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Building skills for energy access

Facts, challenges & objectives

Goals for decentral energy access, productive use and a just energy transition require expanding skills – especially to rural areas. The international renewable energy agency IRENA estimates that off-grid renewables for energy access can create at least 4.5 million jobs by 2030.

Growing demand for off-grid, decentralised renewable energy (DRE) solutions is challenged by a shortage of skilled professionals to design, finance, sell, install, operate and maintain systems.

The German government’s Green People’s Energy for Africa initiative aims to improve skills development offers for key stakeholders in the decentralised renewable energy ecosystem (e.g. technicians, sales agents, extension officers, credit institutes, teachers).

Especially in rural areas, lack of skilled professionals leads to:

  • low knowledge about DRE systems and thus demand.
  • few distribution networks and business models for sales, operation and maintenance.
  • lack of access-to-finance for end-users.
  • low-quality system installations and poor sustainability.

To achieve its goal, Green People’s Energy for Africa supports vocation training institutes and technical universities to offer new and improved practical training modules for professionals. The initiative also runs other skills development measures.

Training models

  • Short courses targeted at local profesisonals with some experience (and in some cases also students)
  • Provide practical skills to better plan, finance, implement, operate and maintain decentralised renewable energy systems.
  • Technological focus is on productive use technologies (solar irrigation, solar cooling, solar drying, solar water heaters), solar PV systems and mini-grids.
  • Sustainability of the new training offers is ensured either by integrating them in existing national TVET structures or cooperating with business-oriented schools.

Skills development measuress

  • Training needs analysis and selection of partner training institutes
  • Private sector-led development of curricula and training handbooks
  • Supply of demo systems, training stands and materials for partner schools
  • Training of trainer (ToT) – programmes
  • Roll-out of short-course training modules in cooperation with trained trainers
  • Facilitation of practical placements for trained professional

Articles on skills development measures

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Local farmer Hamwaata Halwiindi builds skillset to build energy security in his community.
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In Zambia, SolarAid builds capacity for solar entrepreneurs to do repairs
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In the village of Wildpoldsried, 4,000 African PV technicians have received qualifications.
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Building the foundations for the usage of cargo e-bikes for Zambian agriculture.
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Context orientated academic courses strengthens students’ competencies for rural energy supply.
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With open source data loggers, even small renewable energy projects can collect data cost-effectively.
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Open source wind turbine for pumping water and generating electricity.
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Integration of decentralized photovoltaic systems for implementing digital learning models in rural areas of Uganda
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Clean electricity for refugee families in Uganda Through approximately 330 savings communities in refugee shelters and host communities, ZOA aims to promote the market for sustainable solar solutions.
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The non-governmental TierraSol organisation wants to train young people in the design, construction and development of solar energy and thus open up new prospects for them
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Women and young unemployed people are trained to find professional prospects in the solar sector.
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Building solar power and training young people The Casa do Gaiato orphanage is tapping into an off-grid power supply with solar systems and at the same time training young people in solar technology and installation
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With the help of solar energy, rural electrification in Zambia is making progress, especially in areas without connection to the national grid. Demand is rising. But there is a lack of well-trained solar technicians. In order to train them, Green People’s Energy in Zambia is committed to their education. In Zambia…
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Repairing solar lights opens up a new, sustainable business for local technicians in Zambia
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The Tukole Solar Project aims to improve the maintenance of solar systems in rural areas and make it easier for customers and solar technicians to meet.
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Following handover of solar irrigation technology to universities in Ghana, training has now started for trainers. The aim is to ensure broad understanding and use of solar-powered water pumps in the country’s agricultural sector.
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In advanced training courses in Wildpoldsried, Bavaria, vocational school teachers from African partner countries have been learning how to design, build and operate self-sufficient battery-based solar power grids for buildings. They then teach their new knowledge to aspiring solar technicians in their home countries.
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Supporting young entrepreneurs in West Africa Energy Generation provides 60 young apprentices with a promising professional future.
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With a solar-powered pump, they save on diesel costs and can grow crops, fruits and vegetables all year round.
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Two companies were able to successfully submit their project documents to an international financier.
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At the beginning of June, they will have the opportunity to apply the skills they have learned in a first local test training.
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The trainings are designed in such a way that the participants experience the theory in the workshops in a very practical way.
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40 members of the cooperatives underwent training in entrepreneurship and organisational dynamics in January.
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Through partnerships with Vocational Training Institutes, GBE improves the quality of trainings on offer for future solar technicians and electricians-in-training.
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Green People’s Energy held a training session for entrepreneurs to launch the distribution network for high-performance productive solar installations.
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Twelve experimental kits specially developed by the student cooperative are on their way to the primary school in Ntarama.
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The Solar Cooling training course will be available from 21 to 23 February.
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The manuals and the corresponding training sessions aim to improve the capacity of end-users, such as farmers and members of agro-cooperatives, as well as technicians.
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GBE Uganda has launched its 5-day SPIS trainings which officially started in September 2021.
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Skills development will not only create more access to decentralized renewable energy but also create more job opportunities for individuals in Zambia.
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The objective is to improve the competencies of solar professionals in the country by giving them a hands-on, practical learning experience.
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The 12-week online course will start on 1 December 2021. 100 participants can take part in this first training.
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With its advisory services, GBE Benin aims to facilitate access to capital and investors for solar companies.
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Nine Ethiopian teachers are participating in an extensive online training on renewable energy.
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GBE Ethiopia is currently training a total of 100 professionals from the solar, irrigation and agricultural sectors.
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Each winning start-up received a prize of 2,500 € for their innovative and well-developed business plan.
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50 companies can benefit from free technical advice and customised guidance on investing in solar energy.
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The training combines theoretical and practical aspects that enable us to better meet farmers’ needs.
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The postgraduate course “Food Chains in Agriculture” had this year 27 participants from Ethiopia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Togo and Tunisia.
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Green People’s Energy’s has trained a dozen agricultural trainers on the use of renewable energy in off-grid areas in Benin.
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Here, future electricians can practice installing and maintaining solar systems at 20 training stands.
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Solar energy supports six women’s groups to upgrade their grain processing sites. GBE and LVIA support the development of profitable farms through training and coaching.
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Renewable energies offer many solutions to improve the social and economic situation of the people in Namibia. In order for vocational schools to train young people in solar energy systems, they need well-trained trainers. GBE aims for just that in cooperation with Eenhana Vocational Training Centre.
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Innovative platform brings renewable energy students and specialists from across Africa together, after attending course on the subject in Germany
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Over a six month period a cooperation of Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences and WE4Food trained online (due to Covid) 749 people in solar-powered irrigation systems – with Aïchatou Lawani from INETS Benin achieving the second-best result.
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With trainings of maintenance staff and a mapping of connected systems, ProREU wants to strengthen the solar market in Uganda’s north.
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Exchange between German and African vocational school teachers is also possible during the pandemic: A digital platform with interactive teaching material is now available for the education and training of prospective solar installers in Africa.
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The Green People’s Energy project in Zambia commences its implementation with the inception workshop with all stakeholders on 25 and 26 November.
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With trained solar technicians, Ethiopia can use the sun as an energy source.
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Through practice-oriented training courses, young people in Kenya learn about small-scale solar cooling systems and can use this knowledge for a better future.