Administrative Manual for Island Technicians (English)

7/30/2019 Administrative Manual for Island Technicians (English)

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Administrative manual for island technicians

8 ACP KI 02

S l f t i l d

Administrative Manual for island technicians


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8 ACP KI 02 Solar energy for outer islands

Administrative manual for island technicians i

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 wereprovided 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 inorder to ensure the long term viability of the power utility service. The manual

will assist island technicians in the successful implementation of theadministrative procedures, which will contribute to the second objective of the

terms of reference.


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Terubentau Akura

General managerSolar Energy Company, Ltd

[email protected]

Marc Torra GrisoBusiness Management Expert8.ACP.KI.02 Solar Energy for outer islands

[email protected]

Natang Itonga & Roberto Lpez

Illustrations by

Prepared by

Copyright 2004 Solar Energy for outer IslandsAll 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

With participation from

Jens Merten

Solar Energy Expert8.ACP.KI.02 Solar Energy for outer islands

Claudia Villalobos MontoyaSocial Development Expert8.ACP.KI.02 Solar Energy for outer islands

Special thanks to Herb Wade, whose UNESCO manual was soinspiring to write the technical content of this book.

Published with financial assistance from the European Union

Original text in English with translation into Gilbertese

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CONTENTS

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

page

iii


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INTRODUCTION

For the successful operation of solar systems, the localisland technician plays a crucial role. This

administrative manual has been written with you, theisland 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 headquartersin Tarawa.

In some villages, a village technician can be appointed. He will be appointed by the islandtechnician, 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 notessential 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.

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Introduction

The total number of systems installed on the island: As the number of solar systemsincreases, 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 asthe 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 tomaintain, 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 formaneabas has to be raised and paid for by the whole community. When a village technician isappointed, 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 fromthe 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 yourresponsibilities in just one day.

2

When should a village technician be appointed?

The need to appoint a village technician in a community depends on:


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The eight monthly tasks

Your duties as island technician have been structured into eight tasks. Three of them areto 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 themonthly 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 welland receive your monthly payment on time.

3

All the 8 tasks have been entrusted to you, therefore you are the onewho must make sure they are completed.

Who should perform the tasks?

Some tasks have been divided into activities and some of them can be delegated to thevillage 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.

What is the difference between task and activity?


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The 8 monthly tasks

1Monthly visit to

villages

Have a look at the eight

tasks and at theassigned order to carrythem out. Remember to

do it in this order!

2Monthly visit to

to users

4Filling out userbalance card

5Attending clients

at the SC

6Filling out the

remaining sheets

3Receiving the

monthly delivery

8Sending sheets

& damaged parts

7Removal of

utility systems

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The 8 monthly tasks

Task 1 - Monthly visit to villages Task 2 - Monthly visit to users

Task 3 - Receiving the monthly delivery

The first three tasks are to be performed during the first three weeks. These are:

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Task 1. Monthly visit to villages

TASK 1. MONTHLY VISIT TO VILLAGES

Why in this order?

Schedule your visit to each village in advance and make sure that the villagetechnician, the village representative to the Solar Support Group and the elders

know about your visiting days. If you wish to make changes to the originalschedule, it is very important to let everyone know your new schedule.

1. Start with the villages without a village technician.2. Then go to the village with a village technician but less systems,3. Finally go to the villages with village technicians and more systems, to give them time

to finish the first four activities oftask 2 - monthly visit to users

If the community has a village technician, he orshe needs to finish the activities transferred to

him before your visit to the community. This iswhy 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!

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What sheets do you need for a village visit?

2 Activity sheet

1 Monitoring sheetThe monitoring sheetis necessary for recording the technicaldata on each system. Remember that on the monitoring sheet

you record data for 22 solar systems. If there are less than 22systems in a village, then one monitoring sheet a month is

enough. If the community has a village technician, he or shewill perform this job, but make sure that he has enough sheets

for next month. So always bring some extra sheets with you!

An activity sheetwill be necessary if:1. The system needs to be repaired

2. The user requests a change in the number of supplements3. The status of the system changes.

These are activities that you cannot delegate to the village technician andtherefore he doesn't need to keep anyActivity Sheets with him.

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4 List of possible disconnections

3 Receipt book

What other documents should you take?

Remember to bring the receipt book in caseyou need it for fee collection or for direct sales.

This list needs to be prepared by you. The idea is to include all thesystems that will be disconnected if the user doesn't pay. Without this

information you wont know which systems to disconnect out of thosethat didnt pay the fee this month. (activity 6 from task 2).

