Administrative Manual For Island Technicians (English)

Administrative
Manual
for island
technicians
Administrative manual for island technicians
8. ACP. KI. 02 “Solar energy for outer islands”
Administrative Manual for Island Technicians
This manual was originally designed during the implementation of the project
“Solar Energy for outer islands”. The funding and technical assistance were
provided by the European Union. The first objective of the project is to install
1,700 solar home systems and electrify 100 maneabas (meeting houses) in all
the 18 islands of the Gilbert Atoll. Republic of Kiribati. The second objective is
to enhance the organizational capabilities of the Solar Energy Company, Ltd in
order to ensure the long term viability of the power utility service. The manual
will assist island technicians in the successful implementation of the
administrative procedures, which will contribute to the second objective of the
terms of reference.
Administrative manual for island technicians i
Prepared by With participation from
Terubentau Akura Jens Merten
General manager Solar Energy Expert
Solar Energy Company, Ltd 8.ACP.KI.02 Solar Energy for outer islands
terubentau@solar.net.ki jens@solar.net.ki
Marc Torra Griso Claudia Villalobos Montoya
Business Management Expert Social Development Expert
8.ACP.KI.02 Solar Energy for outer islands 8.ACP.KI.02 Solar Energy for outer islands
marc@solar.net.ki claudia@solar.net.ki
Special thanks to Herb Wade, whose UNESCO manual was so
Illustrations by inspiring to write the technical content of this book.
Natang Itonga & Roberto López
An electronic copy of this manual may be obtained from the project web site: http//:www.solar.net.ki
Original text in English with translation into Gilbertese
Published with financial assistance from the European Union
Copyright © 2004 Solar Energy for outer Islands
All rights for commercial/for profit reproduction or translation, in any form, reserved. The
reproduction or translation of this material for educational or research purposes is authorised,
provided that the source document is properly acknowledged. For more information visit
www.creativecommons.org
Administrative manual for island technicians ii
CONTENTS
page
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………… 1
The 8 monthly tasks ……………………………………………………....................... 3
The first three weeks of the month………………………………………….. 5
Task 1. Monthly visit to villages ………………………………………….. 6
Task 2. Monthly visit to users ……………………………………………. 15
Task 3. Receiving the monthly delivery ………………………………… 37
On Fridays…. …………………………………………………………………… 39
Task 4. Filling out the user balance card……………………………….. 40
Task 5. Serving customers at the service center ……………………… 44
The last week of the month…………………………………………………… 46
Task 6. Filling out the remaining sheets ……………………………….. 47
Task 7. Removal of utility systems ……………………………………… 58
Task 8. Sending sheets and damaged parts ………………………….. 60
Administrative manual for island technicians iii
INTRODUCTION
For the successful operation of solar systems, the local
island technician plays a crucial role. This
administrative manual has been written with you, the
island technician, in mind.
All islands have an island technician who is the main
representative of the company on the island.
Their position is appointed by the Solar Support Group
(SSG) of the island in conjunction with the headquarters
in Tarawa.
In some villages, a village technician can be appointed. He will be appointed by the island
technician, in collaboration with the unimwane (elders) and the village member of the island
Solar Support Group. The position must be accepted by the headquarters and it is not
essential to appoint a village technician in every village.
The aim of the village technician is to facilitate that some of the monthly activities are carried
out locally. In this way the community gets more involved and your workload as island
technician is lightened.
Administrative manual for island technicians 1
Introduction
When should a village technician be appointed?
The need to appoint a village technician in a community depends on:
• The total number of systems installed on the island: As the number of solar systems
increases, the greater the need there is to appoint village technicians. If the total number is below
75, normally you will be able to do the work alone. If there are more, it is better to start appointing
some village technicians.
• The total number of systems in the village: The need to appoint a village technician arises as
the number of solar systems on the village grows. To train them takes time and for villages with
very few systems it is perhaps not worth it. As well if the village technician has very few systems to
maintain, his or her monthly revenues will not be enough to compensate the work he will need to
do.
• The existence of electrified maneabas (meeting places) in the village: The monthly fee for
maneabas has to be raised and paid for by the whole community. When a village technician is
appointed, the community feels more responsible for the systems. In this way he or she will assist
you in collecting both types of fees, from the maneaba and from the solar home systems.
• The isolation of the village and distance from the service center: If the village is too far from
the service center, it is better to appoint a village technician. In that way you will only have to visit
the village once a month and thanks the village technician, you will be able to complete your
responsibilities in just one day.
The eight monthly tasks
Your duties as island technician have been structured into eight tasks. Three of them
are to be carried out during the first three weeks of the month, two of them on Fridays,
and the last three during the last week of the month.
Each task has a number and some of them are divided into activities. The first task is the
monthly visit to villages and the last one is sending sheets and damaged parts to
the headquarters. It is important to do it in this order and to ensure that they are all
completed within the time allotted to them. By doing so, you start the following month well
and receive your monthly payment on time.
