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One of the biggest issues is the cost of diesel. In motorised schemes where revenue collection is weak there may be long periods of time when pumping does not take place because no fuel has been purchased by scheme operators. Before constructing such schemes it has to be clear whether the community can pay / are willing to pay or if anyone else is going to subsidise purchase of diesel.

Solar isn't necessarily without its problems either. Without some sort of umbrella organisation that provides ongoing training to operators, credit to operators for purchase of expensive replacement components and access for operators to high quality spare parts, any solar scheme will most likely operate below capacity in the long term and may fail all together. If pump capacities have been poorly matched to borehole yields, possible pumping hours and storage capacity then schemes can struggle to deliver water when it is needed most. Politicians can also make revenue collection difficult for operators by claiming that water should be free of charge.

Solar is a fantastic alternative to diesel only if efforts are put in place to establish a viable umbrella organisation that can support operators with the many challenges that emerge as a result of trying to manage a scheme. It is not enough to train operators and leave them to run schemes alone.

Some schemes make use of both solar and diesel. This involves additional costs and complications.

One of the biggest issues is the cost of diesel. In motorised schemes where revenue collection is weak there may be long periods of time when pumping does not take place because no fuel has been purchased by scheme operators. Before constructing such schemes it has to be clear whether the community can pay / are willing to pay or if anyone else is going to subsidise purchase of diesel.

Solar isn't necessarily without its problems either. Without some sort of umbrella organisation that provides ongoing training to operators, credit to operators for purchase of expensive replacement components and access for operators to high quality spare parts, any solar scheme will most likely operate below capacity in the long term and may fail all together. If pump capacities have been poorly matched to borehole yields, possible pumping hours and storage capacity then schemes can struggle to deliver water when it is needed most. Politicians can also make revenue collection difficult for operators by claiming that water should be free of charge.

Solar is a fantastic alternative to diesel only if efforts are put in place made to establish a viable umbrella organisation that can support operators with the many challenges that emerge as a result of trying to manage a scheme. It is not enough to train operators and leave them to run schemes alone.

Some schemes make use of both solar and diesel. This involves additional costs and complications.