To make the list, consult the User Balance Card (the pink card) andadd 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 bedisconnected as this means that the outstanding debt is three or more

months.8


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Tools required for a visit

Maintenance Tools:You have been

provided withappropriate tools.

Always bring themwith you whenever

you carry out a

monthly visit.

Hydrometer:Without a

hydrometer youcannot complete

the maintenancesheet.

Note Book and Pen:For your own

information and futureplanning you may need

to take notes of theimportant things each

customer may want you

to do in the future.

Volt Meter: A volt meteris as important as a

hydrometer. Without thisequipment you cannot

carry out your workproperly. Always carry it

with you.

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Items required for a visit

Stock for sale:Some users may need to

buy additional lights etc. Itis recommended that you

take some items for sale.Experience will tell you

which items to take with you

and in what quantities.

Battery Water Supply: Makesure to take enough water supply

for general maintenance, even ifit is done by the village technician

as it is your responsibility tosupply him with treated water.

Spare parts & components:Some of the items that the

company sells can be used as

components or spare parts too,depending if they are sold orused in a utility PV system. This

is explained further in the

kanban sheet. This includeslights, inverters, and fuses.

Apart from this you will need

some common spare parts suchas cable clips, together with

other components that arelightweight and often needed.

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Offering products for saleCatalogue ofItems 2003

Cash on deliveryCash on Delivery

Item# Description Price AdvanceElectroniccomponents

BP006 FluroInverter24V 10-20W $35 0BP007 FluroInverter12V 10-20W T8 $35 0INDP002 Inverter24V 11W $24 0INDP003 Inverter12V 11W $28 0

LightingBP010 Flourescentl ight12v18w $120 0INDP005 Pll ight12V 11W $58 0INDP006 Pll ight24V 11W $54 0

ManufacturingMANF003 DC-DC Converter $50 0

Delivery Order

Item# Description Price AdvanceGeneration

BP011 SolarPanel BP 50W $580 $580BP012 SolarPanel BP 75W $770 $770BP013 SolarPanel BP 80W $885 $885BP014 SolarPanel BP 60W $815 $815

AccumulationALC001 Battery100Ah12V $300 $300ALC002 Battery105Ah6V $260 $260ALC005 BatteryT2056V $240 $240FB001 FB Battery110Ah12V $345 $345

ElectroniccomponentsASSEM008 Capacitor16V,1000uf $300 $300BP016 Inverter350w12V $885 $885CHSP003 LBC SOLAR JACK $250 $250CHSP010 FuseKPT 160a500V $23 $23PLA0001 Plastm.Control ler20amp12v $185 $185SELC002 SelcoLumninaire $105 $105

LightingBH003 Fluro- l ight2 feet $45 $45OLD002

HatTupySolagenlight

$50

$50

SELC001 Ledlampwithsixwhiteled $145 $145Cabling

KSCL03 Hytide $36 $36Tools& Appliances

BP008 Volt Meters + bags(multi m.) $85 $85BP009 Hydrometer $35 $35CHSP017 Motor12V $145 $145OLD006 VideoSet $1,185 $1185SELC004 SolarFan DC 8inch $85 $85

ManufacturingMANF001 Controller SEC 20amp 12v $185 $185MANF002 Controller SEC 20amp 24v $185 $185

OthersCHSP011 DriveAssemble $34 $34CHSP012 DiapharamKit $25 $25

Page1of 2

Visiting a village is a good opportunity to sellproducts directly to the users. Always bring

the company's catalogue with you, apartfrom some items for sale.

Every sale should be accounted for and you

are entitled to receive 3 % of your total

annual sales in addition to what younormally receive in your wages. This will be

paid at the end of the year, before

Christmas.

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What does the village technician need?

Make sure he has enough of the above items to carry out his duties before your visit nextmonth. It is your responsibility to provide him with enough of all the said items as you dont

want the job not to be carried out because he didnt lacked some of the above items.

If the village technician, the unimwanes or the local member of the Solar Support Group arein charge of the fee collection, they also will need:

! Monitoring sheets! Notebook and pen! Hydrometer! Voltmeter! Battery water supply! Some tools and spare parts for maintenance

To carry out the first three activities from task 2, the village technician needs:

!A receipt book

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Make sure that the village technician orunimwane has enough receipts for at least the nextthree months.


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It is important to start with a meeting in the maneaba, especially in the villages with anelectrified 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 villagetechnician and some or all of the users to be waiting for you inside the maneaba. The

unimanwemay say a few words to welcome you and will ask you to proceed with youragenda.

