Very few people have access to the electricity grid in the Homa Bay district in western Kenya. Instead, diesel generators and oil lamps are used to produce electricity and light. Solar energy offers a cheap and sensible alternative to generate electricity decentrally. For solar systems to function sustainably in the long term, trained professionals are needed to install and maintain the systems.
Due to the lack of training centres for technicians and craftspeople in the solar sector, the majority of working solar technicians in Kenya are not or poorly trained. There is only one official and active educational institution in the whole of Western Kenya. However, many underprivileged youths from rural areas are denied access due to a lack of previous knowledge or financial means.
Therefore, a holistic vocational training programme in solar technology was established. On the one hand, this gives young people realistic career prospects and, at the same time, makes a decisive contribution to combating widespread energy poverty and climate change. In addition, young people who have lost touch with the formal education system are given the opportunity to re-enter and obtain a recognised qualification.
The project gives young people vocational training and their first work experience. They can then use these skills for their professional careers and earn an income.
The solar professionals will create improved access to renewable energy in Western Kenya. This in turn brings economic uplift and prospects for the population with it. Households, schools and health centres benefit from solar power and thus reduce the use of environmentally harmful alternatives.
From 2020 to 2022, 149 young adults received profound vocational training. Solar systems were installed in 7 rural schools and water pumps during the practical trainings. As a result, three villages with a catchment area of 20,000 people have access to clean drinking water and the teaching conditions for 5,000 students and teachers have been improved. In addition, 380 solar systems have been installed for off-grid households. 19 of the graduates have successfully organised themselves as small businesses and secured start-up capital.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, vocational schools in Kenya were also partially closed. In response, Solafrica and its partner organisations built a digital learning platform and integrated it into the training programme for solar technicians.
For more information, click here: Mobile Solar Learning
The project was handed over to the local actors in 2023. During the project period, they were supported in building up the necessary organisational and financial capacities to continue the training after the end of the project.
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