This month, it will be ten years ago that Yeelen Kura connected the first customers to solar energy in Mali. The local electricity company is managed by the Dutch foundation FRES (Foundation Rural Energy Services). An electricity network is usually not present on the countryside in developing countries. There, solar energy is the ultimate way to provide the local population with access to electricity. Access to electricity leads to the improvement of living conditions and to possibilities for economic development.

Yeelen Kura's customers are connected to a Solar Home System (SHS) or mini-grid. A standard SHS consists of a solar panel, a battery and a regulator. The system generates sufficient electricity for several lamps, for charging a mobile phone, and for several hours of radio or television. A mini-grid is a solution for a larger energy need. It is a small electricity network, preferably fed by solar energy, to which an entire village can be connected.

Toneque Traoré has been a customer of Yeelen Kura for 10 years. He runs a school in Koutiala, where children from miles around take lessons in French and mathematics. "At the time, I was immediately convinced of the advantages of solar energy. Previously, we only had a few oil lamps. These were expensive and produced relatively little light. Now that we have electric lamps, it is also possible to teach in the evenings. We can offer the children more education and create classes per age category. Moreover, the heat is more bearable in the evening".

Power provides economic activity. For instance, Sheikh MIIe from Mpessoba started a business where people can charge their mobile phones. He has chargers in all shapes and sizes. Even when Sheikh only has three customers a day, he has sufficient turnover to pay the monthly contribution for the energy services that Yeelen Kura provides. On good days, twenty to thirty customers come by to charge their mobile phone, so he makes a good living with his retail trade in energy.

Fee-for-service

Yeelen Kura was started in 2000 as joint venture by Nuon and the French electricity company EDF. In 2001, the first customers were connected to solar energy. Later that year, the first customers in South-Africa were also connected to the company NuRa that was founded by Nuon. Both companies were housed at the independent foundation FRES in 2004.

Yeelen Kura works according to the fee-for-service concept. This means that the customer pays a fixed amount per month for the delivered energy services and does not have to worry about the installation and maintenance of the system. Experience shows that this concept works well in developing countries. Customers often do not take additional costs into account when solar panels are sold directly to them. Moreover, there are often no companies that perform repair and maintenance services in the area. The supply of electricity is guaranteed, because FRES-companies manage and maintain the solar installations.

Yeelen Kura was one of the first companies in Africa that introduced the fee-for-service concept to rural electrification.

FRES

Nuon founded FRES in 2004. With the help of investors and sponsors, and based on the experiences of Yeelen Kura in Mali, FRES has started local electricity companies in Burkina Faso, Uganda and Benin as well. Guinea-Bissau may follow in the course of this year. Nuon is the foundation's main sponsor.