The monthly meeting in the maneaba

The maneaba agenda:1. 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).2. 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.

3. If you have agreed that the fee will be collected in the maneaba, then collect it . This is activity 4oftask 2.4. Give a brief report on the performance of the village technician and decide on the systems youwill visit personally to carry out the last four activities oftask 2.

5. Close the maneaba meeting properly by showing due respect to your customers, the localmember of the Solar Support Group and the unimanwe.

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Which users will you visit?

1. Require a change of fee2. 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 7irregular actions (see pg 28 for details).

4. Have an outstanding debt of three or more months, requiring a systemdisconnection

In any of these four cases you will need to fill out the activitysheetand send it to the headquarters. This is why a village

technician doesn't need activity sheets.

As you know, if the community doesn't have a village technician you will need to visit ALLthe users because somebody must do the first four activities oftask 2 - monthly visit to

users in ALL the solar systems. If it has a village technician then you only need to visitthose users that:

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Task 2. Monthly visit to users

.

This task is arranged in eight activities. The first four can be performed by the villagetechnician and this needs to be done before your visit to the community.

Activities that can be carried out by the village technician:

TASK 2. MONTHLY VISIT TO USERS

1. Monitoring the solar system.2. General maintenance.3. Check for system misuse4. Collect the fees and issue the receipt

(this last one when agreed on by thecommunity see page 29)

Activities that must be performed only byyou

5. Trouble shooting and repairs6. Disconnections7. Changing status8. Changing the fee

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What to do upon arriving to the users home?

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 homesystem. 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 users comments as your startingpoint.

Listen to the customer

and take notes!

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After enquiring about the performanceof the system and before doing the

basic maintenance, you must fill in themonitoring sheetand the monitoring

card (the blue card), which asks fordetailed technical information.

Both contain general informationwhich 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 himthe message that the company is

taking care of the solar system.

Activity 1. Monitoring the solar system

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1. Each monitoring cardbelongs to one solar system and covers several months; whilethe monitoring sheetis for several solar systems and one single month.

2. Cards remain inside the battery box for you to analyze the trends; while the sheetsare sent to the headquarters.

You will notice that the data contained in the monitoring sheetis similar to the data from themonitoring card(blue card). The only two differences are:

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Keep in mind that the monitoring cardgives you the historical collected data for a system andtherefore it is from the card that you interpret the data.

When we receive the monitoring sheetat the headquarters, we will transfer the same datainto 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

dont have a computer, the monitoring cardwill allow you to identify the same trends and to

see how the solar system evolves.

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RescoManager1


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Start by filling in either the sheet or the blue card, but remember thatboth need to be filled out.

If you start by the sheet, write down first of all the unique systemidentification number (orUT number), then the name of the user, thedate and time of the visit and the weather.

For the specific gravity readings take an hydrometer. For convenience, it has beendecided 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 ofthe 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.20


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Activity 2. General maintenance

1. Panels2. Controller3. Open-cell battery4. Wires, and5. Appliances

In order for the solar systems to last they must be taken care of. Continuing care is termedmaintenance 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 andtight connections.

Solar system parts to be checked are:

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1. Check the panel mounting to make sure thatit is strong and well attached. If it is broken orloose, repair it.

2. Check that the glass is not broken. If it is, thepanel will have to be replaced.

3. Check the connection box to make sure thatthe wires are tight and the water seals are

not damaged.

4. Make sure the panels are not covered byvegetation or new buildings. If there are,make arrangements for removing thevegetation or moving the panels to a shade

free place.

The panels

1. Check that the controller is still firmlyattached. If it is not, attach it correctly

with screws.2. Keep the controller clean.

The controller

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The batteries

1. Clean the top of the battery. Check connections fortightness and corrosion. Clean and tighten asneeded.

2. Check each cell with a hydrometer and record thereadings. 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 toraise to the correct level. Never add more acid, onlywater. If distilled water is not available, carefully

collected rainwater can be used. Remember that anysalt, minerals or oil in the water will poison the battery

and shorten its life, so be very careful about collectionand storage of water for the battery.

4. If any of the caps for the cells have been lost or broken, cover the fill holes loosely withplastic 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 temporarycover you install does not plug the holes tightly because the cells must have air.

5. Clean the battery with fresh water and a rag.23


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The wiring

1.

Check the wire covering (insulating sheath) forcracks 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 tomake 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 lastcheck, 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 itsnew place.

