Nine hundred electricians selected from the 10 regions have been trained on solar panel system installation and maintenance.
The training, initiated by the Ghana Technology University College (GTUC), Tradeworks Company Limited, experts in solar PV systems installation, and the Ghana Electrical Contractors Association (GECA), was aimed at imparting skills to professionals in the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.
The training was carried out separately in the various regions. It introduced participants to the basic operation of the various solar PV systems and their maintenance, as well as marketing and advertising of PV solar panels.
Funded by the Skills Development Fund under the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), the programme equipped the participants with knowledge, skills and the competencies required to complete a solar PV installation safely and effectively.
The training sessions which started in August 2014, were completed in June this year. Out of the participants, 250 electricians who excelled academically were given further training by GTUC.
Power crisis
Addressing the graduation ceremony in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Power, Dr Kwabena Donkor, said the country was blessed with renewable energy, hence the need to harvest it.
He said the government had set a target of increasing renewable energy in the national mix by 10 per cent by 2020, to complement energy from the other sources.
On the power crisis, he stated that 1,000 megawatts of power would be added to the national grid by the end of the year, while measures were also being put in place to add 1,500MW of power to the national grid by June, 2016.
He blamed the country’s energy crisis on the over-reliance on hydro and complacency, adding that power demand had increased by 12 per cent over the years and yet there was no preparation to satisfy the additional demand.
Benefits of exercise
The President of the GECA, Mr Joseph Walker, said although the benefits of the training programme were fully acknowledged, the industry was saddled with the lack of technical support for solar PV systems.
In his remarks, the President of the GTUC, Dr Nana Osei Darkwa, stated that the energy problem, coupled with environmental problems associated with the use of fossil fuel, underpinned the critical need for Ghana to invest in a much expanded clean energy supply such as solar energy systems.
He said this would help meet the growing demand for alternative but cheaper sources of energy in Ghana and also address the concern about environmental problems posed by fossil fuels.