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Renewable Energy
RENEWABLE ENERGY (RE) TRAINING AT THE PNG

UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY TUVALU’S FLOATING SOLAR PANELS

Since its inception, PNGUoT has always been a hub of energy training By Samantha Magick
in several departments such as Electrical Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering, Civil Engineering, Applied Physics, Applied Science and In Funafuti, a small pond bordered by pig pens is now home
Geographic Information Division at the Dept. of Survey and Land Studies.
Backed by well-funded laboratory and workshop facilities, as well to an innovative renewable energy pilot program, floating
as a large pool of overseas and locally trained Professors, Lecturers, solar panels.
Engineers and Technicians, the PNGUoT Sustainable Energy Research Tuvalu Energy Corporation General Manager, Mafalu Lotolua
Institute (PNGUoT-SERI) brings together under one umbrella, all human says the project is a response to the struggle to find space to
and infrastructural capacity from all the departments of the University to
provide an all-inclusive Renewable Energy (RE), Photo Voltaic (PV), Wind, install solar panels on the atoll.
Geothermal, Biomass and Hydro training program at PNGUoT. “Landowners have their own plans for their land. So it’s
RE training at PNGUoT can be classified into three categories. very difficult for us as the Tuvalu Electricity Corporation to
Category 1 have ground-mounted solar PVs. So that’s where the idea
Undergraduate: Undergraduate degrees are awarded in the listed came about, because of all these issues we have with limited
departments with the options for students to major or carry out their final land space, [with] negotiations with landowners, there’s a lot
year capstone projects in a Renewable Energy field.
of difficulties faced.”
Category 2 The recently completed installation of the 100.8kW
Post Graduate: Energy-Related MSc, ME, MPhil and PhD degrees are
awarded at PNGUoT to cater for PG Energy Training of Engineers and Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FSPV) system has seen 184 solar
Physical Sciences graduates. panels positioned on Tafua Pond. The pilot project seeks to
In addition to these standard degrees, SERI has been awarded a grant reduce Tuvalu’s reliance on diesel-powered energy by 47,100
donated by the UK Government to commence a capacity building program litres per year, which represents a savings of approximately The new floating solar installation on Tafua Pond in Tuvalu. Photo: UNDP
that will enhance the teaching and Certification of Energy Access, Energy
Infrastructure Management, Design, Implementation and Energy Policy in US$68,000.
the categories mentioned above to Masters and PhD levels. The scope will The energy generated by the floating panels will be fed
also cover relevant topics suitable as mainstream, as well as electives for back into the grid, said Lotolua.
PG students in Science, Engineering, Business Studies and Geographic “Because the land belongs to these Indigenous people of also be maintained using local labour, because a lot of these
Information Systems. The program is expected to commence with the first
intake of MSc students in 2024. this island… we went through the process of negotiating with new technologies come and then…in five years time you go
the leaders of this island and the response was positive.” back, and then you see that nobody is actually using it. And
Category 3 The presence of pig pens at the pond proved a challenge. A then you’re really not getting maximum benefit out of it.”
Solar Design & Installation Certification Short Courses: This is a new
7-module (Solar Design & Installer Certificates I-IV) course that will lead few had to be dismantled to allow for equipment to be moved UNDP is conducting feasibility studies on the potential of
to the award of a PNGUoT-SERI Accreditation Certificate and Provisional into the site, and the presence of pig waste in the vicinity wave energy generation in Tonga and Samoa, is looking at
License in Solar Design and Installation. meant health protocols had to be followed during installation. decentralised hydropower in Vanuatu, and is involved in a
PNGUoT-SERI Solar Designer/Installer Training and Certification “But we got there in the end,” Lotolua said. major rural electrification project underway in Fiji, the Rural
Program The project is primarily funded by the Global Environment Electrification Fund.
This category 3 training comprise of a series of short courses and Facility (GEF), with oversight from the United Nations The Fund’s total investment needs are about $225 million
specialized modules. The pilot program in Solar, Wind and Hydro is
designed for electrical engineers, licensed and unlicensed electrical Development Programme (UNDP) in Suva, Fiji. UNDP Resident over 15 years, Altangerel says.
tradesmen actively engaged in the electrical and solar sectors with a Representative, Munkhtuya Altangerel says the agency has “We’re looking at the longer term, so a 15-year time
desire to gain modern skills in the design and installation of off-grid and moved to work in this space as it “was becoming really horizon, which is really important for us to actually think like
grid-connected hydro and PV micro and mini-grid systems. apparent that you cannot have a meaningful conversation that, because energy transition does require that time.”
Considering the fact that the renewable energy industry is continuously
changing with new technological advancement and improvements, the about inclusive development, inclusive growth, and all of Negotiations over financing continue, although New Zealand
courses and modules will be routinely reviewed and updated accordingly. that, without a meaningful conversation on transition to clean has provided some initial funding.
This will provide licensed electricians and engineers in PNG and the energy sources.” “It’s kind of, a beautiful in a way, blended finance
Pacific the unique opportunity to routinely update their technical trade and The COVID pandemic, global disruption in supply chains and mechanism, which brings investments from the private sector,
professional skills. Several new RE courses in the curriculum today were
not in the mainstream syllabus a decade ago. This is due to improvement fluctuating energy prices have created further urgency. from the national provider, but also from the development
and global advancement of solar power infrastructure. “Energy prices really drive multi-dimensional poverty or partners.”
While some aspects of the SERI modules are modelled after an Australian under development,” she says. Back in Tuvalu, Mafalu Lotolua believes if the Tafua Pond
State University Curriculum (aligned to the Australian Clean Energy “Just recently, I was in Solomon Islands, and I understood experiment is successful, it could be replicated in other
Council requirements), some modules were shaped by the World Bank/
United Nations/ADB sponsored training program provided to Developing that the number one barrier for the development of SMEs Pacific Island nations, so they could “move towards that kind
countries. The SEAPI recommendations and certification proposals for [Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises] is energy, because they of floating [solar PVs] rather than cutting down all the trees
pacific solar designers and installers were also taken into consideration. pay, I think, almost three to four times as much as the rest of and all the vegetation around the [panel installation] area.”
The renewable energy goals of the Government of PNG and other the world.” Tuvalu is also looking to install 500 rooftop solar units
Pacific Nations will become realistic if the issues of capacity building are
addressed. Altangerel notes that the technology being trialled in with the World Bank’s assistance, as well as raised panels
Tuvalu is just one response to the energy crisis. And she says that would allow for the space underneath to be used for
- SERI Secretariat 2023 as the first project of its kind in the region, “It’s yet to be recreation and other purposes. While approximately 19% of
seen whether it’s going to withstand the climate.” Tuvalu’s energy currently comes from renewable sources,
N.B: For more information on renewable energy programs offered at the Altangerel continues: “We’re trying to see how we can well after the completion of these various projects, that figure will
PNG University of Technology and/or PNGUoT Sustainable Energy Research Institute, safeguard this new infrastructure, and then see how it can be closer to 50%, Lotolua says.
email seri.2018@pnguot.ac.pg or visit www.unitech.ac.pg

Islands Business, November 2023 41