4. If someone has added more wires to the solarsystem to operate additional appliances, remove

the extra wiring and check in pg 30 on the actionsto take.

5. Check the connections for corrosion and tightness.

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1.

Turn on each appliance and check that itis working properly.

2. Check that the appliances are mountedsecurely. If loose or incorrectly mounted,

attach them securely.3. Clean all exposed parts or each

appliance. Clean light bulbs and plastic

covers.

Appliances

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Activity 3. Check for system misuse

Check the system to make sure thatno changes have been made that

have not been authorized.

The village technicians and the localmembers of the solar Support groups

act as your monitors in the village.

They have the responsibility toinform you if they see a user

misusing the system. This can be

discovered by the technician duringgeneral maintenance or by anyone

just by observing how the villagersuse the system.

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1. Connecting non contractual appliances2. Broken seals3. Shared orboboussedthe system without

permission

4. Charged other peoples batteries5. Used the battery for other purposes6. Damaged the system in any way7.

Allowed others to borrow orbouboussicomponents

If this is the first time, you need to take out a yellow card, which means to informhim 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 commentson the activity sheet.

If it is the second time, issue a red card, which means automatic removal of thesystem. Fill out an activity sheetto inform the headquarters that the system has

been removed.


The 7 unauthorised actions

If you discover that the user has performed any of the 7 unauthorised actions, then:

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The fee collection is your responsibility as island technician and your salary is worked out inproportion 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 whetherhe 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.


1. By the village technician or island technician on hisregular visit to users,

2. At the monthly meeting of the community in the maneabaduring the visit of the island technician.

3. By the unimanwe or the local member of the SolarSupport Group, at their own convenience.

4.At the Service Centre when users fail to pay on time, toavoid removal or disconnection of the system.

Activity 4. Collecting the fee

Remember that every fee or cash received warrants the issue of a properreceipt. Fill the receipt, sign it and give the original to the customer. Make

sure you use the correct receipt.

The fee can be collected following any of these procedures:

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The last four activities

As you know, the last four activities oftask 2 need to beperformed by you and they cannot be delegated to the

village technician. This are relevant activities and all of themthey 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:

And after filling it out you need to ask forthe signature of the user and sign your

own name as well.

Regardless of the information to describein the activity sheet, you always need to

start by filling out the common fields.

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By using common sense, you can identify theproblems or priority areas that need to be addressed

during the visit. Having been trained in troubleshooting and maintenance techniques, you are

expected to solve almost every problem the user iscomplaining about.

If you need further advice from the headquarters, youmust list the problems down in an activity sheetto

inform the utility supervisor.

Your supervisor can help you with any problems you cannot solve. Every time he visits yourisland he is obliged to provide you with hands on-training that will benefit your customer,

yourself and the company.

Activity 5. Troubleshooting and repairs

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After repairing the system or trying tosolve the problem, it is essential that

you fill out the section on the activity

sheetcalled Troubleshooting andrepairs.

First of all you need to categorise the things you did to the system into jobs and describethem 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 wewill know at any time the history of repairs carried out on a system and the nature of the

problems the system had.

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This task is part of your responsibility as islandtechnician. After checking your fee records, you

must perform the disconnection policy when theuser has three months in arrears. This means that if

after meeting the village technician, some usershave 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 users arrears

in the village. You will know this information in orderto know what systems need to be disconnected.


Dont forget to seal the controller to make sure that the systemcannot be reconnected without your authorization.

Activity 6. Disconnecting a PV system

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Disconnecting a system is oneexample of a change of status.

You will learn more about this

when the next activity isexplained.

In this case the change of status section needs to be filled out in that way:

1. Previous Status: will normally beOperating

, but in some cases itmay be System failure: User NOT exempted.

2. New Status: in this case will be Disconnected as you are in activity7. Disconnecting a PV system.

Why do you think the previous status cannot be System failure: Userexempted? 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.

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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 beinvoiced, faulty systems, removed ordisconnected systems,

and a lot of other informationwhich 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 thecompanys 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 willcontinue invoicing this user. Try to understand the arrows and why they are in three different colors.

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Note how theActivity sheetasks about the previous status

and the new one as any

change in status meansmoving from one status toanother in the system.

In the example you will notice that we are marking Previous StatusOperating to NewStatusDamaged: 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 theActivity Sheet.The change of status simply confirms us that this user cannot be invoiced next month. We willnot 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 theheadquarters 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 itis a lot of information transmitted from a single sheet.

