Site-specific Application

Site-specific Application

The DARES PBG for Isolated Mini-Grid program uses the DARES Platform powered by Odyssey exclusively for all tender-related activities. Submissions outside of the platform will not be accepted. 

 

In addition to this participation guide, please review the complete Odyssey user guides and FAQs to troubleshoot

any issues, or reach out to the Odyssey support team via the support chat box in the bottom right corner of the application.

Submit the site-specific application

Once your pre-qualification application has been Selected, you may submit applications for individual projects (e.g. specific mini-grid sites) on a rolling basis. 

1. Create Claim

Once your pre-qualification application has been Selected, you may submit claims on a rolling basis. 
  1. Click on Finance > Programs
  2. Select the DARES PBG for Isolated Mini-Grid  program to open it.
  1. Create a Mini-Grid Project if you're working on a mini-grid project.
  2. Create a Mesh Grid Project if you're working on a mesh grid project.

  1. Complete the site location information.

2. Complete the project data modules

Complete the initial technical analysis for the project under the Project Design tab. Please read an overview of each project module as well as the program requirements for completing each module below.
 Detailed instructions for how to use each module can be followed in the pre-development user guides.

Information

The information module of the project contains the site information that was provided when creating the project.
You will also upload site-specific application files in the Project Files tab for each project. completing your site information.

Info
Please ensure that you name the site exactly as it appears on the map on the homepage or VIDA’s website.

Load

In the load module, you will provide information on the number and type of customers as well as the projected load profile. Learn more about creating a load assessment.


Info
Ensure that the number of customers in your project aligns with the number on the VIDA platform.
In cases where your number of customers exceeds the number on VIDA, you must provide supporting evidence (e.g., drone images, satellite images, or other documentation) to justify the difference.

Mesh grid-Specific Considerations: These outputs should be accurately placed according to the structure provided in your Mesh Grid  provider’s user guide.

Generation Design

Once your load profile in Odyssey is complete, you can design a generation system. Odyssey is integrated with HOMER Energy to enable rapid system design based on your load assessment. Odyssey pulls in your 8760 load profile and site location to design your generation system. Learn more about designing your generation system

Info
DARES PBG for Isolated Mini-Grid Program Requirement
Each mini grid project will have to be technically viable in its design and may use conventional sources of energy, provided that the renewable energy supply part is at least 80% of the total system’s energy supply. 

Running HOMER is required. After running HOMER, your Renewable Fraction must be greater than 80% and the Load Availability must be 98% or greater. You can view these results in the Model Output section.
 You do not need to optimize sizing for each component using HOMER if you have determined your system sizing using another method, but must run HOMER to verify your system will meet performance requirements (such as the 80% minimum renewables requirement).

AlertThe  Min. Renewable Fraction acts as a filter after HOMER has run the dispatch schedule for each component.
If your generator pricing is inexpensive, HOMER will optimize your system with the generator dispatching to meet a majority of the load, which could result in all systems filtering out the generator.
HOMER would therefore return a result with no generator, even if it may be cheaper to meet some of your load with the generator. Reach out to support or see the  HOMER manual for more information

Mesh grid-Specific Considerations: These outputs should be accurately placed according to the structure provided in your Mesh Grid  provider’s user guide.

Distribution Design

In the Distribution Design module you will track and categorize capital expenditures related to the distribution network and customer connections.
The distribution system costs will be pulled into the Financials section and used to calculate project financial performance metrics. Learn more about tracking distribution design costs.

Mesh grid-Specific Considerations: These outputs should be accurately placed according to the structure provided in your Mesh Grid  provider’s user guide.

Costs 

The Costs module is a place to track and categorize project capital and operating expenditures.
These will be pulled into the Financials module and used to calculate project financial performance metrics. Learn more about  tracking costs.

Mesh grid-Specific Considerations: These outputs should be accurately placed according to the structure provided in your Mesh Grid  provider’s user guide.

Revenue

The Revenues module calculates your revenues based on your defined tariff structure and forecasted load profile. Learn more about entering your tariff structure. 

Info

The tariff proposed in the Odyssey financial model shall comply with NERC’s Mini-Grid AFUR Tool. You can download the AFUR tool here.


Mesh grid-Specific Considerations: These outputs should be accurately placed according to the structure provided in your Mesh Grid  provider’s user guide.

Financial

In the Financials module, you will enter project-level sensitivities and account for ramping/growth rates for your load assessment.
The financial page uses all the information you entered into Odyssey to calculate key financial metrics. Learn more about calculating project financials.

Info
Requirement
  1. Ensure that the expected lifespan of your project is 20 years.
  2. The baseline year should be Year 2.
  3. The grant amount must match the exact subsidy amount on VIDA.
Mesh grid-Specific Considerations: These outputs should be accurately placed according to the structure provided in your Mesh Grid  provider’s user guide.

3. Upload Site-Specific Project application documents

This program requires that you add the Unique ID for your project.

