Solar DC programme in off-grid regions in India

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard solar DC programme in off-grid India with confirmed additionality and no reversal events, but undermined by a critical usage-rate contradiction (100% in the verification report versus 1% in the monitoring report), a project-specific baseline, no buffer pool, and 24 outstanding corrective actions that collectively raise serious questions about the reliability of the verified emission reductions.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Usage rate verified at 100% in the 2024 verification report but 1% in the monitoring report — a 100-fold discrepancy that directly undermines confidence in the 32,440 tCO2 verified ERR
• ⚠24 corrective actions and 7 material findings remain open, including discrepancies between the monitoring report and ER sheet for electricity consumption, missing random-sample details, and inconsistent commissioning dates
• ⚠No buffer pool is in place despite the finite lifespan of solar DC hardware (batteries, panels), leaving no mechanism to cover potential reversals from system failure or decommissioning
• ⚠Leakage justification is contradictory: the verification report states 'quantified' while the monitoring report states 'deemed negligible', yet the deduction is 0% in both cases

Credit Vintages