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Activity 8. Changing the fee

This is the last activity to carry out in the monthly visit to users. The fee is changed whenthe 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 anysupplement, 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 howthe activity sheettells us where the existing inverter in stock has been installed. This

justifies why a new inverter has to be sent to you.

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Task 3. Receiving the monthly delivery

Replacements for the sold or used componentsduring the previous month.

Items ordered as spare parts, components andstock for sale in the Kanban sheetof the previous

month. The fee collection sheetfor the current month The Orders for immediateremovalfor the current

month

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.

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

What does the monthly delivery include?

What is the end-of-the-year delivery?A special delivery that includes all the above, plus:

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Task 3. Receiving the monthly delivery

Solar System where the item has to be installedtogether 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 areawhere it says Island Technician and ask the user tosign too. The same needs to be done after

commissioning the system, this is, when the systemis working again. Then if you have any observation

to make, use the area marked observations.

Any item that has to be installed in a solar systemneeds to be accompanied by an Installation

Sheet. This sheet gives you information on:

Make sure that after commissioning thesystem, you return this sheet to the

headquarters as we need it.

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The 8 monthly tasks

Task 4. Filling out the user balance cardTask 5. Attending clients at the service center

Friday is a special day. As the last working day of theweek, 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 acompany building. There you will attend customers that

come to buy items, or to pay monthly fees that wereunpaid at the time of collection, etc. The most importantthing is that on that day users know that you are

available and where to find you.

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Task 4. Filling out the cards

Ideally you should haveActivity Sheets and receipts organized byvillages. This means that for all the villages you visit during the

week, you staple the two types of documents together and putthem in a folder.

The user balance cards are in a

ring binder. They can beorganized either by villages,system numbers or alphabetical

order by the name of the user.This is up to you.

TASK 4. FILLING OUT THE USER BALANCE CARD

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To fill out the user balance cardyou need:

The receipts from the fee collection. TheActivity Sheets

1. Take the first receiptfrom the village folder.2. Check if anyActivity Sheet was filled out for that user.3. Look for the User Balance Card that matches the receipt.4. Transfer the information from the receiptand theActivity Sheet to the User

Balance Card.

5. Take out the next receipt.

Follow this steps:

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.

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Total

PaidFee

DebtThis

month

DebtPrevious

month- + =

Remember that if the system is operating, misused or disconnected, the userneeds 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 waszero.

The user balance cardallows youto follow up the arrears manually.

This follow up on the arrears willtell you when a system needs tobe disconnected. If you see that

Debt is more than twice the Fee,

then add the name of the user inthe List of possible disconnections

for next month.

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Task 5. Attending clients at the service center or buia center

1. To buy or order items sold by thecompany

2. To seek your advice3. To pay an unpaid fee when you

visited the client at his house

The main reasons why a client will visit you atthe service center are:

Your regular presence at the service center on Fridays will guarantee thatcustomers know when to go and buy items from you.

1. To buy or order items sold by the company

TASK 5. SERVING CUSTOMERS AT THE SC

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T k 5 Att di li t t th i t b i t


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Task 5. Attending clients at the service center or buia center

2. Advising users

3. To pay the fee that was unpaid when you visitedthe client at his house

users will want your advice. This is normal and it forms also

part of the company's service. Remember to give properadvice. If you cannot provide an answer immediately, behonest with them and tell them that you need to consult with

the headquarters and we will give them an answer as soon aspossible.

To some users it might be more convenient to pay at theservice 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 youwhen you go to the village and both of you agree that theywill pay it at the service centre.

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Th 8 thl t k


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The 8 monthly tasks

Task 6. Filling out the remaining sheetsTask 7. Removal of utility systems

Task 8. Sending sheets and damaged parts

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T k 6 Filli t th i i h t


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Task 6. Filling out the remaining sheets

Some sheets such as the monitoring sheetor theActivity sheetwere taken by you whenyou 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:

TASK 6. FILLING OUT THE REMAINING SHEETS

The Kanban sheetThe fee collection sheet

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T k 6 Filli t th h t


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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 sheetshould be filled out. Look at it, try tounderstand it and to see why there are two sections in the sheet, one called Balance of

items stocks in the service centers and the otherSpare parts, replacements, ordersand invoices.

The aim of the kanban sheetis to turn the outer islands an sales outlet for photovoltaic

products. Until the kanban sheetis implemented in your island, the company will need torestrict 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 thatout of all the sheets this is the most complicated one. This is why the next nine pages of themanual are focused on the kanban sheet.

