Test-run for the “GN-SEC Online Capacity Building and Certification Program on Sustainable Energy Solutions for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)"

A first test-run and quality check for the “Online Capacity Building and Certification Program on Sustainable Energy Solutions for Islands and Territories in the Pacific, Caribbean, Africa and Indian Ocean" is underway. Around 25 experts from various training institutes are participating in the train-the-trainer online-workshop between 11^th and 22^nd November 2019.

Under the umbrella of the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC), the program was developed by the Spanish Centre for Research in Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT) in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Small Island Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Organisation (SIDS DOCK).

The development of inclusive sustainable energy technology markets in Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) requires a critical mass of professionals in the private and public sector. However, in many SIDS there is a lack of training institutions and quality programs which respond to the particular needs and priorities of islands and are affordable.

The online program will be available free of charge and disseminated by the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) and the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE). Training institutions and universities are encouraged to include the program into their curricula. Currently, the program is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.  

The program includes nine online modules which describe and analyse, using a deep and technical approach, the following technologies and energy issues: Solar Photovoltaics, Solar Thermal and Ocean Energy technologies, Bioenergy, Energy Efficiency and Thermal Optimization in buildings, Mini-grids and Energy Storage in Insular Power Systems, E-mobility and an overview on Energy, Climate Change Mitigation and Resilience in island regions. Learning takes place in an e-learning platform and delivery can be done either in self-study or through trainers.

The program has been developed by fulfilling CIEMAT’s quality criteria in terms of scientific and technical expertise, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools, methodological and pedagogical resources. The large-scale dissemination of the program is planned for 2020. The development of the program was co-funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID) and the  Austrian Development Agency (ADA). 

The test course can be accessed through: https://agenda.ciemat.es/event/1117/ 

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Marisa Marco Arbolí, Director of Knowledge Management& Training Division, CIEMAT, marisa.marco@ciemat.es
Mr. Martin Lugmayr, GN-SEC Coordinator, UNIDO, m.lugmayr@unido.org