arusha | jun-14 | technical capacity building in solar pv installation and maintenance
DESCRIPTION
The workshop in Arusha explored the East African/Tanzanian environment for village energy, local case studies, challenges and opportunities, with a view to formulating policy recommendations for policymakers, funders, NGOs and other stakeholders the region. An important part of the workshop, and indeed the whole Smart Villages initiative work programme, was to gather evidence from existing projects that have provided or facilitated sustainable off-grid energy solutions in the developing world.The workshop gathered more than 50 experts, including policymakers, NGOs, off-grid energy entrepreneurs and others to look for solutions to providing energy to villages off the grid.TRANSCRIPT
The University of Nairobi
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Technical Capacity Building in
Solar PV Installation and
Maintenance
Dr Justus Simiyu University of Nairobi
Department of Physics P. O. Box 30197 – 00100
Nairobi, Kenya Email: [email protected]
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Key Facts (Kenya)
Fast growing demand for energy
Large geographical imbalance in electricity demand & supply
Electrification rates:
National: 15 – 20%
Rural: 5-10%
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Energy Demand electricity only accounts for 10 percent
of total final energy consumption
60 percent of all electricity is consumed by commercial & industrial sectors
only 24 percent is used by households
Demand is rapidly increasing: electricity consumption in the household sector alone has risen by 35 percent.
Share of electricity use per type of
end-user 2010*
*Source: National Climate Change Response Strategy
(Energy Demand Mitigation)
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PV Sub-sector Status*
High potential for PV
PV sector established in the 80s
Majority are off-grid solar home systems
PV Technology Estimated installed Capacity
SHS 6-8 MWp
Institutional & Water pumping
>1.5 MWp
Telecom** >300 kWp
Tourism** >50 kWp
Grid-Fed** 570 kWp
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Status
PV sub-sector is market driven
Approx. 800-1000 solar PV technicians working in the Kenyan market since then
Majority skilled but untrained;
Provide a necessary service to end-users
Some operate as re-sellers and as sales agents.
Most SHS market comprise over the counter trade system
PV Sub-sector
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Importers
Depots
Vendor
End user
Freelance Techs
Market Structure in Kenya
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ERC Regulations
Objectives:
• Targets manufacturer, importer, vendor, technician, contractor, system owner, solar PV system installation and consumer devices.
• Guarantee the quality of system & their components.
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Body Mandate
1 ERC Licensing Technicians
2 NITA Trade Test on skills Accreditation before licensing Curriculum dev.
3 KIE Curriculum dev.
4 KEBS Standards enforcement
5 Universities Academic programs Short professional courses PV testing & standards labs
6 Polytechnics & tech. inst Training of technicians
7 Others (e.g. KEREA)
Advocacy, Public-private partnership Institutionalization of training Standardization of private based pv training, Check on good practice
Structure of Players
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Class Limits of Licensing
T1 • PV installation for single module single battery
• Up to 100 Wp • DC only
T2 • Medium size • Multiple module/batteries • Up to 300 Wp • Including AC
T3 • Advanced installations • Grid tied pv • Hybrid pv systems
ERC Licensing
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Class Limits of Licensing
C1 • Design & installation PV • Either is must employ a T3
V1 • Design, distribute, sell or install PV • Either be or employ T2
V2 • Manufacture or import PV systems & components
• Either be of employ T2
ERC Licensing
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Existing Curriculum
In Technical institutions
Taught as topics to students taking diploma in electrical engineering
Covers basics to sizing as topics in a unit
Not adequate in developing the technician to face the market challenges
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Run by Condensed Matter Group
Involved in basic research and applications in PV
Trainers comprise of lecturers and technologists
Currently offering T1 & T2 short proffessional training
Initial support from ISP
UoN Solar Academy
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Scope
Basics (Modules, Batteries, Controllers etc)
Installation
Maintenance
PV lanterns
Entrepreneureship
Value Addition
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Advanced training (for T3), e.g Strathmore, Netherlands
Curriculum development & review
Impact
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Over 150 Technitians trained in two years
10 of them female
Participants from Kenya, Uganda & South Sudan
Two scheduled trainings per year
Freelance techs, engineers, vendors, contractors, students, religious leaders, personal interests, institutions (colleges, children’s homes, World Vision)
Majority almni have been licensed by ERC
All almni are on a miling group
Group has partnered with NGOs (eg) S3C on ’smart village initiatives’
Lessons
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There is still need to build capacity across the country
Current limitation in outreach since the training is residential
Need for facilitation on outreach (caravan training)
No technical capacity yet for T3 (Equipment partly acquired)
Shrinking government funding to university
Need to carry out thorough survey on utilization of the skills by the trained techs and impact on society
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Acknowledgement: ISP (Uppsala University), Sweden University of Nairobi Kenya National Academy of Sciences Tanzania Academy of Sciences Smart Villages Initiative
THANK YOU