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The kanban sheettells the headquartersthe following information:

Full payment on previouslydelivered orders

Items used as spare

parts

Items required for

replacements (assets)

Monthly sales cash

on delivery (COD)

Orders for items stored in

the headquarters

Monthly amount of

cash collected

Remaining inventories in

the outer islands

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Task 6 Filling out the sheets


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Remaining inventories in

the outer islands

Note that in the column that says Qty Left you need to use the followingformula:

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 sheetgives a list of the items stored in the servicecenters. 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 replacethe ones blown up, one DC/DC Converterto add one supplement to a system, and

cable, lights and switches because one system was removed and later transferredto another user.

Make sure that the information you send on items used is the sameas theActivity sheets sent in the same shipment.

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Monthly sales cash

on delivery (COD)

Apart from using the items stored in the service center as spare parts, you can sell themto 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 quantitysold 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 specialcontrol. 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 anActivity Sheetinwhich 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 .

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Orders for items stored inthe headquarters

In the service center you store the most common items sold or used as spare partsbut 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 SouthTarawa 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 forthis orders and send the money to us or we cannot deliver to you the item ordered.

Full payment ondelivered orders

When you receive an ordered item, it will be accompanied by an invoice. Make sureto 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 descriptionand the remaining amount collected in Paid Today, together with the receiptnumber.

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Monthly amount of

cash collected

Sales COD + Payments tells us the total cash collected during the month and thereforethe 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 theyear 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 dont forget to add the information on the telmo number, date and charges andto sign the sheet before sending it to the headquarters.

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Activity 2. Filling out the fee collectionsheet

The fee collection sheet has the following

objectives:

Verifies that the information

provided by headquarters isupdated and correct

Informs the headquarters ofthe total fee collected and the

receipt numbers

Informs the headquarters of

the monthly expenditure and

give a net amount

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Verifies that the information

provided by headquarters isupdated and correct

TheActivity Sheetupdates information on the fee and the status of the system. Also, itgives the new users name when a system has been removed. The headquarters will

process theActivity Sheetby updating the information into the computer. Then it willprint out the Fee Collection Sheetaccording to the given information. Therefore it is very

important that you verify the accuracy of the information given and if you see anymistake you inform the headquarters immediately.

Any error in the information given in the Fee Collection Sheetcan have two possiblecauses:

You didnt issue anActivity Sheetwhen the fee or status of asystem changed.

TheActivity Sheetwas issued but then mislaid on its way to the

headquarters.

1.

2.

The need to update the information contained on the sheet on a monthlybasis 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.

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the total fee collected and thereceipt 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:

1. Operating2. Misused3. DisconnectedIf the system is:4. Exempted

Fee + Arrears Total Paid = Debt

Arrears Total Paid = Debt

Remember that when a system is exempted the company does not invoicethe monthly fee to the user and this is why you don't need to add the Fee

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the monthly expenditure andgive a net amount

The telmo is an example of monthly expenditure. At the top of the sheet you arerequested 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 theother expenditures of the month, for example:

The need to hire a motorbike to visit the distant villagesThe need to employ local labor for specific tasks

Finally you need to sign the sheet and send it to the headquarters in task 8. Sendingsheets and damaged parts

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For the future success of the SEC, it is vital that you

try your best to avoid having to remove a utilitysystem by doing your maintenance and collection offees punctually. Take into account that removing a

system costs money and time to the company.

TASK 7. REMOVAL OF A UTILITY SYSTEM

Although you may have performed yourmaintenance 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 solarsystem.

It is your duty to keep users informed on the two policies (disconnection and removal) of thecompany. 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 theorder 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.

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Removals can be of two kinds:1. Removal to another village: the orders for removal will explain which village the solar

systems should be transferred to.2. 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 managerwill visit you to supervise the shipment of the solar systems to another island.

Remember that when asystem is removed you

need to fill out anActivity Sheet.

All orders for removal are always issued in writing. Never agree to carry out any removalthat 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.

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.

1. Either he or she pays the outstanding debt in full plus the removal fee, or2. The PV system is removed and then transferred to a new user from another village

When the headquarters sends you an order for removal, the user has only two options:

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TASK 8. SENDING SHEETS AND DAMAGED PARTSYour 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. Thedata collected on the sheets are vital for the success of the utility and need to be updatedregularly. 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 topay for the freight charges on any item that he owns or is

damaged after the end of the warranty period. The freight forthe 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 sentbefore the last day of the month.

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The aim of this manual is to assist island technicians of the Solar EnergyCompany 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 users premises, althoughit 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 outerislands 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.

Documents

Administrative Manual for Island Technicians (English)