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ECREEE, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and the Government of Togo organized a regional training workshop on ‘Designing and implementing solar energy-based livelihood projects for rural communities’, from 1 to 5 October 2012 in Lomé, Togo. The workshop, financed by the Governments of Austria, India and Spain, and the Institut de l’énergie et de l’environnement de la Francophonie (IEPF), addressed the following modules:
• Introduction of solar technology
• PV Systems – Assessment, Design, Economics, Operations and maintenance
• Project Management and design of business models for solar PV based livelihood projects
• Quality Assurance and monitoring of solar PV projects
The opening ceremony was chaired by Togo’s Minister of Mines and Energy. During his speech the minister highlighted the importance of renewable energy and energy efficiency and particularly PV systems for the region’s and its peoples’ development, and expressed the Government of Togo’s total support for ECREEE.
The main objective of workshop training, conducted by two experts from TERI, India, was to enhance capacities and skills on technical and financial issues related to PV stand-alone systems and mini-grids in small settlements, sensitizing participants to the planning, design, implementation and utilization of solar PV technology for livelihood-based projects in rural areas.
Thirty-two engineers, technicians and experts from across the region participated in the workshop training. The participants were drawn from:
• rural electrification agencies or bodies responsible for rural electrification
• local and regional NGOs working in rural community programmes
• local and regional companies working in solar solutions
• other stakeholders in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The training workshop contributed towards improving participants’ knowledge on solar energy technology and its various applications, particularly for rural livelihood projects. Specifically, participants acquired skills on designing, dimensioning, implementing and maintaining small PV systems for rural livelihood applications.