Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education, has inaugurated the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) Phase 1 Solar PV Mini Grid Field Laboratory, which will train staff, students, corporate organisations, and others in conventional and alternative energy generation, transmission, and distribution.
The Minister launched the project in Nsukka on Saturday as part of the activities planned for the UNN’s 52nd convocation. He stated that the Energy Park would assist in training people both within and outside of the university in the necessary skills and capacity building for various forms of energy systems.
“I commend the UNN for this project which will help to train not only staff and students of the University but also interested members of the public on adequate ways of handling energy generation, transmission and distribution.
“This is the type of project that will help the nation to find solutions to the energy challenges facing the country,” he said.
The Minister who was represented by Mrs. Rakiya Ilyasu, Director of University Education in the Federal Ministry of Education commended the Vice-Chancellor of the university Prof. Charles Igwe for many projects executed by his administration.
In a remark, Prof. Igwe applauded the World Bank, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Federal Ministry of Education, and others for providing funds and support to UNN to execute the inaugurated projects.
However, the VC whose five years tenure would end in June, like the literary ‘Oliver Twist’ , asked for more funds to enable the institution to carry out more projects.
Speaking, Prof. Emenike Ejiogu, the Director, Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-SPED) UNN, who intitiated the project said that the Energy Park was part of the proposal to World Bank and African Development Bank in the grant that established ACE-SPED.
“One aspect of the ACE-SPED is to train people on on Masters and PhD degrees in several areas that connect to energy as a way of achieving sustainable energy development.
“In the Centre, we combined theory with required practicals by training staff, students, corporate bodies, ministries on energy generation, transmission and distribution systems ,” he said.
Ejiogu who is also the Dean Faculty of Engineering, UNN said further that the Energy Park is a huge facility for the centre adding that the park will produce the manpower to man such energy system in both conventional and alternative energy system.
“This park is like an open field laboratory meant for training and capacity building as we needed intensive training to develop skilled manpower.
“When the entire project is completed will help in solving the problem of power generation, transmission and distribution because not having enough skilled manpower is also part of the problem facing the energy sector,” he said.
Ejiogu explained that the Energy Park has Sola mini grid, also has other forms of electricity generation such as Mini hydro grid that is the conventional power generation in the country using Thermal System, as well as Wind Bio-Digester System, Bio-Gas, among others. He noted that the idea of the park is to have a place where various forms of energy generation system are demonstrated.