Promotion of Renewable Energy Use in Uganda (ProREU)
The Promotion of Renewable Energy Use in Uganda (ProREU) is a project implemented by ACSET Uganda in partnership with Urbis-Foundation – Germany in the Lango sub region, with the funding from GIZ – GmbH. ProREU contributes to the overall Green People’s Energy aim, which is to improve the conditions for supplying regions in rural Africa with decentralized renewable energy, assisted by the involvement of citizens, local government, civil society organisations and the private sector. Through the identification of the local status-quo and the analysis of the existing projects, specific needs were identified. ProREU project will therefore train 50 Solar Extension Agents (SEA), carry out a mapping of solar technicians, functional and non-functional solar systems in public institutions and households and establish a SEA network in Northern Uganda. ProREU foresees the creation of a transparent, community-based, solar systems installation and maintenance service market. Hence contributing to the social and economic situation of the region and the electrification of rural areas. ProREU will therefore deliver on two components: Training: a) Support Uganda Technical College (UTC) – Lira to adoption of solar training course ProREU has established partnership with UTC – Lira to train the solar technicians. UTC – Lira already provides trainings in electrical engineering at diploma level, in which solar energy is only a small course unit. This partnership with UTC – Lira is a starting point for building the capacity of local institutions in the Lango Sub region to provide trainings for potential students and solar technicians who are willing to improve their knowledge in solar systems. ProREU intends to make UTC – Lira, a state-of-the-art center for the whole region, providing knowledge and practical skills required to make solar installations that meet both technical and safety requirements in accordance with existing laws and regulations. b) Training of Solar Extension Agents (SEAs): The 50 locally identified technicians will be trained with the already existing training materials of NVTI on solar systems installation and maintenance at the UTC - Lira. ACSET Uganda already has collaborations with the Uganda Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) to award the trainees with certificates of completion after the training. These trainees will also act as multipliers, spreading their knowledge about solar energy among their colleagues and communities. They will furthermore be trained for the mapping activities to deepen their knowledge and experience and gain additional skills. c) SEA Network: ProREU will build a network of SEAs consisting of the 50 technicians trained by the project and the locally available qualified technicians in the Lango sub region. The SEA network will work as a body responsible for installing, maintaining and mapping solar systems in the region as well as giving advice to clients and providing valid information on suppliers and the solar products that fits to the client’s needs, thus the SEA network will be engaged to play important roles in facilitating access to energy for citizens. The project therefore directly addresses the need for technical support whilst building a sustainable platform for the SEAs and PSAs to reach out to each other and interact as partners for improved service delivery in the communities of Northern Uganda. Mapping ProREU will facilitate the mapping of all SEAs who will be available to perform installation, maintenance and repair services to the communities, the solar companies and service centres in the Lango Sub region so that solar users can contact them when in need. The SEAs will be trained on mapping and facilitated to map solar systems installed at all public institutions (schools, health centres and administrative offices) and private households as well as institutions without any access to electricity, categorising them into functional and non-functional solar systems. The SEAs will also continue to map the households that they have installed, or offered repair and maintenance services in the Lango Sub region and pilot how the mapping of private households can create a revenue for their maintenance services.