Energy is now widely recognized as a critical input for achieving sustainable development. Vital sectors of Sub-Sahara African (SSA) economies such as agriculture, education and health have failed to meet expectations partly because of poor access to modern energy services which have made it extremely difficult to develop many facilities like water resources for small-scale irrigation and potable water to ensure food security, infrastructure for lighting and communication. The poor living conditions in rural areas and the lack of employment opportunities have all contributed to social unrest, which is of national and international concern.
The failure of the conventional energy sector, in particular the electricity sector, to live up to expectation and the increasing price of crude oil have become major threats to sustainable development hence the recent interest in renewable energy (RE). SSA receives an estimated average direct solar radiation of about 6 million Gigawatts (the highest for any region in the world) and has abundant bioenergy resources plus other renewables like hydropower and geothermal.
It has been observed that renewable energy has generally not attracted the requisite level of sector policy commitment and the appropriate public and private investment in SSA. Inadequate institutional framework and infrastructure, limited technical expertise and shortage of qualified personnel present enormous challenges to accelerated renewable energy development, particularly in the West African sub-region. The limited number of qualified personnel including engineers, technicians and policy makers has been identified as the main cause of failure of many renewable energy projects in the sub-region.
The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, with support from the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE), Burkina Faso, and the Groupe de Recherche en Electrotechnique et Automatique du Havre (GREAH) of the University of Le Havre, France with financial support from the EU via the EDULINK Programme have introduced an MSc Programme in Renewable Energy Technologies by e-Learning in an effort to address the problems of
• Limited number of skilled engineers in renewable energy technologies including solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and biofuels, and
• Low knowledge of RE Technology on the part of key actors in the public and private sectors, including energy policy makers and small/medium scale entrepreneurs
The aim of this Programme is to provide in-depth knowledge and skills in RE technologies and policy as well as energy access and efficiency. The overall objective of the programme is to build human capacity by training and producing graduates with the following qualities:
• Improved understanding of energy systems and sustainable development. Specifically, the graduate will be able to conceptualize and implement activities linking provision of renewable energy services to poverty reduction, economic development, health and environment.
• Ability to design and build RE plants.
• Appreciation of the significant contribution RETs can make towards increased national energy mix for sustainable development.
The MSc. Programme in Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) by e-learning is open to all applicants having the requisite technical background knowledge.
• Candidates must hold a First Class or Second Class honours degree or its equivalent in Engineering or Science from a recognized University as well as a minimum of two years working experience in renewable energy industry.
• Candidates who do not satisfy the requirements stated above but are otherwise adjudged suitable will be interviewed.
To download the course brochure please click here