To select your Unique ID:

  1. Retrieve the unique ID for your project from the VIDA platform or the DARES PBG for Isolated Mini-Grids homepage. Hover over your selected site, and a pop-up will display the VIDA ID.

  1. Select the appropriate Unique ID from the dropdown list in the application form.



You are required to upload all site-specific documents in the Project Application tab.


To upload your files:

  • Go to the Documents Upload section in the application form.

  • Drag and drop your files into the upload area, or click Browse to select files from your device.

  • Ensure you upload all required supporting documents in this section to successfully submit your application.

To upload additional files not listed in the Documents Upload section:

  • Click on the Files tab.

  • Upload your additional documents by clicking Upload Files and selecting the files you wish to add.

4. Submit your Application

Once you have completed the required data modules in the Site-Specific Technical Application, you can submit your application through the Project Submission module.
 Ensure all project data modules and required document uploads in the Project Application module are completed before submission.

  • To submit your project:

    • Navigate to the Project Submission module.

    • Click the Submit Project to Program button.

      • Verify that all required documents in the Project Application tab are uploaded, as incomplete uploads will prevent submission.


    Check Your Application Status

    Below is a description of the project application statuses set by the program managers. You can use this information to track the status of your application:

    • Under Review
      Your application is currently being reviewed by the program managers.

    • Incomplete
      Your site-specific application is incomplete and requires additional information. Your project has been reopened for editing. Once you add the required information, you must message REA to inform them you have made the necessary updates.

    • Approved/Grant Agreement Under Review
      Your application has been reviewed and accepted. The grant agreement is currently under review.

    • Grant Agreement Signature
      The grant agreement for your project has been signed.

    • Commissioned
      The project has been commissioned and is in progress.

    • Declined
      Your application has not been approved for the program.

    • Cancelled
      The project has been cancelled

5. Milestones Reporting

You will need to report milestone updates on your project development to the REA program administrators. To do this:

  1. Within each project, select the Milestones tab from the top navigation bar.
  2. To update a milestone, click on Status to make changes.
  3. You can also select the milestone to update its status, add notes, and attach files.



Additional Milestones

You can customize additional Milestones for your projects by
  1. Click on the + Add Milestones sign in the Additional Milestones section
  2. Input the milestone that you want to report on and a description of it and then click on Add Milestone to create it
  3. Select the newly created milestone from the list below 
  4. Click on Edit Milestone to provide a status and any required details
  5. Click on Confirm to save it.

Milestone Status Definition 

A description of the application milestone you will set is provided below:

  • Financing Secured
    Once you have secured financing needed to begin purchasing materials for and constructing your site, set the status of your project to "Financing Secured" to update the program administrators (REA) on your project progress.

  • Purchase Order Assets
    Once you have placed an order for the purchase of materials for the site, set the status of your project to "Purchase Order Assets" to update the program administrators on your project progress.

  • All Goods Received (Cleared Customs)
    Once you have received the materials and cleared them.

  • Installation (All Goods on Site)
    Once all materials required for construction are at the site and you are able to begin the installation of the mini-grid components., set the status of your project to "Installation (All Goods on Site)" to update the  program administrators on your project progress.

  • Under Construction
    Once you have begun construction on your project, set the status of your project to "Under Construction" to update the  program administrators on your project progress.

  • Commissioned
    Once you have submitted proofs of customer connection for grant disbursement in the Connections section of Odyssey, set the status to "Commissioned" to update the administrators on your project progress. The Odyssey team can work with you at this point to integrate your meter consumption data to support remote verification of the site.       Learn more here.

Info
When updating the “Commissioned” milestone, be sure to review the form that lists the required documents for upload to be eligible for disbursement. You must upload all required documents.


  • Customers Connected
    Once customers have begun using power at the site, set the status of your project to "Customers Connected" to update the  program administrators on your project progress. 


Info
When updating the “Customer Connected” milestone, be sure to review the form that lists the required documents for upload to be eligible for disbursement. You must upload all required documents.


6. Project Deployment

Once your project has been approved and you’ve signed the grant agreement, you become eligible for disbursement. The program includes two milestones that you must achieve to access the grant funds.

Milestone 1 - Disbursement at Commissioning 

Eligibility Criteria:

  1. Successful installation and commissioning of mini-grids.
  1. Connection of the targeted number of customers.

Grant Amount Unlocked:

  • Developers can access 80% of the connections achieved upon meeting these criteria.

Info

Additional Conditions:

  • The grant amount will be ring-fenced for 12 months from the signing of the grant contract.

  • Developers must document:

    • The successful installation and commissioning of the mini-grid.

    • The total number of customer connections achieved.


Milestone 1 - Commissioning of mini-grids and connection of the targeted customers

Once you have connected the customers, you are required to upload the proof of customer connections on the Odyssey platform. To do this:

  • Navigate to the Connections module of the claim

Select the Download Template button to download an Excel template where you can input your proof of customer connections.
A description of the data you should include in each column is outlined below:

Field Name

Information

External ID

Required - This is the ID of the Meter associated with the connection. This value must be unique for each row. In most cases, this is the serial number of the meter

Customer Name

Required - The name of the customer being connected to power. 

