Okuapeman wins E/R energy competition
The Okuapeman Senior High School (SHS) at Akropong has won the Eastern Regional edition of the Renewable Energy Challenge competition held in Koforidua last Friday.
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Aburi Girls SHS at Aburi took the second position while Fodua Community Day SHS at Adeiso came third followed by Mamfe Girls SHS, St. Roses SHS, Oyoko Methodist SHS, Kwahu Ridge SHS, New Juaben SHS, Pope John SHS and Suhum SHS in that order.
Each of the 10 schools received GH¢800.
The theme for the competition was: “Mechanised small-scale agriculture using renewable energy technologies”.
The Energy Commission, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), initiated the competition in SHSs to promote research and innovation in renewable energy, clean energy and energy efficiency.
The Renewable Energy Challenge highlights various competitions by SHS students and provides a platform for the exhibition of their innovative project works on energy, aimed at promoting creative thinking on the issue by students to solve problems.
The Deputy Director of the Energy Commission, Fredrick Ken Appiah, who represented the Executive Secretary of the commission, Oscar Amonoo-Neizer, said the competition was born out of the commission's mandate under the Renewal Energy Act, 2011 (Act 8322).
Awareness creation
Mr Amonoo-Neizer said within the framework of the mandate, the GES, in collaboration with the Energy Commission, had to raise awareness of energy use to enhance the knowledge of students in SHS with respect to renewable energy technologies and their practical applications.
He said the competition served as a platform to foster renewable energy, focusing on research and development by students and also facilitate mentorship programmes that would encourage the transformation of ideas into impactful and commercially-viable solutions.
Mr Amonoo-Neizer said the competition was designed to equip students with the skills and mindset needed to actively contribute to the advancement of renewable energy to shape a sustainable future.
Through the competition, he said, the commission had aspired to overcome the prevalent "chew, pour, pass, and forget" mentality of students in educational institutions by promoting the practical application of theoretical knowledge.
The Programme Coordinator of the competition, Julius Nkansah-Nyarko, said the projects demonstrated by various schools could be adapted and improved on to solve some of the energy challenges bedevilling the country.
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