ISEES staff has participated in the Renewable Energy Summer School of the Ruhr Master School of Applied Engineering from Germany and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), at the Energy Center in Kumasi to build capacity for Renewable Energy research and technology development. The summer school was aimed at building capacity in Photovoltaic Systems, Biogas, Biomass and Energy Efficiency.
The staff included Mr. Lovans Owusu-Takyi, Director of ISEES, Mr. Joshua Komankoma, and Mr Stephen Adjei Associate Advisors in Charge of Energy Economics and Research Analyst of ISEES.
The summer school built capacity in Solar thermal technologies and its recent trends and implications for Africa, Professional installation and maintenance of photovoltaic systems in mains parallel operations in consideration of IEC standards and VDE regulations with practical hands-on trials and laboratory work.
Training also included Biogas as an valuable energy resource, and practical sessions on the determination of the gas potential of different substrates. Delivered by Dr Lawrence Darkwah of KNUST and Dr Agnes Tekle-Rottering of Westphalian University of Applied Sciences.
Biomass energy also analysed different kinds of biomass, and Jatropha value chain and its role for rural livelihood improvement and practical sessions on extraction (processing nuts into oils) and utilization of jatropha oil and its by products by Ingineer Joseph O. Akowuah of KNUST and Thomas Spiecker, M. Eng of Westphalian University of Applied Sciences.
The Energy Efficiency was focused on energy efficiency in buildings including energy consumption, energy audits and methods for reducing energy consumption: a case study at the KNUST – NRW-GIZ college of Engineerign Energy efficiency program, delivered by Professor Dr. Timm Braascch, Westphalian University of Applied Sciences and Dr. Emmanuel Akowuah and Mr Jorge Kwadwo Appiah of KNUST.
The Summer School being part of the Energy Center’s capacity building initiatives for its graduates in partnership with the Rhur Master Schools made up of an alliance of three German Institutions including Hachschule Bochum University of Applied Sciences, Fachhoochschule Dortmund University of APplied Science and Arts, Westfalische Hochschule of the Gelsenkirchen Bocholt Recklinghausen University of Applied Sciences and KNUST brought together expertise from the consortium to make relevant renewable energy knowledge and skills available for its graduates.