The World Bank Group's Lighting Global Program and GOGLA have been working to enhance data use and harmonization of metrics for financial performance measurement for off-grid energy companies. The objectives of the work are to enable companies to improve their operations, optimize their business models, and facilitate finance into the sector. The work has been ongoing since 2016 and owes substantial credit to contributions from investors, companies, and development partners provided through stakeholder consultations and engagement with GOGLA membership.

Key Materials

• KPI Framework - Technical Guide. V. 1.0 January 2018
  The first edition of the key performance indicator framework is now available for companies and investors to test. The KPI Technical Guide outlines the definitions of selected key performance indicators that can be utilized by companies to track their performance. The Technical Guide provides information on how to calculate the selected key performance indicators and provides context for their inclusion in the KPI framework. GOGLA invites feedback on the KPIs and will be conducting a formal review process in 2018. For more information, please contact l.sundblad@gogla.org.
• Taxonomy Overview
  The Taxonomy provides a standardized way of qualitatively categorizing different business models being used by offgrid energy companies. The Taxonomy outlines key elements of business model choice as well as typical or common approaches that difference companies use within each element of the business model. The Taxonomy serves as a complement to the KPI Framework.
• Data Playbook for the Off-Grid Pay-As-You-Go Sector
  The Data Playbook illustrates how data is currently being collected and utilized by companies to improve their operations and optimize their business models. It provides examples of how data and data science techniques can be applied to improved business operations. The Data Playbook is designed to serve as a starting point for companies looking at how to utilize data to optimize their business.

News

• Strange Beasts Making Sense of PAYGo Solar Business Models (Alexander G. Sotiriou, Pepukaye Bardouille, Daniel Waldron, and Gianmaria Vanzulli) This article addresses the “strange beasts” that are the PAYGO businesses of today, and explores two key questions that arise when assessing the complex business models of these companies:

  1. What are the operational implications of vertical integration in the PAYGo business model, and what strategic considerations might enable smoother paths to scale?
  2. How can companies and investors assess the financial performance of PAYGo lenders?

• PAYG Insight Series: Sales Agent Network Management
  This article is the first in a series that explores select operational issues faced by off-grid solar PAYG companies. Given the nascent stage of the sector, the goal of this series is to highlight critical issues and encourage companies and other actors to continue to identify and surface best practices for how to deal with these challenges.

• Announcing the First-Ever Key Performance Indicator Framework for the Off-Grid Solar Pay-As-You-Go Sector
  This article summarizes the KPI framework and lists reasons why harmonized metrics are needed.

Additional Resources

• How can Pay-As-You-Go Solar Be Financed? (Bloomberg New Energy Finance)
• Securitization: Unnecessary Complexity Or Key to Financing the DESCO Sector? (Dirk Muench/Chris Aidun)
• Escaping Darkness: Understanding Consumer Value in PAYGo Solar (CGAP)
• Business Analytics for PAYG Companies A toolkit of performance indicators and risk metrics (Persistent,  Dirk Muench/Fabio Eucalipto)