Collaboration in renewable energy education

Forging long lasting partnerships is a key goal of the TEA-LP. We hope, that long after the project has ended, the network will continue to thrive, and the connections that have been cultivated will continue to support a robust network of energy expertise. To showcase the mutual support and cross-border networking that is taking place within the TEA-LP network, we are delighted to share that partners Dr. Misbahu Ladan Mohammed (Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto [UDUSOK] – Nigeria) and Dr. Mohd Najib Hussain (Universiti Teknologi MARA – Malaysia) recently conducted an international collaborative lecture, which was well-attended by MSc students from both universities.

Dr. Misbahu Ladan Mohammed, Head of Energy and Applied Chemistry from UDUSOK, Nigeria has had great success in the roll out of TEA-LP’s “Local Solution for Energy Access” course. As such, Dr. Mohd Najib Hussain reached out with the suggestion of collaborating for an international lecture that delved into the course’s sub-unit on distributed energy systems.

The two universities are on different continents: one in Africa, and the other in Asia. Despite the 10,000 km that separates the Nigeria and Malaysia, they face many similar challenges in terms of navigating the clean energy transition and moving away from a fossil fuel-based energy sector. Both countries are still heavily reliant on non-renewable energy sources to generate electricity – in 2022, 80% of Nigeria’s electricity was generated via fossil fuels [1], compared to 81% in Malaysia [2]. This presents a significant challenge that both countries currently face in keeping up with the global energy transition. While it is important that they both start to increase the proportion of renewable energy sources in their national energy mixes, challenges such as a lack of infrastructure, high upfront costs, technological barriers, and limited knowledge and expertise in the sector can present significant obstacles to adopting a greater share of renewables. In delivering courses like Local Solutions to Energy Access at their institutions and offering insightful collaborative lectures like this one, individuals such as Dr Mohammad and Dr Hussain are playing an instrumental role in growing and preparing the next generation of professionals that can help drive the clean energy transition in their countries.

The lecture, titled “International collaborative lecture on business models for distributed renewable energy system”, took place on Dec 21st and welcomed 21 Masters’ students from across the two institutions. The lecture covered one of the subunits from the Local Solutions course that explored the various business models for distributed renewable energy systems. Both Dr Mohammed and Dr Hussain presented during the lecture, and students were encouraged during an interactive session to suggest ways of developing energy access businesses using the Business Model Canvas approach.

The lecture was well-received by the students, who showed enthusiasm towards attending similar sessions in the future. This is a fantastic example of the power of knowledge sharing and tapping into the experience that already exists within the TEA-LP network. Students were exposed to innovative, forward-thinking ideas to stimulate their minds and apply some of this knowledge to their own local contexts.
We would again like to extend a big thank you to Dr Mohammed and Dr Hussain, and we look forward to seeing further collaboration in the future!

References:
1. Nkwoh, B; Electricity. Power Systems and Renewable Energy; International Trade Administration; [20/01/2025].
2. Setyawati, D & Nadhila, S; Ember; [20/01/2025].