TEA-LP Hosts the Mini Grids Training Workshop: A Journey Towards Sustainable Energy Solutions

The Transforming Energy Access – Learning Partnership (TEA-LP) is thrilled to report on the successful completion of the Mini Grids Training Workshop (MGTW) held in Kigali, Rwanda, from September 4-11, 2024. This much-anticipated event focused on enhancing technical knowledge and skills required to deliver the TEA-LP mini-grids course, a crucial building block of the future of sustainable energy access in developing regions such as Africa, South Asia, and the Indo-Pacific.

The MGTW was facilitated by Holger Peters of INENSUS, a respected German consulting and engineering firm with over 15 years of experience in decentralized energy services. The workshop brought together 49 participants, including 42 lecturers from 22 partner institutions across 16 countries. This diverse representation showcased the extensive network that TEA-LP has built in the Global South over the past few years, and the workshop enabled the formation of new relationships as well as building on the existing ones.

The workshop was kicked off with a warm welcome from TEA-LP, followed by insightful addresses from key representatives, including Gwylim Jones of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Rwanda, and Dr. Ignace Gatare, Principal of the College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda. Their speeches set a positive tone for the workshop ahead, emphasizing the importance of sustainable energy initiatives in the region.

Holger Peters (INENSUS) led a series of engaging sessions that covered essential topics such as AC and DC technology for mini-grids, mini-grid system design, and control mechanisms. As well as learning the theory, participants delved into practical applications through hands-on activities and projects centred around groupwork and collaboration – an approach that models the TEA-LP teaching philosophy. The integration of advanced software tools, such as Xendee and HomerPro, for the design and development of mini-grids, added significant value to the workshop training. We are pleased to share that TEA-LP has negotiated strongly subsidised HomerPro licences and free academic licenses  from Xendee for all MGTW attendees and their students who are taking the TEA-LP mini-grids course.

Dr Rey Guerrero, Xendee, delivered a virtual demonstration on the software, and explained how the software could be used to design and optimise a distributed renewable energy system, providing crucial insights into project setup and optimization, with plans for follow-up webinars to enhance user confidence in the software.

MGTW participants were also privileged to be joined by Dr Scott Kennedy and Ms Ayu Abdullah of ENACT for a day at the workshop. Dr Kennedy led an insightful session on site selection, resource and demand assessment, and community engagement, while Ms Abdullah led a live demonstration with the COMET software, showcasing its powerful and innovative features that have the potential to make the process of community engagement for distributed renewable energy systems far simpler and more effective.

Groupwork played a pivotal role in the workshop, allowing participants to collaborate on real-world mini-grid projects while strengthening their relationships. The projects fostered creativity, innovation and teamwork to come up with solutions. Presentations at the end of the week highlighted the impressive dedication and knowledge gained, leading to vibrant discussions and engagement among attendees.

The workshop’s success was made possible through the collaborative efforts of TEA-LP and its partners, including co-funders CORE (managed by ARE) and ACE FUELS, alongside the primary funder UKAid. We extend our deepest gratitude to all involved for their contributions and support.

As we reflect on this transformative week in Kigali, we look forward to continuing our mission of advancing clean energy access through education and collaboration. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming events and initiatives from TEA-LP as we strive to make a lasting impact in the energy sector.