Uganda
Promotion of Renewable Energy Use in Uganda (ProREU)
Electrification of the Lango Sub-Region
Within the ProREU project, 50 young women and men are being trained at the Uganda Technical College Lira (UTC-Lira) to become Solar Extension Agents (SEAs) so that they can carry out installations and maintenance of solar systems. The project aims to sustainably support the electrification of the Lango sub-region in northern Uganda and strengthen the solar market in the region. In addition, the SEAs are to reduce the scepticism towards solar energy among the population.
- Total Volume: 160.203 €
- Duration: 1 October 2020 to 31 August 2022
- Project region: Lango Sub-Region, Northern Uganda
- Project partner: Action for Child Social and Economic Transformation (ACSET)
Supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Status quo of the Solar Market in Uganda
Due to insufficient energy supply, access to and use of modern technologies in Uganda is still below 20 %. With an electrification rate of 7 % in rural areas, large parts of the rural population are still dependent on kerosene, which is both harmful to health and expensive. This is particularly true in northern Uganda where the project is situated. There is a lack of technical and institutional capacity in the public and private sector to manage solar energy systems, as well as a lack of technical skills in installation and maintenance. Many of the solar power systems installed in schools and health systems do not work because most solar users do not have access to repair and maintenance services. Another factor hindering the development of Uganda's solar sector is the lack of statistical, freely available data on existing systems and on areas without solar energy systems. This also limits the availability of qualified technical support in many communities in northern Uganda.
The “Promotion of Renewable Energy Use in Uganda (ProREU)” project addresses these challenges and comprises two measures:
1. Training
In cooperation with the Uganda Technical College Lira (UTC-Lira), trainers are being trained to teach with the NVTI Solar Curriculum of the Nakawa Vocational Training Institute. As part of the project, the trainers train 50 young electricians to become Solar Extension Agents (SEAs). Through the course, they learn how to install and maintain solar systems and act as multipliers of the acquired knowledge. Through internships with local private solar companies, the SEAs deepen their skills with practical experience. In order to link the SEAs in the long term, a SEA network is established, which takes on a variety of tasks in the Lango sub-region. It is responsible for the installation and maintenance as well as the mapping of solar plants (see Point 2) and is in dialogue and cooperation with private solar companies.
2. Mapping
The trained SEAs will map the Lango sub-region to document existing systems and areas without solar energy systems. To do this, they will travel through the different districts of the region and enter all systems and their condition into a database linked to a map. In addition, they record the non-existence of systems there. As this information will be publicly available, the maintenance of the systems will be simplified, and private solar companies will be able to better assess the market in the region.
Voices from the Project:
I was in position to learn a lot of new things such as system sizing and maintenance, mounting a solar panel which is supposed to be done according to the sun direction. I also intend to educate the community on how to install solar systems in the proper ways because I have noticed a lot of people doing it the wrong way in order to get quick money which puts the lives of the users in danger.
Ocan Innocent from the Abok Sub-County, Oyam District, about his SEA Training
The project is implemented by the URBIS Foundation together with the Ugandan NGO Action for Child Social and Economic Transformation (ACSET) Uganda. The project is supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