Who should perform the tasks?
All the 8 tasks have been entrusted to you, therefore you are the one
who must make sure they are completed.
What is the difference between task and activity?
Some tasks have been divided into activities and some of them can be delegated to the
village technician. It is your responsibility to ensure that all the activities within a task are
performed, even if you have delegated some of them to a village technician.
The 8 monthly tasks
1 2 5
Monthly visit to Monthly visit to Attending clients
villages to users at the SC
3 4 6
Receiving the Filling out user Filling out the
monthly delivery balance card remaining sheets
Have a look at the eight
tasks and at the
assigned order to carry
them out. Remember to 7 8
Removal of Sending sheets
do it in this order! utility systems & damaged parts
The 8 monthly tasks
The first three tasks are to be performed during the first three weeks. These are:
• Task 1 Monthly visit to villages
• Task 2 Monthly visit to users
• Task 3 Receiving the monthly delivery
Task 1. Monthly visit to villages
TASK 1. MONTHLY VISIT TO VILLAGES
• Start with the villages without a village technician.
• Then go to the village with a village technician but less systems,
• Finally go to the villages with village technicians and more systems, to give them time
to finish the first four activities of task 2 monthly visit to users
Why in this order?
If the community has a village technician, he or
she needs to finish the activities transferred to
him before your visit to the community. This is
why you need to give him time to complete them.
Page 16 shows you what are these activities.
Right now, just remember to follow the
suggested order!
Schedule your visit to each village in advance and make sure that the village
technician, the village representative to the Solar Support Group and the elders
know about your visiting days. If you wish to make changes to the original
schedule, it is very important to let everyone know your new schedule.
What sheets do you need for a village visit?
1 Monitoring sheet
The monitoring sheet is necessary for recording the technical
data on each system. Remember that on the monitoring sheet
you record data for 22 solar systems. If there are less than 22
systems in a village, then one monitoring sheet a month is
enough. If the community has a village technician, he or she
will perform this job, but make sure that he has enough sheets
for next month. So always bring some extra sheets with you!
2 Activity sheet
An activity sheet will be necessary if:
1. The system needs to be repaired
2. The user requests a change in the number of supplements
3. The status of the system changes.
These are activities that you cannot delegate to the village technician and
therefore he doesn't need to keep any Activity Sheets with him.
What other documents should you take?
3 Receipt book
Remember to bring the receipt book in case you
need it for fee collection or for direct sales.
4 List of possible disconnections
This list needs to be prepared by you. The idea is to include all the
systems that will be disconnected if the user doesn't pay. Without this
information you won’t know which systems to disconnect out of those
that didn’t pay the fee this month. (activity 6 from task 2).
To make the list, consult the User Balance Card (the pink card) and
add any users with two or more months of arrears to the list. If any of
the users on the list don't pay this month, the system will need to be
disconnected as this means that the outstanding debt is three or more
months.
Tools required for a visit
Maintenance Tools:
You have been
provided with Hydrometer:
appropriate tools. Without a
Always bring them hydrometer you
with you whenever cannot complete
you carry out a the maintenance
monthly visit. sheet.
Note Book and Pen: Volt Meter: A volt meter
For your own is as important as a
information and future hydrometer. Without this
planning you may need equipment you cannot
to take notes of the carry out your work
important things each properly. Always carry it
customer may want you with you.
to do in the future.
Items required for a visit
Stock for sale:
Some users may need to
buy additional lights etc. It
is recommended that you
take some items for sale. Spare parts & components:
Experience will tell you Some of the items that the
which items to take with you company sells can be used as
and in what quantities. components or spare parts too,
depending if they are sold or
used in a utility PV system. This
Battery Water Supply: Make is explained further in the
sure to take enough water supply kanban sheet. This includes
for general maintenance, even if it lights, inverters, and fuses.
is done by the village technician Apart from this you will need
as it is your responsibility to some common spare parts such
supply him with treated water. as cable clips, together with
other components that are
lightweight and often needed.
Offering products for sale Catalogue of
Items 2003

Visiting a village is a good opportunity to sell

Cash on delivery
Cash on Delivery
Item # Description Price Advance
products directly to the users. Always bring
Electronic components
BP006 Fluro Inverter 24V 1020W $35 0
BP007 Fluro Inverter 12V 1020W T8 $35 0
INDP002 Inverter 24V 11W $24 0
INDP003 Inverter 12V 11W $28 0
Lighting
the company's catalogue with you, apart
BP010 Flourescent light 12v 18w $120 0
INDP005 Pl light 12V 11W $58 0
INDP006 Pl light 24V 11W $54 0
Manufacturing
MANF003 DCDC Converter $50 0
from some items for sale.

