Togo
Solar Academy and Pilot Project Net-Metering in the State Vocational School CRETFP in Dapaong, Northern Togo

Fit in Solar Power Technology

The Savanes region in northern Togo is characterised by poverty and very low electrification rates. At the same time, the region has the highest solar potential in the country, which has hardly been exploited so far. Through the project, a further training course on solar power technology will be integrated into the electrician training at the state vocational school in Dapaong and a PV demonstration system will be set up at the vocational school. In addition, courses on entrepreneurship are offered to young solar entrepreneurs.

Project Description

In cooperation with our project partner Mivo Energie, the photovoltaic sector in the region of northern Togo is to be strengthened. For this purpose, 90 electricians can participate in in-depth solar courses in the areas of planning, installation, and repair of PV systems during their training. In addition, the project offers 225 training graduates and entrepreneurs the opportunity to take advantage of further training in the field of entrepreneurship. Afterwards, some of the participants also have the chance to benefit from start-up financing as part of a revolving fund, as well as individual coaching in setting up a business.

The project „Solar Education and Pilot Project Net-Metering“ contains the following measures:

1. Internship complements Training

The prospective electricians who take part in the in-depth solar courses have the opportunity to complete a four-week internship with a solar company in the region in order to gain practical experience on the construction site in addition to the theory of solar power technology.

2. Installation of a Net-Metering System

The CRETFP (Centre Régional d'Enseignement Technique et de Formation Professionnelle) vocational school receives a 10 kW PV system, which has several advantages for the school. It reduces the monthly electricity costs by feeding the solar power into the school's electricity grid. It also serves as a practical example for solar education. The main advantage here is that the daily solar power yields of the system are recorded via an online monitoring tool and can thus be evaluated over weeks, months or a year. Access to this solar yield data increases the trainees' understanding of the performance of solar power technology in their region.

Furthermore, it is planned to convert the 10 kW PV system into a demonstration system for net metering. Net metering stands for the possibility of feeding surplus electricity from a PV system into the public grid over the midday period and then drawing electricity from the grid for lighting in the evening hours. Both electricity flows - the feed-in to the grid and the draw from the grid - are recorded via a bi-directional meter and ideally billed. This reduces the investment of small-scale PV system operators in battery capacity and is thus an important lever for a growing PV market in the region.