IROEGT empowers technicians to maintain renewable energy resources in Tonga

About 50 technicians and town officers attended trainings this month to empower them on maintaining renewable energy resources in Tonga.

The trainings were conducted by the Department of Energy under the Ministry of MEIDECC in collaboration with the Government of France as part of the Increase Renewable Energy in Overall Electricity Generation in Tonga (IREOEGT) project.

They were aimed at enhancing participants skills and knowledge on how to provide maintenance for available renewable energy technologies in Vava’u.

OIC Vava’u MEIDECC Office, Lucy Fa’nunu said, “This training enables local technicians to be part of Tonga’s national strategies transition to achieve a 50% renewable energy source by the year 2020. As a national focus topic, Tonga had decided to work on improving our local technicians in maintenance and operating the renewable energy technologies installed in the country.”

Participants were taken through a series of lectures on stabilizing the national grid under high renewable energy penetration and tutorials how to properly care for technologies such as the solar street lights, solar water pumps, solar home system and solar freezers.

The renewable energy technologies available in Vava’u were funded by the Pacific Environment Community Fund Project, which was financed by the Government and People of Japan through the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat.

Similar trainings will be conducted in Tongatapu as well as the rest of the outer islands later in the year.

 

Photo supplied