Total S.A.'s partnerships on ecosystem and markets
Total Access to Energy program: Leveraging existing local structures & understanding customers' needs
The purpose of the Total Access to Energy program is to achieve social, environmental and economic gains. Since the launch of the program in 2010, Total has been able to demonstrate a strategy that leverages local structures.
Social gains are evident not only through the number of users of its solar lamps. Resellers also benefit, both through the training they receive and the revenue generated by the lamps sold. Moreover, the promotional campaigns raise awareness about the potential and availability of solar products.
The Access to Energy program leverages local sales force networks composed of various partners - including NGOs, independent resellers, B2B clients and micro-finance institutions - and also encourages local recycling. The first batch of solar lanterns was recycled in Kenya and Cameroon in 2016. The program also prioritizes local sustainable supply chains. In 2015, the first local assembly line for the Total Access to Energy program was begun in Ethiopia.
Impact measurement helps ensure program offering are appropriate, while ensuring continuous improvement. Ensuring success necessitates close monitoring. The Access to Energy team monitor various indicators, including the number of people making a living from the lamps, the percentage of lighting sources replaced (kerosene lamps, battery-powered flashlights), savings realized, emissions avoided, educational benefits generated, and more.
In 2014, a satisfaction survey was conducted in Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda and in 2016 an impact assessment study was conducted in seven countries. The studies found that 89 percent of people interviewed considered having a solar lamp had significantly improved their living conditions.
Two other studies were undertaken by the IPSOS agency regarding the attractiveness of new solar solutions along with customers' expectations in terms of solar energy.
See a video spotlighting Total Access to Energy's efforts in Burkina Faso .