TEA-LP partners travel to Spain to contribute to the sustainable energy education agenda

The TEA-LP is growing and strengthening our southern network of energy expertise by providing opportunities for our partners to publish research, attend conferences, host workshops and connect with each other in the hopes of future collaboration. Last month saw eleven of our partners participate in the International Conference on Sustainable Energy Education (SEED) in Valencia, Spain where they presented their own cutting-edge research and hosted a workshop on energy education. It was a productive and exciting few days where we connected with industry leaders from around the world and were able to share our experiences from the TEA-LP.

What made our attendance particularly important was the Global South representation that the TEA-LP enabled. Given the huge demand for energy access across the Global South and the opportunity this presents for off-grid and sustainable energy access options, our presence at this conference ensured that Southern voices and circumstances were brought to the international energy education agenda.

Bright Chisadza eloquently described this significance when he said, “I truly appreciate TEA-LP for organising our participation and ensuring that voices from the Global South were well-represented at such an important event. However, there were some interesting differences in priorities between the Global South and the Global North that emerged during the discussions. Our focus in the Global South tends to be on the development and deployment of new energy technologies. Unfortunately, many of these essential technologies are simply not yet widely available to our communities. In some cases, even when these technologies are introduced, there may be a lack of proper design or inadequate consideration of local contexts, leading to inefficiencies or even project failures. On the other hand, the discussions from the Global North often placed a stronger emphasis on energy efficiency. While this is certainly important, it can feel somewhat secondary when vast swathes of our communities lack access to basic energy infrastructure altogether.”

The conference ran from 3-5 July at the Universitat Politècnica de València campus, and each of our attending partners presented their research in one of the following conference tracks: 1) Teaching and Learning on Sustainable Energy Education, 2) Partnerships, Collaboration on Sustainable Energy Education, 3) Governance & Funding for Sustainable Energy Education, and 4) Sustainable Education. Partner Tingneyuc Sekac shared the value of presenting at the conference; “Our goal at PNG UoT is to promote sustainable electricity development and ensure access to affordable, reliable, and viable electricity for rural communities despite the impediments to such development. The SEED conference was therefore a valuable opportunity for me to present on creating a localised knowledge hub centred on research, innovation, and education to develop solutions for the sustainable electricity challenges faced by rural communities in PNG” 

The workshop hosted by the TEA-LP, Sustainable Energy Education: Delivering the energy workforce of the future, explored various approaches to energy education, opportunities and challenges for the sector and mapped what is needed for a Research and Educational Agenda.  Our partner experts shared their experiences and facilitated robust discussions with the participants. Although the workshop could have been more powerful if there had been more Global North participants to share ideas and perspectives, the workshop provided important insights for sustainable energy education going forward. As Kiran Siraj noted, “We were able to gather comprehensive information about what is currently missing in our approach to sustainable energy education and identify key gaps and areas needing improvement. Additionally, the workshop facilitated the development of a clear and actionable future perspective. We outlined concrete steps and strategies for moving forward, ensuring that our efforts are more aligned with the needs and challenges of the communities we serve. The collaborative atmosphere and the shared commitment to advancing energy education made the workshop a resounding success.” 

The value of these conversations was also highlighted by Bright Chisadza, saying; “The TEA-LP workshop resonated deeply with me. Firstly, the presentation by Lahore University in Pakistan about their rural energy education program was particularly inspiring. Coming from a rural university myself, but with fewer resources, their approach provided valuable ideas for potential adaptation in my own context. Secondly, the UITM Malaysia case study showcasing their successful partnership with the private sector to deliver solar energy to both the university and the grid was equally compelling. This model could potentially be replicated at my own university, contingent on finding suitable private partners. The workshop provided a fantastic platform for delving deeper into the energy landscape across the Global South. A key takeaway was the realization that the challenges we face are remarkably similar across different countries. This shared understanding is crucial for fostering collaboration.” 