Delivery Order

Item # Description Price Advance
Generation
BP011 Solar Panel BP 50W $580 $580
Every sale should be accounted for and you
Accumulation
ALC001 Battery 100Ah 12V $300 $300
ALC002 Battery 105Ah 6V $260 $260
ALC005 Battery T205 6V $240 $240
FB001 FB Battery 110Ah 12V $345 $345
are entitled to receive 3 % of your total
Electronic components
ASSEM008 Capacitor 16V,1000 uf $300 $300
BP016 Inverter 350w 12V $885 $885
CHSP003 LBC SOLAR JACK $250 $250
CHSP010 Fuse KPT 160a 500V $23 $23
PLA0001 Plastm. Controller 20amp 12v $185 $185
annual sales in addition to what you
SELC002 Selco Lumninaire $105 $105
Lighting
BH003 Fluro light 2 feet $45 $45
OLD002 Hat Tupy Solagen light $50 $50
SELC001 Led lamp with six white led $145 $145
Cabling
normally receive in your wages. This will be
KSCL03 Hytide $36 $36
Tools & Appliances
BP008 Volt Meters + bags(multi m.) $85 $85
BP009 Hydrometer $35 $35
CHSP017 Motor 12V $145 $145
OLD006 Video Set $1,185
paid at the end of the year, before
$1185
SELC004 Solar Fan DC 8 inch $85 $85
Manufacturing
MANF001 Controller SEC 20amp 12v $185 $185
MANF002 Controller SEC 20amp 24v $185 $185
Others
Christmas.
CHSP011 Drive Assemble $34 $34
CHSP012 Diapharam Kit $25 $25
Page 1 of 2
What does the village technician need?
To carry out the first three activities from task 2, the village technician needs:
 Monitoring sheets
 Notebook and pen
 Hydrometer
 Voltmeter
 Battery water supply
 Some tools and spare parts for maintenance
Make sure he has enough of the above items to carry out his duties before your visit next
month. It is your responsibility to provide him with enough of all the said items as you don’t
want the job not to be carried out because he didn’t lacked some of the above items.
If the village technician, the unimwanes or the local member of the Solar Support Group are
in charge of the fee collection, they also will need:
 A receipt book
Make sure that the village technician or unimwane has enough receipts for at least the next
three months.
The monthly meeting in the maneaba
It is important to start with a meeting in the maneaba, especially in the villages with an
electrified maneaba and a village technician. If things are well planned, you would expect
the village member of the Solar Support Group, the “unimanwe” or elders, the village
technician and some or all of the users to be waiting for you inside the maneaba. The
“unimanwe” may say a few words to welcome you and will ask you to proceed with your
agenda.
The maneaba agenda:
• If the community has a village technician, he should provide you with the monitoring sheets duly
filled out and let you know how the visit to the users went. These are the first three activities of
task 2 monthly visit to users (see page 16).
• Encourage the users to raise any issues. Take notes and give advice accordingly. If the maneaba
is electrified, use it to show how the solar system must be maintained and how it works.
• If you have agreed that the fee will be collected in the maneaba, then collect it . This is activity 4
of task 2.
• Give a brief report on the performance of the village technician and decide on the systems you
will visit personally to carry out the last four activities of task 2.
• Close the maneaba meeting properly by showing due respect to your customers, the local
member of the Solar Support Group and the unimanwe.
Which users will you visit?
As you know, if the community doesn't have a village technician you will need to visit ALL
the users because somebody must do the first four activities of task 2 monthly visit to
users in ALL the solar systems. If it has a village technician then you only need to visit
those users that:
1. Require a change of fee
2. Have problems with their system that could not be solved by the village
technician.
3. Have performed or you are suspect that they have performed any of the 7
irregular actions (see pg 28 for details).
4. Have an outstanding debt of three or more months, requiring a system
disconnection
In any of these four cases you will need to fill out the activity
sheet and send it to the headquarters. This is why a village
technician doesn't need activity sheets.
Task 2. Monthly visit to users
TASK 2. MONTHLY VISIT TO USERS
This task is arranged in eight activities. The first four can be performed by the village
technician and this needs to be done before your visit to the community.
.
Activities that can be carried out by the village technician:
1. Monitoring the solar system.
2. General maintenance.
3. Check for system misuse
4. Collect the fees and issue the receipt
(this last one when agreed on by the
community – see page 29)
Activities that must be performed only by
you
5. Trouble shooting and repairs
2. Disconnections
3. Changing status
4. Changing the fee
What to do upon arriving to the user’s home?
Listen to the customer
and take notes!
First start by showing respect to your customer. Your manner
should be friendly and kindly. Give your customer time to
inform you of the success and problems of the solar home
system. Should the user have any difficulties with the system,
ask and listen to his or her comments.
As you listen to the user, you can identify the most immediate
problems and consider the user’s comments as your starting
point.
Activity 1. Monitoring the solar system
After enquiring about the performance
of the system and before doing the
basic maintenance, you must fill in the
monitoring sheet and the monitoring
card (the blue card), which asks for
detailed technical information.
Both contain general information
which refers to the names of user,
system unique number, village etc.
They must all be filled out by you in
the presence of the user to give him
the message that the company is
taking care of the solar system.