Gender of Primary Account Holder

Required - Specify the gender of the primary account holder of the connection. 

Customer Category

Required - The customer category of the connection.

Customer Type

Required - The customer type name of the customer connection. This is a sub-category within Customer Category.  A few examples would be Large Household, Small Household etc. 

Location (Address)

Required - The physical address of the customer connection. 

Location (State)

Required - The state within Nigeria of the customer connection. 

Phone Number

Required - Enter the phone number associated with the customer connection.

Latitude

Required - The latitude of the connection in Decimal Degrees (ex: an acceptable format is: "12.7518" not 12°45.108' N)

Longitude

Required - The longitude of the connection in Decimal Degrees (ex: an acceptable format is: "12.7518" not 12°45.108' E)

Date Connected

Required - The date the customer connection was made. The date should be formatted as: "YYYY-MM-DD" in your Excel template (ex: you would enter 2025-11-15 if the payment was made on November 15, 2025).


  1. Once complete , upload the completed Excel template.
  1. Submit your connections.
  1. Select the checkbox next to each connection you would like to submit.
  2. Select the Submit button.
  3. Choose Submit Selected Connections or Submit All (Filtered) Connections from the dropdown menu.
  4. Verify that all connections were submitted in the summary panel at the top of the page.


Milestone 2: Minimum Consumption and Performance Verification

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Achievement of a "minimum consumption" requirement, calculated as:
    Minimum kWh sold in a year = (30 kWh × Total number of connections achieved)

  • All connections must have consumption data greater than 0 kWh.

Grant Amount Unlocked:

  • Developers can access the remaining 20% of the grant amount (per connection) upon meeting the above requirements.

Additional Conditions:

  • This portion of the grant will be ring-fenced for 2 years from the time the grant agreement is signed.

  • Verification will be based on actual plant performance and consumption data.

Example:

A project in the Group AX grant category with 1,000 connections approved in the grant agreement will be eligible for a total of US$600,000.

Milestone 1

  • 80% of total meters supplied = 1,000 × 0.8 = 800 meters/projected connections

  • Total amount of grant to be disbursed = 800 × US$600 = US$480,000

  • Connections left for claim = 200

  • Grant amount left to be claimed = 200 × US$600 = US$120,000

Milestone 2

  • Total minimum energy consumption required = 30 kWh × 1,000 connections = 30,000 kWh


  • Grant amount available for disbursement = 1,000 × 20% × US$600 = US$120,000




7. Submit Connections for Verification

Once your mini-grid project has been commissioned, you will submit proofs of customer connection for grant disbursement. 

1. Integrate Meter Data

Odyssey enables you to integrate operating data in the data integrations section of Odyssey.
For remote verification of connections, Odyssey automatically checks your meter and payment data integrated with Odyssey to verify that your connections have been supplied with electricity and meet program requirements. Learn more about setting up a data integration.
Notes

Once your site has been commissioned, please complete your meter integration as soon as possible so your data will be available when you are ready to complete remote verification. 


2. Complete remote verification and submit your connections 

You will upload connections and complete remote verification in the Connections module of each project. Learn more about completing remote verification and submitting your connections.


Info

PBG Program Requirement

A connection will be considered verified if Odyssey finds the total consumption > 0 kWh


Verify your Connections

  • To verify your connections;

  1. Select the checkbox next to each connection you would like to submit

  2. Select Verify

  3. View your connections status

Once you select 'Verify', the verification process will be initiated and the status of each of them will be displayed. Review the meaning of each status below:

  • Verification in progress
    The request to verify the connection has been sent.

  • Meter Reading not found
    No data was found for the meter. Please check your integration again

  • Data out of date range
    Consumption was found, but not within the date range of the rule (e.g. Consumption is greater than zero but doesn't meet the 90-day date range)

  • Didn’t meet requirements
    Consumption is equal to 0

  • Error during verification
    An unexpected error occurred.

  • Verified
    Verification was successful

3. View your connections status

Once you have submitted connections, the  program administrators will review your connections and either mark the connections as Approved, Paid, or Rejected.  You can view a summary of the status of all connections in the summary at the top of the Connections module and will be notified by email of any connection status updates.


  • Not Submitted

Connections are uploaded to Odyssey but not submitted. 

  • Submitted Connections

Investor has received the connections.

  • Approved Connections

Investor has approved the connection.

  • Paid Connection

Investor has given the connection a tier, assigned a payout, and paid for the connection.

  • Rejected Connections

The investor received the connection and there was a reason the connection was refused.
You can rectify the connection (ex: adding missing information) and submit again if appropriate. Please check the Messages section of your project for more information from the program administrator.


8. Messaging program administrators

You can communicate with the Program administrators 

  • Navigate to the Messages module in your project.

  • Write your message 

  • Click on Submit to send it.

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