First Collector manufactured in Namibia by the participants of Train the Trainer Courses carried out under SOLTRAIN II

Colleagues from the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre attended the Final Stakeholder Workshop on the Implementation Plan of the Namibian Solar Thermal Technology Roadmap to present the first locally manufactured solar collector. Many of these individuals attended the Train the Trainer courses for professionals carried out previously under SOLTRAIN II. The aim of these courses was to increase the knowledge of professionals on solar thermal systems and to be able to design, build and install such systems.

The collector was manufactured by the Vocational Educational Trainers, Kayec Training Trust, National Youth Service, NamWater Human Resource Development Centre and National Training Authorit, with the assistance from Gesellschaft Fur Internationale Zusammenarbert’s (GIZ) ProVet programme.

A key objective of the manufacturing initiative was to start the manufacture of a collector with locally available materials. The size of the collector produced is 1.2 m by 1.2 m (1.4 m2 in total), with components consisting of copper pipes, black-painted flat sheets, insulation foam and the wood, which was used as a frame, could all be bought locally.

Participants tested the functionality of the collector in terms of temperature changes of the fluid in the collector. However, it is noted that this is an ongoing activity and more tests need to be performed on the collector to determine metrics such as the flow rate and efficiency of the collector. The Vocational Training Centres confirmed that they have the workforce available and are now in search of potential investors who can assist them with commercialisation efforts. It is encouraging to see that the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre is using the training materials provided by the SOLTRAIN project for practical training purposes. For example, the tank from the trailer will be used at the World Skills Competition in Abu Dhabi later this month by the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre.

It is encouraging to see that the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre is using the training materials provided by the SOLTRAIN project for practical training purposes. For example, the tank from the trailer will be used at the World Skills Competition in Abu Dhabi later this month by the Windhoek Vocational Training Centre.