TEA-LP team member, Mascha Moorlach who traveled to Spain to attend the conference and facilitate the workshop, described that our event; “facilitated valuable discussions on the current energy education landscape. Participants engaged in meaningful conversations about synergies, differences, barriers, and opportunities for collaboration. We are committed to continuing this dialogue and will prioritise the discussed points for short, medium, and long-term actions. Moving forward, we aim to include more sector role players to collaboratively formulate a comprehensive framework for sustainable energy education.”

Going forward, this Agenda will continue as a working group. If you are interested in joining this conversation, please email Mascha at mascha.moorlach@uct.ac.za.

Overall, the conference was a great success, with our partners exposed to research and developments in energy education in other countries. Chrispin Gogoda Mbewe described the relevance of the conference with a focus on gender equity and social inclusion, and developments of AI integration into teaching. Outside of the formal conference proceedings, our partners were able to connect more socially, which was further enabled by everyone staying at the Barcelo Hotel. This undoubtedly allowed for deeper connections to be made. Ramendra Prasad shared: “The TEA-LP partner university participants stayed together during the workshop. We shared our own ideas, research and issues. Then we also learnt from each other as to how the respective universities are innovating and addressing the challenges. Since the TEA-LP participants stayed together, there were exchange of views and ideas outside of the formal setting and this in fact strengthens the network and builds comradeship.”

Our hope in providing this opportunity was to see our partners forge such relationships and strengthen the TEA-LP network. Nofri Yenita Dahlan noted that, “Attending the SEED conference as a TEA-LP partner was highly beneficial for networking with other TEA-LP partners. It provided an excellent opportunity to connect with colleagues, share experiences, and exchange valuable insights on sustainable energy education. The interactions during the conference facilitated the formation of new collaborations and strengthened existing partnerships, ultimately enhancing our collective efforts towards advancing sustainable energy education.”

Kiran Siraj further confirmed this saying; “[The SEED conference] provided an invaluable opportunity to network and share ideas with educators, researchers, and industry professionals from around the world. These interactions facilitated the exchange of innovative concepts and best practices in sustainable energy education. Additionally, the conference helped identify key areas for improvement and future directions for the network through relevant and insightful discussions. Overall, the SEED conference significantly strengthened the TEA-LP network by fostering collaboration, enhancing knowledge sharing, and building a more connected and informed community.”

Attending the event also sparked potential future collaborations. Ideas for this range from guest lectures to joint grant proposals, opportunities for joint research, interdisciplinary projects, exchange programmes and community engagement projects. This shows the value of in-person meetings, having meaningful conversations and connecting as academics and as people, and we are delighted to have provided a platform for this. Bright Chisadza described one such future potential; “One particularly promising avenue emerged during discussions with representatives from Lahore University in Pakistan. They expressed a willingness to host a webinar showcasing their experiences with their innovative rural energy education program, specifically tailored to the needs of rural universities. This is a fantastic opportunity for us, as a fellow rural university with limited resources for teaching and staff development. We’re eager to learn from their successful strategies and explore potential adaptation for our own context.” We look forward to seeing the developments of these ideas.

We are thrilled that everyone was able to present their research and contribute to the workshop and we have certainly learnt a huge amount in the process. Thank you to all partners involved for sharing your invaluable knowledge and expertise. You can find the conference proceedings on the SEED website here.

The full list of TEA-LP participants:
Nofri Yenita Dahlan (Universiti Teknologi MARA)
Kiran Siraj (Lahore University of Management Sciences)
Ogheneruona Endurance Diemuodeke (University of Port Harcourt)
Misbahu Ladan Mohammed (Usmanu Danfodiyo University)
Francis Xavier Ochieng (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology)
Naveed Arshad (Lahore University of Management Sciences)
Tobinson Briggs (University of Port Harcourt)
Ramendra Prasad (University of Fiji)
Bright Chisadza (Lupane State University)
Tingneyuc Sekac (Papa New Guinea University of Technology)
Chrispin Gogoda Mbewe (Mzuzu University)
Mascha Moorlach (University of Cape Town)