Some 21 South Africans took part in solar training in Cape Town, jointly organised by Greenpeace Africa, the Youth Support center and Expertise en cuisine Solaire (ExSol) to empower the public with skills on solar energy.
The week long training focused on both theoretical and practical exercises, laying the groundwork for future solar careers. The trainees were drawn from a diverse mix of young Capetonians from WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), the Western Cape Branch of the Progressive Women’s movement and Greenpeace Africa volunteers.
The training was conducted by Dr Michael Gotz from ExSol (Expertise en cuisine solaire), with presentations from local solar entrepreneurs. The training covered the basics in solar electricity, energy saving and efficiency and green jobs.
“The Greenpeace Energy [R]evolution scenario explains how renewable energy is a powerful job creator which, if incorporated into South Africa’s energy mix, will stimulatethe local manufacturing industry,” said Greenpeace Africa Climate and Energy Campaigner Ruth Mhlanga.
Over 149 000 additional jobs could be created if the government embarked on an ambitious renewable energy programme. Giving people solar skills increases the size of the labour pool from which local manufacturing can draw and raises the level of awareness in our society about the great possibilities that renewable energy can bring to South Africa.
“Greenpeace Africa is dedicated to providing solutions and laying the foundation for Green Jobs through solar trainings such as these. We are confident that the trainees will become peer educators and pass the learning onto their communities and increase awareness on cleaner alternatives to dirty and expensive fuel sources,” concluded Mhlanga.
Photos: © Rodger Bosch
Leave a Reply or Follow