Pre-pipeline activities: education and training
One further set of activities is required to begin the process of
developing a project pipeline: this involves widening awareness in the industry
of the possibilities being opened by the new solar technologies and providing
education and training to people in the electricity industry and its financiers
and regulators. Much uncertainty remains about costs, technical performance, and
even the scale of the solar resource in many developing regions. This confusion
arises as much from misperception (and often lack of awareness of what has been
accomplished) as from any other factor. The predisposition of institutions - not
least in the field of development finance and in the electric utilities - to
"stay with the familiar" is also a factor.
Expanded education and training through workshops and visits to
operating projects may contribute greatly to developing an investment program.
Some of this work has already begun in some countries; it merits further
attention. Universities in several countries are also offering advanced studies
in renewable energy technologies that will help to prepare the ground for
investments by training new generations of engineers.
It has rightly been proposed that relatively small amounts of
finance for technical assistance from the donor community (including the GEF)
could be well used for education and training as a prelude to the preparation
and finance of investments. This was the approach used in developing the
apparently very successful PV program in Kenya, referred to earlier, which,
following the initial investments in skills training, developed wholly on the
private initiative and investments of the trainees. As the U.S. DOE has
commented, along with technology transfer, an effort must be made to build the
necessary institutions and skills for the development of renewable energy;
included in the solar initiative should be training and education such that
domestic capabilities for research, investment, maintenance, and operation keep
up with technological developments. We agree with
this.