You will notice that the data contained in the monitoring sheet is similar to the data from the
monitoring card (blue card). The only two differences are:
• Each monitoring card belongs to one solar system and covers several months; while
the monitoring sheet is for several solar systems and one single month.
• Cards remain inside the battery box for you to analyze the trends; while the sheets
are sent to the headquarters.
Keep in mind that the monitoring card gives you the historical collected data for a system and
therefore it is from the card that you interpret the data.
When we receive the monitoring sheet at the headquarters, we will transfer the same data
into the computer. This will allow our senior technicians to identify those PV systems with
(potential) technical problems and to suggest correcting measures. In your case, since you
don’t have a computer, the monitoring card will allow you to identify the same trends and to
see how the solar system evolves.
Start by filling in either the sheet or the blue card, but remember that
both need to be filled out.
If you start by the sheet, write down first of all the unique system
identification number (or UT number), then the name of the user, the
date and time of the visit and the weather.
For the specific gravity readings take an hydrometer. For convenience, it has been
decided that cell number 1 must be a cell located at the positive terminal of the battery and
therefore cell number 6 should be the cell located at the negative terminal of the battery.
This information was explained during previous trainings and it is now a ritual procedure of
the company.
A rough estimate of the electrolyte level during the reading is acceptable.
For the battery voltage use the voltmeter and in water added inform
on the amount of water that was necessary to refill the battery.
LVD is the number of load disconnects by charge controller during the
last four weeks.
SAT is the level of user satisfaction with the service.
Activity 2. General maintenance
In order for the solar systems to last they must be taken care of. Continuing care is termed
maintenance and solar systems must be maintained in order to last and work well. This
means every part of the system should be checked for correct operation, cleanliness and
tight connections.
Solar system parts to be checked are:
1. Panels
2. Controller
3. Opencell battery
4. Wires, and
5. Appliances
The panels
1. Check the panel mounting to make sure that
it is strong and well attached. If it is broken or
loose, repair it.
2. Check that the glass is not broken. If it is, the
panel will have to be replaced.
3. Check the connection box to make sure that
the wires are tight and the water seals are
not damaged.
4. Make sure the panels are not covered by
vegetation or new buildings. If there are,
make arrangements for removing the
vegetation or moving the panels to a shade –
free place.
The controller
1. Check that the controller is still firmly
attached. If it is not, attach it correctly
with screws.
2. Keep the controller clean.
The batteries
1. Clean the top of the battery. Check connections for
tightness and corrosion. Clean and tighten as
needed.
2. Check each cell with a hydrometer and record the
readings. When checking take off one cap at a time.
Do not remove all caps at once because this greatly
increases the risk of dirt getting into the cells.
3. If any cells are low on water, add distilled water to
raise to the correct level. Never add more acid, only
water. If distilled water is not available, carefully
collected rainwater can be used. Remember that any
salt, minerals or oil in the water will poison the battery
and shorten its life, so be very careful about collection
and storage of water for the battery.
1. If any of the caps for the cells have been lost or broken, cover the fill holes loosely with
plastic or glass until proper replacement caps are available. Never cover the holes with
paper, cork, cloth or metal. Never leave the holes uncovered. Make sure the temporary
cover you install does not plug the holes tightly because the cells must have air.
2. Clean the battery with fresh water and a rag.
The wiring
1. Check the wire covering (insulating sheath) for
cracks or breaks. If the insulation is damaged,
replace the wire. If the wire is outside the building,
use wire with weather – resistant insulation.
2. Check the attachment of the wire to the building to
make sure that it is well fastened and cannot rub
against sharp edges when the wind blows.
3. If someone has changed the wiring since the last
check, make sure that it is the correct size, that it
is suitably installed, that the connections are
properly made and that it is fastened securely in its
new place.
4. If someone has added more wires to the solar
system to operate additional appliances, remove
the extra wiring and check in pg 30 on the actions
to take.
5. Check the connections for corrosion and tightness.
Appliances
1. Turn on each appliance and check that it
is working properly.
2. Check that the appliances are mounted
securely. If loose or incorrectly mounted,
attach them securely.
3. Clean all exposed parts or each
appliance. Clean light bulbs and plastic
covers.
Activity 3. Check for system misuse
Check the system to make sure that
no changes have been made that
have not been authorized.
The village technicians and the local
members of the solar Support groups
act as your monitors in the village.
They have the responsibility to
inform you if they see a user
misusing the system. This can be
discovered by the technician during
general maintenance or by anyone
just by observing how the villagers
use the system.
The 7 unauthorised actions
• Connecting non contractual appliances
• Broken seals
• Shared or boboussed the system without
permission
• Charged other people’s batteries
• Used the battery for other purposes
• Damaged the system in any way
• Allowed others to borrow or bouboussi
components
If you discover that the user has performed any of the 7 unauthorised actions, then:
• If this is the first time, you need to take out a yellow card, which means to inform
him or her that if this happens again the system will be automatically removed,
and then asking for a signature in an activity sheet. Write down your comments
on the activity sheet.
