Shell brings solar energy training to Oman

Business Sunday 10/December/2017 15:28 PM
By: Times News Service
Shell brings solar energy training to Oman

Muscat: In a bid to continue to support Oman’s energy transition, renewables skills capacity building, and the development of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, Shell Development Oman (SDO) recently held its annual week-long ‘PV basics’ training course at the Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Riyada). The workshop was conducted by representatives from Solar Energy International, USA; an internationally recognised organisation that provides industry-leading technical training and expertise in renewable energy globally. Presentations were also delivered by representatives the Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER), and The Distribution Code Review Panel (DCRP) on Oman’s new small scale solar photovoltaics (PV) regulations. The training was attended by 32 solar energy entrepreneurs as well as representatives from the Ministry of Education, AER, Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, and the DCRP. The PV course arms solar entrepreneurs with the technical and safety skills needed to design, install and maintain solar PV systems. These skills are critical to ensuring the establishment of a robust Omani solar SME ecosystem and provide the needed foundations for safely delivering small scale solar projects in Oman such as Shell’s ‘Solar into Schools’ Project and the ‘Sahim’ initiative. The ‘Solar into Schools’ project was identified as one of two key initiatives in Shell’s 2015 Gift to the Nation. This initiative has already seen SDO launch solar energy systems into select Omani schools in Nizwa, Buraimi and Salalah, and will see the same happen across other Omani public schools across the Sultanate over the next few years. “Shell Development Oman is pleased to support the solar PV training course for another successful round. The significant difference between this year and last year training is there is now a training pre-requisite for achieving registration with the DCRP as a solar installer. This training provides solar SMEs with the technical knowledge to help them prepare for upcoming solar initiatives in the Sultanate and more so supports the DCRP and AER in their efforts to establish a sustainable small scale solar market in Oman that is working to internationally recognized standards,” said Muna Al Shukaili, General Manager of External Relations at Shell Development Oman. Shell Development Oman’s next solar fundamentals training programme will be held in early 2018. In addition, an advanced PV training course has also been planned in the same year and it will focus operations, maintenance, and solar PV modelling techniques.