SOLTRAIN - Phase 2 successfully completed

The comprehensive work program of phase 2 of SOLTRAIN was implemented from November 2012 until February 2016. All goals were met, and several were surpassed. This is the result of the excellent co-operation of all involved project partners and the solar thermal industry of southern Africa. In total, more than 1200 people were trained in solar thermal technology and 127 solar thermal demonstration systems were installed. With these systems, 522 tons of CO2 emissions are avoided annually and the avoided electricity cost is ZAR 3.5 million.

The overall goal of SOLTRAIN – Phase 2 was to contribute to the switch from a fossil fuel-based energy supply to a sustainable energy supply system based on renewable energies in general, but solar thermal energy in particular. The project was carried out in five southern African countries: Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The activities were funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) via the ERP-Fund, and co-funded by the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).

SOLTRAIN Phase 2 consisted of the following initiatives:

As lack of awareness was seen as one of the main obstacles to the broad implementation of renewable energy technologies in general, and of solar thermal technologies in particular, comprehensive awareness activities were carried out.

In order to inform stakeholders from industry, education, policy, administration, social institutions, and the financing sector, a total of 25 stakeholder workshops with 812 participants took place in the partner countries.

Other project activities to inform the general public about SOLTRAIN and the possibilities of using solar thermal energy included participation in trade fairs, articles in newspapers and journals, and a number of radio and TV contributions.

In 2014 and 2015 BBCDC, the project partner from Lesotho received the prestigious Energy Globe Award for Lesotho. This raised not only the profile of BBCDC but also of SOLTRAIN activities on an international scale.

Further recognition came from the Eskom Eta Energy Efficiency Award, awarded on 4 December 2013 to Prof Dieter Holm from the South African project partner SESSA for the SOLTRAIN activities in the category for energy efficiency awareness. To raise awareness of the project, a number of international conferences were attended. Representatives from all SOLTRAIN partner organizations participated in the International Conference on Solar Technology in Development Cooperation in Frankfurt, Germany on 6 and 7 November 2014, and at the South African International Renewable Energy Conference (SAIREC 2015) from 4 – 7 October 2015 in Cape Town.

Another main objective of SOLTRAIN Phase 2 was the establishment and implementation of Solar Thermal Technology Platforms (STTPs) in Centres of Competence in Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa. The STTPs were founded by the main stakeholder groups in each country and were implemented in Centres of Competence (CoC) hosted by institutions of higher education in each country. The formal integration of the CoCs into the host institutions - The Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES), University Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), Namibia Energy Institute (NEI) and The Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (SESSA) - is proven by official confirmation letters of the host institutions.

During several stakeholder workshops, the STTPs formulated solar thermal visions for 2030, discussed and passed Solar Thermal Technology Roadmaps and also elaborated by-laws for the Solar Thermal Technology Platforms. The Solar Thermal Technology Roadmaps (STTRMs) are now available as a guideline for policy to support and disseminate solar thermal technologies in the project partner countries.

In Mozambique, the Solar Thermal Technology Roadmap is recognised by the Ministry for Science, Technology, Higher Education and Professional Training. In the other countries, the process of endorsement is in progress.

One of the core activities of SOLTRAIN Phase 2 was offering training courses. In total, 24 Train the Trainer courses and training courses for vocational training centres were carried out, as well as 39 dissemination courses with a total of 1212 participants.

A training course for quality inspectors, as well as two workshops for determining policy and administration, were carried out in Lesotho.

In South Africa and Namibia, two workshops for financial institutions were presented.

At the educational institutions’ CoCs, a number of university level courses on renewable energy in general were held, with a special focus on solar thermal energy for students.

In order to support the project partners with training equipment for future training courses, the institutions were equipped with eight pumped solar thermal systems and seven thermosyphon systems. Ten of these systems have been installed on solar trailers, and monitoring devices complete all of the systems.

At Stellenbosch University, the upgrade of the collector test facility to European Standards was supported by SOLTRAIN enabling commercial tests to be successfully performed at the beginning of 2016.

In order to apply the knowledge gained during the training courses, demonstration systems were installed in so-called Solar Thermal Flagship Districts to showcase different solar thermal applications.

According to the defined project documentation, it was the goal of SOLTRAIN 2 to install about 75 solar thermal demonstration systems of different sizes and applications at both social institutions and small to medium-sized enterprises.

Due to the fact that the contributions of the beneficiaries and other donors to the demonstration systems were significantly higher than initially expected, it was possible to install 127 demonstration systems instead of the 75 systems.

The number of direct beneficiaries from these 127 solar thermal demonstration systems is estimated at 1 800. Taking into account the multiple uses in hospitals, schools, homes for elderly people and other social institutions, this amounts to about 5 000 people annually.

The beneficiaries of a significant number of the installed systems are women (e.g. a girls’ school in Zimbabwe, and maternity clinics in Lesotho and Mozambique) and marginalized groups like a residents of a sheltered employment centre, a residential facility for adults with cerebral palsy, orphans, patients of a psychiatric hospital in Mozambique, two hospitals, and two retirement villages.

The annual solar yield of all solar thermal systems funded by ADA and OFID sources, and installed in phase 1 and 2 of the SOLTRAIN project, was 1 500 MWh. This corresponds to electricity savings of 1 650 MWh/a and 522 tons of avoided CO2 emissions. The avoided electricity cost corresponds to ZAR 3.5 million.

The total cost of all 127 demonstration systems (including installation) was € 903 641. The contribution of the SOLTRAIN project was € 281 468 (31%) and the contribution of the beneficiaries and funds from other donors was € 622 173 (69%).

In order to increase solar thermal energy technology awareness, to show different solar thermal applications, and to motivate decision makers to support a broad market implementation, eight technical tours with 152 decision makers to the Flagship Districts were carried out. These tours were highly successful and showed proven successes in the demonstration projects.