• If it is the second time, issue a red card, which means automatic removal of the
system. Fill out an activity sheet to inform the headquarters that the system has
been removed.
Activity 4. Collecting the fee
The fee can be collected following any of these procedures:
• By the village technician or island technician on his
regular visit to users,
• At the monthly meeting of the community in the maneaba
during the visit of the island technician.
• By the unimanwe or the local member of the Solar
Support Group, at their own convenience.
• At the Service Centre when users fail to pay on time, to
avoid removal or disconnection of the system.
The fee collection is your responsibility as island technician and your salary is worked out in
proportion to the total fees collected. You need to work out the best method to collect the fee,
which will depend on (1) the existence of a village technician in the community, and whether
he can be entrusted with the fee collection, (2) the willingness of a local member of the Solar
Support Group or the unimanwe to do so. Once a method has been decided upon, stick to it
without changing it every month.
Remember that every fee or cash received warrants the issue of a proper
receipt. Fill the receipt, sign it and give the original to the customer. Make
sure you use the correct receipt.
The last four activities
As you know, the last four activities of task 2 need to be
performed by you and they cannot be delegated to the
village technician. This are relevant activities and all of them
they have something in common: “They require you to fill
out an activity sheet”.
When explaining each activity we will explain to you how to
fill out the activity sheet, but remember:
Regardless of the information to describe
in the activity sheet, you always need to
start by filling out the common fields.
And after filling it out you need to ask for
the signature of the user and sign your
own name as well.
Activity 5. Troubleshooting and repairs
By using common sense, you can identify the
problems or priority areas that need to be addressed
during the visit. Having been trained in trouble
shooting and maintenance techniques, you are
expected to solve almost every problem the user is
complaining about.
If you need further advice from the headquarters, you
must list the problems down in an activity sheet to
inform the utility supervisor.
Your supervisor can help you with any problems you cannot solve. Every time he visits your
island he is obliged to provide you with hands ontraining that will benefit your customer,
yourself and the company.
After repairing the system or trying to
solve the problem, it is essential that
you fill out the section on the activity
sheet called Troubleshooting and
repairs.
First of all you need to categorise the things you did to the system into jobs and describe
them on the sheet in the same order that they were performed. Then include the time that
each one of them took you.
Use the section comments to write any comments you have for the headquarters. All this
information will be processed electronically and recorded in our computer. In this way we
will know at any time the history of repairs carried out on a system and the nature of the
problems the system had.
Activity 6. Disconnecting a PV system
This task is part of your responsibility as island
technician. After checking your fee records, you
must perform the disconnection policy when the
user has three months in arrears. This means that if
after meeting the village technician, some users
have monthly fee arrears equivalent to three months
or more, you must disconnect the system.
This is why it is so important when you visit a village
to take updated information on each user’s arrears
in the village. You will know this information in order
to know what systems need to be disconnected.
Don’t forget to seal the controller to make sure that the system
cannot be reconnected without your authorization.
Disconnecting a system is one
example of a change of status.
You will learn more about this
when the next activity is
explained.
In this case the change of status section needs to be filled out in that way:
• Previous Status: will normally be “Operating”, but in some cases it may
be ”System failure: User NOT exempted”.
• New Status: in this case will be “Disconnected” as you are in activity 7.
Disconnecting a PV system.
Why do you think the previous status cannot be “System failure: User
exempted”? Because if the user was exempted from paying the fee, how
can we disconnect the system for not paying it.
Why do you think the previous status cannot be “[Commissioning]”?
Because if we just installed the system, how can we disconnect it without
giving the user a chance to accumulate arrears.
Activity 7. Changing status
The status of a system is very
important to the headquarters.
Make sure that you always
keep us informed on the
status of all the systems as we
need to know information such
as:
• users that need to be
invoiced,
• faulty systems, removed or
disconnected systems,
and a lot of other information
which we gain by analyzing
the change of status.
See how in the following diagram the arrows mark the directions that a change of status can take. For
example, a system can be operating and then something happens that makes it fail. If the failure is the
company’s responsibility, it goes to user exempted and the user will not be invoiced until the status is
restored to “operating”. If the failure is the result of user misuse, then it will go to User misuse and we will
continue invoicing this user. Try to understand the arrows and why they are in three different colors.
Note how the Activity sheet
asks about the previous status
and the new one as any
change in status means
moving from one status to
another in the system.
In the example you will notice that we are marking “Previous Status” Operating to “New
Status” Damaged: User exempted. This tells the headquarters that the system had a
technical problem that could not be solved by you. The technical problems will be explained in
the section “Troubleshooting and Repairs” and in “Comments” from the Activity Sheet. The
change of status simply confirms us that this user cannot be invoiced next month. We will not
invoice him or her until a new change of status tell us that the system is operating again.
