Around ten actors from the Center-South and Center-East regions are participating, from May 21 to 24, 2024, in Tiébélé, in the province of Nahouri, in training on the maintenance and management of systems photovoltaic solar panels , at the initiative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
A total of 14 people are involved in this training session. They come from the communes of Bittou, Zabré and Zoaga in the Center-East region and Gogo, Gon-Boussougou, Ziou and Tiébélé from the Center-South region. These are localities of intervention of the ”Lands of Opportunity in the Sahel” (LOGMe) project which encouraged, within them, the establishment of climate-smart villages by providing them with photovoltaic solar installations at namely boreholes equipped with solar systems, solar street lights, production and transformation units operating on photovoltaic solar energy.
By initiating training for the benefit of these actors in the rural world, the International Union for Conservation of N
ature (IUCN) wants to have a qualified workforce to effectively maintain and manage these systems, declared the LOGMe project manager at IUCN, Bassourou Boyla. These technicians will also help, at the same time, to ‘ improve livelihoods and in turn help reduce, reverse and avoid landscape degradation ,’ noted Mr. Boyla.
Concretely during the four days of learning and development, indicated the trainer Aboubakar Minougou, the participants will be introduced to photovoltaic solar technology and its areas of application and to the sizing and installation techniques of domestic and commercial solar systems. and solar pumping systems. They will also learn to plan and implement a preventive and curative maintenance program and carry out practical work on the assembly and troubleshooting of these systems. In addition to the theoretical and practical phase through group work in the classroom, a field trip is planned for the participants. ‘ They will visit these systems, carry out their maintenance in the presence of
trainers who will guide them towards good techniques and good practices in terms of management and maintenance ,’ announced Aboubakar Minougou.
For him, these different phases of improvement for the maintenance of photovoltaic solar infrastructures are crucial.
‘ It is true that the quality of the equipment comes first but regardless of this quality if the installed system is not properly maintained, properly known to the technician who is involved in its maintenance and management, it will not be able to achieve the expected duration life ,’ argued Mr. Minougou. He adds that in addition to the training, to enable participants to effectively carry out their task in their respective municipalities, minimum maintenance equipment will be given to them.
The president of the special delegation of the commune of Tiébélé, Aimé Gué, welcomed the holding of the session which will allow the participants, according to him, to contribute to ensuring the profitability of energy infrastructures, avoid production losses
and support the government in its energy policy aimed at promoting the productive use of energy sources including solar pumping technology.
In addition to supporting communities, Bassourou Boyla said he hoped that the expertise acquired could financially benefit individual beneficiaries.
‘ We encourage them to be able to set up on their own, to go as far as creating micro-enterprises based on solar systems ,’ confided the LOGMe project manager to the IUCN.
Funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security through the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the LOGMe project aims to make a significant and sustainable contribution to the restoration of landscapes in the Sahel while creating income-generating opportunities for local communities.
Source: Burkina Information Agency