BOOSTING SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY ACROSS ECOWAS

The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), in coordination with the Universidade de Cabo Verde (UniCV) and AEE-INTEC organized, from 19-21 March 2018, the 3^rd Round Training Course for Experts in Solar Thermal Energy. The workshop took place at Câmara de Comércio de Barlavento, in Mindelo, São Vicente, where 25 participants, coming from both the public and private sector, took part in the training. It included experts from the Ministry of Energy, CERMI, Electra, UniCV, private companies, installers and students from 6 different cabo-verdean islands.

The training provided theoretical and practical background enabling the trainees to be able design, build and install solar thermal systems. It included modules on thermosiphon and pumped (medium-sized) systems, solar thermal system design and dimensioning with RETScreen and hydraulic collector fields. The training ended with a technical tour of the solar thermal systems at Escola Salesiana and Hotel Foya Branca.

Previously, from 14-17 March, experts from AEE-Intec proceded to the ground breaking installation of monitoring systems of solar thermal units at Escola Salesiana de Artes e Ofícios (ESAO), in Mindelo, and at Hotel Foya Branca (HFB), in Santo André, both in São Vicente. The systems were acquired by ECREEE in the framework of the Soltrain project. The installation was done with the support of Universidade de Cabo Verde – DECM and both recipient institutions (ESAO and HFB). The monitoring systems will allow, for the first time in Cabo Verde, to get detailed data concerning the operation of solar thermal systems in the country, understand their efficiency values, the effect of country-specific characteristics and potential for improvement. The systems will be monitored for at least 12 months.