This helps the headquarters to gather a lot of useful information. From the sheet the
headquarters will know the type of problems you had when repairing a system, which will help
to structure better training in the future. Also the headquarters will be able to see if it is
necessary to send a senior supervisor to assist you in repairing the system. As you can see it
is a lot of information transmitted from a single sheet.
Activity 8. Changing the fee
This is the last activity to carry out in the monthly visit to users. The fee is changed when
the number of supplements that the user has contracted varies. If the user contracts new
supplements, then the fee is increased. If he or she requests the removal of any
supplement, then the fee is decreased. At the headquarters we need this information in
order to know how much we should invoice each user per month.
See how the given example informs us that the user has contracted a new supplement,
which is the DC/DC inverter. In Task 6. Filling out the sheets, you will request a new
inverter from the company. This will be done by filling out the kanban sheet. See then how
the activity sheet tells us where the existing inverter in stock has been installed. This
justifies why a new inverter has to be sent to you.
Task 3. Receiving the monthly delivery
TASK 3. RECEIVING THE MONTHLY DELIVERY
What is the monthly delivery?
A delivery of sheets and items that you will receive every month from the headquarters.
Sheets will be sent by post, items can be sent by one of the following three options: (1)
post, for up to 20 kg, (2) air cargo, or (3) shipping cargo.
What does the monthly delivery include?
• Replacements for the sold or used components
during the previous month.
• Items ordered as spare parts, components and
stock for sale in the Kanban sheet of the previous
month.
• The fee collection sheet for the current month
• The Orders for immediate removal for the current
month
What is the endoftheyear delivery?
A special delivery that includes all the above, plus:
• The 12 kanban sheets for the next year
• Blank cards and sheets in case you need new ones
• Office material
Task 3. Receiving the monthly delivery
Any item that has to be installed in a solar system
needs to be accompanied by an Installation
Sheet. This sheet gives you information on:
• Solar System where the item has to be installed
together with other information to identify it.
• Description of the job to be performed
• Dates and signatures to follow up the sheet
• An area for your written observations
Once you finish installing the parts or components
you will need to enter the date, sign on the area
where it says Island Technician and ask the user to
sign too. The same needs to be done after
commissioning the system, this is, when the system
is working again. Then if you have any observation
to make, use the area marked observations.
Make sure that after commissioning the
system, you return this sheet to the
headquarters as we need it.
The 8 monthly tasks
Task 4. Filling out the user balance card
Task 5. Attending clients at the service center
Friday is a special day. As the last working day of the
week, it is a good time to analyze and transfer the data
from the receipts of the week into the user balance card
(the pink card). As a payday, it is a good time to be at
the service center, whether this is your house or a
company building. There you will attend customers that
come to buy items, or to pay monthly fees that were
unpaid at the time of collection, etc. The most important
thing is that on that day users know that you are
available and where to find you.
Task 4. Filling out the cards
TASK 4. FILLING OUT THE USER BALANCE CARD
Ideally you should have Activity Sheets and receipts organized by
villages. This means that for all the villages you visit during the
week, you staple the two types of documents together and put
them in a folder.
The user balance cards are in a
ring binder. They can be
organized either by villages,
system numbers or alphabetical
order by the name of the user.
This is up to you.
To fill out the user balance card you need:
• The receipts from the fee collection.
• The Activity Sheets
Follow this steps:
• Take the first receipt from the village folder.
• Check if any Activity Sheet was filled out for that user.
• Look for the User Balance Card that matches the receipt.
• Transfer the information from the receipt and the Activity Sheet to the User
Balance Card.
• Receipt: transfer the amount received and the receipt number.
• Activity sheet: transfer the sheet number (sheet #) to identify the sheet, the date,
and a broad description of the activity.
• Take out the next receipt.
The user balance card allows you
to follow up the arrears manually.
This follow up on the arrears will
tell you when a system needs to
be disconnected. If you see that
Debt is more than twice the Fee,
then add the name of the user in
the List of possible disconnections
for next month.
Debt Total Debt

Previous Paid + Fee
= This
month
month
Remember that if the system is operating, misused or disconnected, the user
needs to pay a fee. If the system is exempted, then the fee is zero. For example,
in January the system had some technical problems and therefore the fee was
zero.
Task 5. Attending clients at the service center or buia center
TASK 5. SERVING CUSTOMERS AT THE SC
The main reasons why a client will visit you at
the service center are:
1. To buy or order items sold by the
company
2. To seek your advice
3. To pay an unpaid fee when you
visited the client at his house
1. To buy or order items sold by the company
Your regular presence at the service center on Fridays will guarantee that
customers know when to go and buy items from you.
Task 5. Attending clients at the service center or buia center
2. Advising users
users will want your advice. This is normal and it forms also
part of the company's service. Remember to give proper
advice. If you cannot provide an answer immediately, be
honest with them and tell them that you need to consult with
the headquarters and we will give them an answer as soon as
possible.
