The Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (Sessa) launched its Young Sessa initiative with a presentation and workshop at Northcliff High School, in northern Johannesburg, on Thursday.

The proposal for the Young Sessa division of the society was announced last year, at the International Solar Energy Society Solar World Congress, which was cohosted by the organisation.

Sessa project coordinator Jon Adams says that the aim of Young Sessa is to impart knowledge about the significance of renewable energy to the youth and to expose them to alternatives to fossil fuel energy generation while they are still young.

The idea of Young Sessa was initially focused on raising finances to offer bursaries to students who want to pursue careers that can promote renewable energy, but Adams says that Sessa has shifted its focus to directly educating learners about renewable energy.

The inaugural event at Northcliff High School included a presentation on the benefits of renewable energy in which Young Sessa workshop coordinator Harald Schultz demonstrated the limited lifespan of fossil fuel resources and the technologies available for renewable energy generation.

Three concurrent workshops were run with groups of learners where they were taught to calculate the amount of solar energy required to power their school's electricity needs, how to angle a solar panel to get the most efficient power from the sun and how water can be boiled using solar power.

Northcliff High School physical science head of department Tracey Fairless says that initiatives, such as Young Sessa, are significant for learners as they give them access to equipment that is not otherwise available to them as part of the syllabus. She adds that hands-on experiments with equipment, such as solar panels, can leave a lasting impression about topics such as renewable energy.

Adams says that Young Sessa aims to hold between five and nine workshops a month at as many different schools as possible. He adds that the society aims to present to well-resourced schools and to underprivileged schools to promote renewable energy to as many young people as possible across the societal spectrum.

The workshops cost about R10 000 to run and Adams says that Young Sessa is hoping to encourage companies to sponsor the initiative. The inaugural event was sponsored by energy solutions company The Power Company.