Cape Town – Learning that is possible through the technology available at South Africa’s first national renewable energy technology centre must be made accessible beyond the Western Cape, said Higher Education and Training director-general Gwebinkundla Qonde.
He was speaking at the launch of the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (Saretec) at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Bellville campus yesterday.
The milestone event brought a host of industry partners who support Saretec and are leaders in the renewable energy space.
Qonde said the need to move towards renewable sources of energy remained important.
“Saretec is positioned in a space where it can exert maximum influence through research-informed teaching and skills development in service of the community, industry and society.
“The department is pleased that the project that began in 2012 has come to fruition and is now supplying the much-needed specialised skills for the growing renewable energy industry in South Africa,” he said.
Qonde said the department, through the National Skills Fund, made available R105 million for establishing and equipping Saretec, which included R24 million for its operational fees for three years.
The only centre of its kind in Africa, Saretec trains Wind Turbine Service Technicians and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technicians, and is also mandated to train technicians in energy efficiency and biomass/biogas.
Saretec director Naim Rassool said that the concept stemmed from the strong need for training these scarce skills within the renewable energy industry.
“When saw that none of the educational institutions had the capabilities to do this training and that’s where the idea of Saretec was borne,” he said.
“Multiple trips to Germany were undertaken to see what a renewable energy training centre looked like.
“We received the funding in 2012, started building and in 2015. In 2016 we began our first training programme,” he said.
Rassool said the industry needed technicians, with the first eight in the final stages of rigorous training and all hand-picked according to their qualifications and backgrounds.
He said with new wind farms coming online in 2020, the need would be higher and Saretec would be training 24 technicians.
CPUT vice-chancellor Dr Chris Nhlapo said the need for such a centre arose from government’s announcement that it would install 6 724 megawatts solar and wind industry in the next 10 years.
He said this meant higher education institutions would need to train and build infrastructure in this highly specialised field, which made CPUT ideal.
Frenrico Resandt, from Eneke near Piketberg, a trainee of the Apprentice Skills Game Changer programme, has a qualification in electrical engineering.
“I applied for the programme last year but due to the student unrest it was halted, but this year I got a call and I was asked if I was still interested,” he said.
“I quit my job as a radio frequency technician. I worked in electronics when I served in the navy, so this opportunity I grabbed with both hands.”
Sinovuyo Mhlobo-Nqamakwe, from the Eastern Cape, has mechanical engineering national diploma from Walter Sisulu University.
Mhlobo-Nqamakwe said the training was rigorous but she enjoyed every minute of it.
She said there were only three women in the training and they were supported and assisted by their male counterparts.