GERMANY: Solar-tech for developing countries

The German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD, has brought together alumni from developing countries who graduated from German universities for a meeting on 'Renewables'. Included was a visit to the Intersolar Europe solar industry trade fair.

The meeting was part of the DAAD's 'Special Projects for Alumni', a programme funded by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The idea is to link theory and practice by bringing academics together with industrialists at one-week summer schools, followed by joint projects and visits to trade fairs. The Special Projects were declared a Unesco Decade Project in 2009.

The 'Renewables' meeting, involving 50 alumni from 29 countries, included a week of further education at the Universities of Oldenburg and Kassel, followed by a visit to Intersolar Europe in Munich.

With more than 1,700 exhibitors and 60,000 visitors from more than 145 countries this year, Intersolar Europe is the world's largest solar industry trade fair. Here, the alumni discussed problems and potentials in their home countries with local experts while they were also able to view state-of-the-art developments in photovoltaics and solar thermal technology. They were also represented at the trade fair with a stand of their own.

While access to electricity is one of the United Nations' goals and a vital factor in combatting poverty, around 1.6 billion people still have to make do without it.

The availability of natural resources and sufficient sunlight is not so much of a problem in most developing countries, so a climate-friendly energy supply would be feasible. But while know-how in solar technology is making rapid progress it is this specialist and up-to-date knowledge that so many countries lack.

Zivai Chguvare is from Zimbabwe and works in South Africa. He studied applied physics and then did a PhD in physics at the University of Oldenburg, specialising in solar cells. He takes a particular interest in photovoltaics, a technology with a huge potential in a country where the majority of people are without electricity, even in the cities.

Chguvare attended the summer school at the University of Oldenburg, focusing mainly on the sustainability of photovoltaics projects.

"I think we have gained some really valuable insights through visiting companies producing various solar components," Chguvare said. "The fair here in Munich is excellent. I have never seen so many companies under one roof. And not only are the companies ready to provide us with information, we have been given a lot of exposure, too."

David Tinaro, also from Zimbabwe, studied physics in Cuba and went on to do a PhD in electrical engineering in Kassel. He stressed the poor state of the public grid in Zimbabwe, and thinks that photovoltaics could provide solutions, even in cities.

"But my real interest is in solar water systems for rural people," he explained. "And here, moving around companies, I have gained lots of ideas. When I go back, I will be significantly better informed. Now we know who to talk to when we want what."

michael.gardner@uw-news.com