Grid-connected Solar PV project in Kael

Audit Analysis

A grid-connected solar PV project in Senegal with a solid VVB-confirmed investment additionality test and consistent ERR verification (30,164 tCO₂e for the 2025 monitoring period, ~98% of pro-rata expectation). However, the project carries notable integrity concerns: a project-specific baseline, a 0% leakage deduction that the verification report flags as 'not addressed,' multiple material findings including meter accuracy and calibration gaps, and an unresolved CDM double-counting risk stemming from the project's prior CDM registration. Documentation is extensive (19 documents) but riddled with corrective actions and inconsistencies between the CDM-era PDD and the current Gold Standard registration.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠CDM double-counting risk: the project was originally registered under CDM (PDD dated 2020, 15-year crediting period) and is now under Gold Standard (5-year period); the verification report lists a corrective action requiring the VVB to check for double counting, indicating the risk is not yet fully resolved.
• ⚠Leakage deduction of 0% with justification recorded as 'not addressed' in the verification report (2025-08-24), contradicting the monitoring report's claim of 'deemed negligible' — the VVB did not confirm the leakage treatment.
• ⚠Multiple material findings on meter accuracy (0.02S vs 0.2S class), a calibration gap between July and December 2022, and inconsistent SDG reporting across monitoring reports undermine confidence in the MRV data quality.
• ⚠14 corrective actions remain open, including documentation of meter changes, sample calculations for baseline values, and confirmation that land expropriation and resettlement (98 local people) were properly resolved.

Credit Vintages