GIZ conducts training courses for professional development in solar energy

GIZ has conducted professional development training courses in the field of solar energy for high school teachers and solar panel installers, as a part of the German development cooperation program. The training course for high school teachers was held in the city of Kula in the Bačka region and for solar panel installers in Kać, near Novi Sad.

Training courses for staff development in the field of sustainable energy technologies in Serbia, with a focus on the application of solar energy, are carried out by the German Development Agency (GIZ), under a project called Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency in Serbia. Two complementary training courses have been conducted in the past month.

Two days of training for 20 high school educators who teach vocational courses to renewable energy electricians was organized by the society for renewable energy sources of Mihajlo Pupin Technical School in Kula. The teachers came from 10 technical high schools across Serbia.

A three-day professional development training course for 18 people in the field of solar photovoltaic system installation was held at Energy Net Academy in Kać.

Theoretical basis for teaching in secondary schools

As Saša Skoko, a teacher at Mihajlo Pupin Electrical Engineering School in Novi Sad, pointed out during the theoretical part of the training in Kula, the secondary school teachers were acquainted with details of the application of the prosumer approach in the field of solar energy.

He added that such a model of solar energy production is now on the rise worldwide as well as in Serbia.

“It is important that students get acquainted with trends and developments in the field of renewable energy sources. Even though this information is not the focus of the students’ required knowledge at the moment, it gives them a broader picture of the practical application of education and the knowledge they acquire,” said Skoko.

He said it was essential that the participants visited a biogas plant and a wind farm next to a solar power plant near Kula during the practical part of the training.

Skoko also said he hoped he would have the opportunity to take his students to visit these plants next spring, adding that he would include the information obtained in this training course in his classes.

Part of the two-day course for teachers was held on the training ground for renewable energy sources of Mihajlo Pupin Technical School, which includes an installation with a mini solar power plant and a wind turbine.

“If I had to highlight one thing from this theoretical and practical training, it would probably be that we have received information on what didactic means are applied in teaching in this part of the world. We can now choose the most important ones for our students’ practical knowledge when introducing didactic means into our classes, which we are currently working on,” said Darko Bjelopavlić, who teaches at Pirot Technical School.

Acquiring practical knowledge

Participants in the three-day professional training course in Kać for installers of solar photovoltaic systems also pointed out that the course was beneficial, especially for acquiring practical knowledge.

“I am engaged in the financial planning and supervision of projects in the energy sector and solar panel installation. This training course, during which I learned and saw many technical details, will help me to do my job more efficiently and accurately. In this way, we will be able to save time and money in the procurement of materials and equipment and make more accurate project plans in advance in terms of installation execution and cost forecasting,” said Nataša Petrović, who works in an energy and solar panels company.

The project aims to improve the use of renewable energy sources

As part of the project titled Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Efficiency in Serbia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia, a number of other activities will be carried out. According to GIZ, the project should improve the legislative, institutional and technical framework for greater use of sustainable energy technologies in Serbia.

The project is part of the German development cooperation program and aims to improve the conditions for greater use of renewable energy sources in electricity production in Serbia. GIZ pointed out that the focus of all project activities is developing and implementing the prosumer model in electricity generation from solar energy.