African governments’ growing implementation of minigrids to electrify rural areas creates the opportunity for innovation and skills development to operate these grids, Emergent Energy renewable-energy consultant Adele Boadzo says.
In a panel discussion on skills development in the energy sector at the African Energy Indaba, she highlighted that minigrids were growing in popularity in regions such as East Africa, where companies are installing small solar energy systems and electricity users pay for services using their mobile phones.
“These energy grids, particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, are easy to use, so skills transfer is done on the job,” she explained.
Further, Boadzo said that, as more renewable-energy projects were being rolled out across the continent, the greater the prevalence of technicians would become, noting that it took around three to six months to train a person in solar PV installations. “The more projects, the better,” she said.
However, Boadzo noted that there was a need to reform the continent’s basic education system to create a greater focus on mathematics and science, enabling students to study further in engineering or technical fields.
“We need students to get excited about the energy sector and more people who will encourage students to take up these subjects,” she added.