Success factors for sustainable private business operation of decentralised rural electrification with PV - Results from the project "DELTA PRO RES" in the lower Delta Mekong countries

The project Delta PRO RES is the response to the wave of electricity sector reform in developing countries in South East Asia which provides opportunities for a new approach: bankable rural electrification. The project prepares the ground for this future track by developing a methodology and markets to increase rural access to energy with decentralized renewable energy systems in the Lower Delta Mekong countries Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR. Private entrepreneurship and venture capital investment in combination with support schemes from the public sector are the crucial elements in this approach. In this paper the means to integrate the following requirements a) profitable operation, b) poverty alleviation and c) affordable prices for end-users with reliable decentralised energy supply systems with renewable energy are highlighted. In addition to the presentation of the developed programs for Lao PDR, Vietnam and Cambodia it will be shown, how future programs will have to be designed to achieve sustainable rural electrification services through private operators.