The Gobabis Vocational Training Centre (GVTC) is now able to harness solar energy and operate in a manner that reduces its environmental impact and lower its carbon footprint. A ground-mounted 80-kilowatt system, the photovoltaic solar installation, inaugurated on 31 October 2023, covers the entire electricity needs of the centre, inclusive of three-phase equipment.
According to GVTC Centre Manager, Mr. Ernst Eixab, the installation includes a backup generator that kicks in automatically after ten seconds when the grid goes down.
“At full fuel capacity, the generator covers all electricity needs, including three-phase equipment, for up to 18 hours. To secure the installation, which also includes solar lights on the premises, 14 cameras have been installed, which is monitored remotely from our guard house. Generation is monitored via a wireless module that captures and records daily outputs”, he says.
“The main advantage of solar electricity is the cost saving aspect over the long term. Furthermore, from a corporate social responsibility perspective, we are now able to generate our own green electricity. This installation makes us very proud. It is a significant leap
forward in our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the holistic training of our trainees with the skills and expertise needed to grow the Namibian economy”, Eixab adds.
Eixab also expresses gratitude to the development partners who funded the project. “Funding covered the plant, cameras, solar lights and other miscellaneous items like the fencing. We remain indebted to the Promotion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Namibia (ProTVET) project, which is a joint technical cooperation programme of the NTA and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)”, he highlighted.
The total cost of the GVTC installation amounts to NAD 4,176,830.00 (four million one hundred and seventy-six eight hundred and thirty).