4 April 2014
IRENA, Arizona State University to Develop West African Solar Technician Certification Scheme
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The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Arizona State University (ASU) are collaborating on the development of certification programmes for off-grid and grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in West Africa.

IRENA28 March 2014: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Arizona State University (ASU) are collaborating on the development of certification programmes for off-grid and grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in West Africa.

Lack of local technical capacities is a major hurdle preventing energy poor developing countries from developing their often abundant renewable energy resources. The programme aims to improve customer confidence in the renewable energy industry in West Africa. It will begin by holding short workshops with key stakeholders to gather political and policy support for the creation of nationally-owned training programmes. The types of stakeholders aimed for at this stage include certifying agencies, national and regional training institutions, government agencies, training providers, utility companies and regulatory authorities.

Thereafter, the programme will provide technical guidelines for solar energy training and will create national and regional technical committees to guide the creation of national technical competency standards. [IRENA Press Release]

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