, including financial needs, market barriers, lack of awareness, public policies, taxation issues, distribution model constraints, logistics with importing equipment, and after-sales services
• Describe examples of possible solutions to overcome constraints, depending on contexts and sites

e.     SNV’s role and services:

• Identify SNV’s potential role and services to offer in promoting renewable energy for irrigation (SNV is not a technology provider and its role should be linked to the sector market development. See SNV’s role and services in the ‘Overview’ section above and on the SNV website.)
• Identify the added value SNV can have compared to international competitors 
• Identify possible relevant partnerships that SNV could establish with technology providers or other stakeholders to improve the delivery of services
• Analysis of potential donors/customers and funding schemes and donor trends in relation to this
• Identify and give a short description of two pilot project ideas SNV could implement with core-funding (in 2 different SNV countries).

f.     Impact Assessment regarding income levels, employment, gender equality, environment, and access to drinking water

• Identify main impact for end-user’s and other stakeholders, based on results from completed projects and experiences
• Describe main possible actions for bringing initiatives to scale

3.    Methodology:

• Carry out a review (desk study) based on studies and projects conducted elsewhere on technically successful off-grid renewable energy applications for water provision (review of relevant literature, key documents etc.)
• Focus on countries where plans exist to introduce renewable energy for irrigation (see background), without excluding other SNV countries (see webpage).
• Phone interviews with some SNV staff in these countries.

4.    Output

The final output of the desk study shall be a document addressing the main objectives above and each specific objective, including conclusions, recommendations to SNV, and relevant annexes. The final document will also contain internet links and documents sources. It shall consist of 20-25 pages (excluding annexes) written in English. The document will be property of SNV, and will most likely be published on the SNV website as an open source document (excluding recommendations to SNV); 

CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Practical and academic background in the subject matter: both renewable energy and irrigation
• Good writer, preferably native English speaker
• Analytical skills
• Experience in development cooperation, for example in evaluations
• Immediately available.

Timeframe & resources

• 20 working days, between July and August 30th, 2013 
• 01 consultant
  • Budget shall not exceed 10.000 Euros 

How to apply?

Do you have expertise in one or more of the areas described above?

Join our pool of expert consultants by uploading your CV in our in-house recruitment system.

SNV intends to expand its pool of consultants with renewable energy expertise for different short- or longer term assignments. In case you have renewable energy experience and are interested in other consultancies than the one in this advertisement, we would like to encourage you to apply as well, and indicate your interest.      

We appreciate your interest and we will read all applications. In case you don’t hear back from us before the end of August 2013, please consider your application as not successful.

For more information, please refer to our website: www.snvworld.org

We do not appreciate third-party mediation based on this advertisement.