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CONSULTANT: TEAM LEADER FOR SOLAR PV INSTALLATIONS
Location :
Maputo, MOZAMBIQUE
Application Deadline :
26-Jan-09
Additional Category
Environment and Energy
Type of Contract :
SSA
Languages Required :
English
Starting Date : (date when the selected canditate is expected to start)
09-Feb-2009
Duration of Initial Contract :
3 weeks
Expected Duration of Assignment :
3 weeks
Background
UNDP Mozambique has been supporting the Government of Mozambique through the Ministry of Science and Technology to implement the national strategy for Millennium Villages together with the UN agencies since January 2007 and under the UN Joint Programme. The Mozambique’s Millennium Village Programme has set objectives of “eliminating hunger and malnutrition” and “improving livelihoods and increasing their incomes beyond extreme poverty levels,” and strengthening agriculture sector is considered a key to increase production and vitalize local economy. Under the Programme, the Government of Mozambique and the UN agencies have established a Millennium Village Project (“MV Project”) office in the Ministry of Science and Technology to implement the Project.
The MV project office has an interest in piloting solar PV systems for irrigation which is expected to increase agricultural production and productivity and thus help improve livelihood of local communities. The Project is also planning to expand the solar PV systems to other villages. Having a potential corporate partner, the Project decided to carry out a feasibility study to provide the first solar PV system to the village on a pilot basis.
To start the pilot project, it is necessary for the MV Project to understand the feasibility of solar PV installations for agriculture at the pilot farm adjacent to the river flow in Chibuto. It is especially important to identify and fit the solar PV installations to the local conditions as well as accelerate other activities to increase agricultural production and productivity.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of UNDP Mozambique Deputy Resident Representative (Programme), and the direct supervision of the Governance Programme Manager, the International Consultant/TL will take charge of studying local conditions including access to water and identifying the most suitable solar PV installations for irrigation in the village. The International Consultant/TL will work closely with National Consultants who will research the area of agriculture and community development (AGR) and the area of water and irrigation (WTR) for the Project and provide a comprehensive report on the application of solar PV installations for irrigation and community development, and he/she will work closely with the relevant staff in UNDP Mozambique and UNDP Tokyo, and the project staff in the Ministry of Science and Technology particularly those who are involved in the Chibuto MV initiative, the UN agency focal points, and the Resident Coordinator’s Office.
The objective of the study is to identify and provide the most suitable solar PV installations for agricultural irrigation and community use in the Millennium Village (Chibuto). In particular, the following subjects should be studied in the assignment.
Applicability of solar PV system to agricultural irrigation
Technical specifications of solar PV system and water distribution
Seasonality of suitable usage of solar PV system
Economics of solar PV system
Optimization of the delivery and installation schedule for solar PV system and the association equipment
Acomprehensive feasibility study report (“F/S report”)that contains all necessary information to introduce a solar PV system to the Project in Chibuto including all the information as described above.
The final F/S report should be comprised of three parts; (1) solar PV installations, (2) agriculture and community development and (3) water and irrigation. The International Consultant is responsible for the solar PV installations part as well as overall editing and consistency of the F/S report.
Competencies
Ability to: research and analyze potential application of solar PV installations and provide leadership for completion of feasibility studies in this field;
Provide technical advice in the area of specialization;
Conduct research in the specialized technical field;
Prepare reports and publications of a high quality;
Provide assistance to UNDP in the subsequent project formulation;
Establish and maintain good working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
University or advanced degree in engineering.
Experience:
At least five (5) years of professional experience in researching, designing or utilizing solar PV system for development purposes, ideally irrigation. Exposure to the Africa’s development context is preferable.
Familiarity with development issues as well as the solar PV system design, management, monitoring and evaluation method; and computer literacy in standard software application.
Practical knowledge of solar PV technology and installations.
