Renewable Energy Challenge: ATTC win Accra contest
The Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC) has emerged champions of the Greater Accra Region in the second edition of the Energy Commission Senior High Schools Renewable Energy Challenge held in Accra last Monday.
With the construction of a solar water heater panel designed to reduce power rationing and fight climate change, ATTC beat nine other schools, including the hosts, Presbyterian Boys Senior High School(PRESEC) Legon who came third while title holders, Ebenezer Senior High School (Padua), were second.
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The other contenders were Our Lady of Mercy SHS, Tema; Accra Academy, Tema Methodist Day SHS, Tema Manhia SHS, Forces SHS, Presbyterian Senior High School, La; and West Africa SHS (WASS).
The victory qualifies Nicholas Dornyo and Awuku Mawuli Encoh, representatives of the winning school, to represent the Greater Accra Region at the zonal stage of the national competition.
The competition, organised in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), seeks to create awareness of renewable energy among various SHSs and technical institutions in the country and to provide mentorship to young students.
The students were tasked to design exceptional renewable energy systems to resolve various energy-related challenges in communities.
With Sponsorship from the Bui Power Authority (BPA), this year's challenge has taken a national dimension, unlike the first edition which was organised only for schools in Accra.
Each participating school at the end of the competition was given an undisclosed amount of money and a certificate.
Great things
The Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Engineer Oscar Amonoo-Neizer, blown away by the various innovations, said it was the beginning of great things to happen to Ghana.
"So far, what we have seen and what we have done, we have not regreted going nationwide and I believe that at the end of this competition, the innovations that we will see these young ones come out with will turn this nation into an industrialised nation," he said.
He added that in future, the commission would in addition to furnishing their labs and helping them commercialise their projects offer scholarships to participating students.
Scale up
The Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Ms Monica Ankrah, who also expressed her amazement at the innovations urged the schools and the organisers not to shelve the projects of the students.
"This means if we get corporate bodies, old students and the benevolent society helping us to push these students, we will be able to get the best out of them.
"We should advertise it for people to be aware of what they are doing. They have talent and they have skills and, therefore, we need to encourage them to do whatever has been imparted to bring the best out of them," she said.
She further stressed that education in Ghana would no more be solely theoretical and abstract but skill-based.
"So it's not going to be reading and producing whatever you have read so far but using your hands, the skills and the talent in you to do something special for the country," Ms Ankrah intimated.