3. To pay the fee that was unpaid when you visited
the client at his house
To some users it might be more convenient to pay at the
service centre rather than at the village because they
normally collect their allotment from the Island Council
Cashier. Some other users may not be able to pay you
when you go to the village and both of you agree that they
will pay it at the service centre.
The 8 monthly tasks
Task 6. Filling out the remaining sheets
Task 7. Removal of utility systems
Task 8. Sending sheets and damaged parts
Task 6. Filling out the remaining sheets
TASK 6. FILLING OUT THE REMAINING SHEETS
Some sheets such as the monitoring sheet or the Activity sheet were taken by you when
you went to visit the customer and therefore were filled out during task 2. monthly visit
to users.
The sheets to fill out in task 6 are:
• The Kanban sheet
• The fee collection sheet
Task 6. Filling out the sheets
Activity 1. Filling out the kanban sheet
At the end of every year you will receive the 12 kanban sheets for the
following year. This is a very important sheet as it gives us a lot of
information and allows us to monitor items stocks on the outer islands.
Make sure you understand how the kanban sheet should be filled out. Look at it, try to
understand it and to see why there are two sections in the sheet, one called Balance of
items stocks in the service centers and the other Spare parts, replacements, orders
and invoices.
The aim of the kanban sheet is to turn the outer islands an sales outlet for photovoltaic
products. Until the kanban sheet is implemented in your island, the company will need to
restrict its sales to the headquarters and you lose your chance to get a 3% commission on
these sales. Its successful implementation mostly depends on you, but we understand that
out of all the sheets this is the most complicated one. This is why the next nine pages of the
manual are focused on the kanban sheet.
The kanban sheet tells the headquarters
the following information:
Remaining inventories in
the outer islands
Items used as spare
parts
Monthly sales cash
on delivery (COD)
Items required for
replacements (assets)
Orders for items stored in
the headquarters
Full payment on previously
delivered orders
Monthly amount of
cash collected
Remaining inventories in
the outer islands
Note that in the column that says Qty Left you need to use the following
formula:
Opening – Qty Used – Qty Sold = Qty Left
If at the headquarters we know the quantities of items left at the end of the month,
we can send you the exact quantity of items that will replenish stocks. This helps
us to monitor inventories.
Items used as spare
parts
The first section of the kanban sheet gives a list of the items stored in the service
centers. These are items that you can either sell or use as spare parts in the
maintenance or upgrading of a system. Lets say you used three fuses to replace
the ones blown up, one DC/DC Converter to add one supplement to a system, and
cable, lights and switches because one system was removed and later transferred
to another user.
Make sure that the information you send on items used is the same
as the Activity sheets sent in the same shipment.
Monthly sales cash
on delivery (COD)
Apart from using the items stored in the service center as spare parts, you can sell them
to customers. This is called sales “cash on delivery” because the users will pay the
items in full once they are delivered.
Remember to issue a receipt with each sale. Then at the end of the month put all the
receipts together. Organise them according to the items. Write down the total quantity
sold for each item in Qty Sold and the amount of money received in Amount. And then
add the amount in Sales COD. Remember that Qty Sold x Price = Amount.
Items required for
replacements (assets)
These are items considered as assets by the company and they require some special
control. For example the replacement of an old battery to a utility user is a big
investment for the company. Therefore we will need you to issue an Activity Sheet in
which you certify that it requires a change of the old battery. You will need to send us
the old battery when you replace it with the new one .
Orders for items stored in
the headquarters
In the service center you store the most common items sold or used as spare parts
but you cannot store all kind of items as this would be very expensive for the
company. Therefore, only items that are stored in the central warehouse in South
Tarawa need to be ordered. You will see these items in the catalogue sent to you
every year together with the kanban sheets. Make sure to collect 10% in advance for
this orders and send the money to us or we cannot deliver to you the item ordered.
Full payment on
delivered orders
When you receive an ordered item, it will be accompanied by an invoice. Make sure
to get full payment of the remaining 90% before delivering the item to the customer.
To inform us that the remaining 90% has been collected, you need to write the
invoice number in the first column, then the name of the customer in description
and the remaining amount collected in Paid Today, together with the receipt
number.
Monthly amount of
cash collected
Sales COD + Payments tells us the total cash collected during the month and therefore
the money you will need to send to the headquarters. Another addition gives us the total
sales you made during the month, this is Sales COD + Total orders. At the end of the
year we will add up this figure from the 12 kanban sheets and with this information we
will know how much commission you should be paid. Remember that you receive a 3%
on all the sales, both COD or by order.
Finally don’t forget to add the information on the telmo number, date and charges and to
sign the sheet before sending it to the headquarters.
Activity 2. Filling out the fee collection sheet
The fee collection sheet has the following
objectives:
Verifies that the information
provided by headquarters is
updated and correct
Informs the headquarters of
the total fee collected and the
receipt numbers
the monthly expenditure and
give a net amount
Verifies that the information
provided by headquarters is
updated and correct
The Activity Sheet updates information on the fee and the status of the system. Also, it
gives the new user’s name when a system has been removed. The headquarters will
process the Activity Sheet by updating the information into the computer. Then it will
print out the Fee Collection Sheet according to the given information. Therefore it is very
important that you verify the accuracy of the information given and if you see any
mistake you inform the headquarters immediately.
