Replacing fossil fuel with PV systems through technical capacity building in Kenya

Abstract

In this paper, it is described how Strathmore Energy Research Centre developed an outreach project funded by USAID, National Science Foundation (NSF) to empower technical institutions to offer solar courses hence creating a pool of qualified technicians spread throughout the geography of the country. Presently, the situation is that Kenya has around 1000 solar technicians working in the market with no formal solar PV training or accreditation. The National Industrial Training Authority—NITA, which regulates non-academic skills or craft-based training, was helped by SERC (with GIZ support) to develop a PV solar curriculum at three levels (T1/T2/T3) which empowers from craft-level technicians to engineers to deal with design, installation, and maintenance of PV systems from solar lantern up to utility size level. ERC, the Energy Regulatory Commission for Kenya has supported the initiative as technicians once trained can be accredited by ERC and thus further strength the industry. By November 2016, which is the end of the program (after a 6 months no cost extension), Kenya is to have more than 1000 accredited technical personnel near almost every major town in the country. The paper describes the positive and negative aspects of this venture.