Project description

Training of local engineers and technicians is a key part of STG’s mission and goals. STG also works with other key stakeholders in project areas, including governmental, NGO, and for-profit organizations. In Lesotho, this includes the Government’s Appropriate Technology Services, Renewable Energy Division, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Education, as well as the Lesotho Electricity Authority, a number of educational institutions focused on technical education (National University of Lesotho, Lerotholi Polytechnique, etc.), and NGOs managing health clinics in Lesotho (Partners in Health, CHAL, etc.).

STG conducted several weeks of training with partners BBCDC and ATS under the World Bank Development Marketplace Grant during 2006-07, and in collaboration with ATS and the National University of Lesotho, has received funding from the UNDP Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) to replicate this training for a wider group of partners and stakeholders during 2013.

Both theoretical and applied topics are covered over several weeks of collaborative work, including but not limited to the following topics:

• Basic Mathematics
• Solar Energy Theory
• Electrical and Control Systems
• Thermodynamics
• Power cycles and engines
• Heat transfer
• Workshop Tools and Safety
• Working with Materials
• Steel (cutting and welding)
• Aluminum and Brass (machining and turning)
• Rapid Prototyping
• Plumbing and Fitting
• Circuit Design

These short courses form the basis of both a theoretical understanding of how concentrating solar power works and the training for manufacturing of STG Solar ORCs. As such, STG is working to formalize these courses into an online course – similar to initiatives at many US universities like MIT – for use in classrooms around the globe. STG is also, under the Constellation Energy E2 Grant and this current UNDP GEF Grant, developing curriculum for an undergraduate level solar course based on these training modules.