Any error in the information given in the Fee Collection Sheet can have two possible
causes:
1. You didn’t issue an Activity Sheet when the fee or status of a system
changed.
2. The Activity Sheet was issued but then mislaid on its way to the
headquarters.
The need to update the information contained on the sheet on a monthly
basis is the reason why you cannot keep blank copies at the service
center and send one every month, as you do with the kanban sheet.
the total fee collected and the
receipt numbers
In total paid you will write the amount collected from the user that month.
In receipt # you will write the number of the receipt issued to the user in exchange of
the fee.
In Debt you will write the remaining debt according to this formula:
If the system is:
2. Operating
3. Misused
Fee + Arrears – Total Paid = Debt
4. Disconnected
If the system is:
4. Exempted Arrears – Total Paid = Debt
Remember that when a system is exempted the company does not invoice
the monthly fee to the user and this is why you don't need to add the Fee
the monthly expenditure and
give a net amount
The telmo is an example of monthly expenditure. At the top of the sheet you are
requested to enter information related to the telmo such as telmo date and charges.
At the bottom of the sheet you will detail the telmo charges again together with the
other expenditures of the month, for example:
• The need to hire a motorbike to visit the distant villages
• The need to employ local labor for specific tasks
Finally you need to sign the sheet and send it to the headquarters in task 8. Sending
sheets and damaged parts
TASK 7. REMOVAL OF A UTILITY SYSTEM
For the future success of the SEC, it is vital that you
try your best to avoid having to remove a utility
system by doing your maintenance and collection of
fees punctually. Take into account that removing a
system costs money and time to the company.
Although you may have performed your
maintenance task well, it would be still possible that
some solar systems have to be removed due to (1)
four or more months of accumulated fees in arrears
or (2) because the customer misused the solar
system.
It is your duty to keep users informed on the two policies (disconnection and removal) of the
company. This will ensure that they fully understand them. By not disconnecting the PV
system when arrears is over two months, you are not doing them a favour because once the
order for removal is issued by the headquarters, users are forced to pay the debt in full, plus
a fine if they want to keep the solar system.
All orders for removal are always issued in writing. Never agree to carry out any removal
that is not supported by a letter duly signed by the General Manager. They will be addressed
to specific users, informing them on the immediate removal of their solar system. Take the
order with you and present it to the user at the time of removal.
Removals can be of two kinds:
• Removal to another village: the orders for removal will explain which village the solar
systems should be transferred to.
• Removal to another island: this is a special case of removal and it will be done only
when the arrears on the island are very high. If this is the case, our logistics manager
will visit you to supervise the shipment of the solar systems to another island.
It will help that you inform users in advance that an order for removal was issued to them.
You can do this easily during Task 2 Monthly visit to users.
When the headquarters sends you an order for removal, the user has only two options:
1. Either he or she pays the outstanding debt in full plus the removal fee, or
2. The PV system is removed and then transferred to a new user from another village
Remember that when a
system is removed you
need to fill out an
Activity Sheet.
Task 8. Sending sheets and damaged parts
TASK 8. SENDING SHEETS AND DAMAGED PARTS
Your performance will be continually monitored and one way to tell that you are a capable
island technician is the accuracy of your sheets regularly received at headquarters. The
data collected on the sheets are vital for the success of the utility and need to be updated
regularly. The sheets that you send to the headquarters will determine your revenues as
we use them to calculate how much has to be paid for your work.
The damaged parts that can be repaired like the light inverter,
controller, DC/DC converter will need to be sent to the
headquarters for repair. It is the responsibility of the user to
pay for the freight charges on any item that he owns or is
damaged after the end of the warranty period. The freight for
the batteries and controller owned by the company will be paid
by the headquarters. Remember to send parts with
accompanying notes.
Someone at the headquarters will attend to any parts you
send and will take necessary action required.
And remember, all this has to be sent
before the last day of the month.
The aim of this manual is to assist island technicians of the Solar Energy
Company Ltd in fulfilling their monthly responsibilities. This will greatly
improve the quality of the utility service supplied to the outer islands of
Kiribati.
The Solar Energy Company is a renewable energy service company (RESCO).
A RESCO is a company that supplies electricity to users in exchange of a
monthly fee. The equipment is usually located at the user’s premises, although
it remains the property of the RESCO or Government and the electricity is
generated through renewable energy sources such as solar or wind.
With this manual, we have suggested potential solutions suited not only to
Kiribati but to any other location worldwide. Poor infrastructure in the outer
islands and lack of proper communication with the headquarters meant the
project had to define a system that would function by the mere exchange of
documents by ordinary mail, and still work when even this failed.

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