"Consultancy Service for promoting solar energy solutions in the agriculture sector in Lebanon”

Background

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is therefore implementing the BOUZOUR project ‘Building Inclusive Markets and Decent Work for Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees’ funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The project focuses on the agriculture and agri-food sector as a key sector for the livelihoods of both Lebanese and Syrian vulnerable population groups and in particular women of both communities and aim to develop specific agricultural and agri-food value chains with potential for decent job creation that will benefit both groups. The project uses the ILO's Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) to safeguard and create jobs in these sectors.

Within one component, the project focuses on developing an adequate offer of a solar energy system and promoting the adoption of this system to farms’ needs. This intervention will provide stable and affordable electricity access to farmers and agri-businesses while supporting solar energy system suppliers in reaching rural areas with systems adapted to the agriculture sector.

This is focused on increasing adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in agriculture applications (e.g. cold storage, agro-processing, etc.) to improve both environmental and employment outcomes:

1. Improvement of environmental outcomes is expected to derive from reduced consumption of fossil fuels which would otherwise be used to produce energy for agricultural applications.
2. Improvement of employment outcomes is expected to derive from reduction of costs incurred for energy production by smallholder farmers (compared to those incurred from fossil fuel generated sources) as well as more stable access to energy (i.e. no shortages of energy, as might happen with fossil fuel powered sources)

In this context, the project is looking into supporting increased adoption of solar PV systems in agriculture applications by stimulating both the supply and demand of such systems:

1. Support the supply of such systems by solar energy sector stakeholders to smallholder farmers and smallholder farmer cooperatives and small agri-enterprises by clarifying and showcasing the incentives (i.e. the business case) as well as the capacities needed by suppliers for doing so.
2. Support the demand of such systems by agricultural sector actors by clarifying and showcasing the incentives (i.e. the business case) as well as the capacities needed by agricultural sector actors to use such systems in agricultural applications.

Overall objective

This overall objective of this contract is to hire an individual consultant on solar energy to support in the design on business models that focus on solar application.

1. Strengthening support to the solar energy use in agriculture

Design a practical and actionable strategy to expand the use of solar energy across agricultural value chains in Lebanon. This strategy should outline priority areas, key actors, delivery models, and a phased roadmap for scaling adoption.

This includes:

• Identify and propose use cases for solar energy in agricultural activities, including but not limited to irrigation systems, processing units, and value-addition facilities.
• Contribute to identifying practical and scalable applications of solar technologies in these areas and assess their technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness in the Lebanese context.
• Provide input to inform the design of possible pilot interventions or partnerships in these areas.
• Design tailored business models and delivery models (e.g. lease-to-own, PAYG, cooperative-led deployment) that match user profiles and current economic conditions.
• Recommend scalable financing and implementation approaches, not just conceptually, but in formats that can be applied directly by cooperatives, SMEs, and partners.
• Identify enablers and barriers to adoption and outline how to overcome them through targeted support and economic, environmental, and productivity incentives.
• Recommend pilot interventions and partnerships for immediate implementation, working with solar providers, cooperatives, MFIs, and agro-enterprises.

For the Deliverables and payment schedule (please review the attached ToR)

Payment Terms:

• All payments shall be made in fresh USD by international wire transfer.

Management of the contract

The Consultant will coordinate with the Project Coordinator and National Officers in the ILO Beirut Office and with relevant technical departments involved in the ILO Beirut Office and ILO Headquarters. The service provider will designate a focal point from its side to manage the assignment.

Required Qualifications

This call is for individual consultants only. The consultant should possess the following qualifications:

• At least 3 years of experience in designing and implementing solar energy systems.
• Experience in developing business models for solar energy
• Experience in designing solar energy models for the agriculture sector is considered an advantage, including solutions for smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and agribusinesses, and including designing strategies for expanding solar energy use in agriculture, including irrigation and processing units.
• Ability to conduct energy needs assessments and feasibility studies for agricultural enterprises.
• Knowledge of business and financing models (e.g., lease-to-own, pay-as-you-go) that can be applied in agricultural settings.
• Ability to identify barriers to solar adoption and design strategies to overcome them.