Page 10 - CSIR ScienceScope Publication Volume 16 - number 1 of 2020

> O U R P E O P L E | G R A D U AT E -IN -T R A IN IN G P R O G R A M M E

D e v e lo p in g th e

c o u n try ’s fu tu re

en erg y e xp e rts

A sc h o o l e xc u rsio n to S c iFe st in M a k h a n d a c u rre n t e n e rg y c risis,” h e says. O n e o f th e m o st n o ta b le
in th e E a ste rn C a p e c h a n g e d th e c o u rse o f p ro je c ts th a t h e h a s w o rk e d o n is d e sig n in g th e w in d
Jo d y Ju lie s’ life . It w a s th e first tim e th a t h e c o m p o n e n t o f a m in i-g rid so lu tio n in te n d e d fo r a
w a s in tro d u c e d to re se a rc h c o n d u c te d a t th e c o m m u n ity in U p p e r B lin k w ate r in th e E a ste rn C a p e .
C S IR , a n d w h e n a n o p p o rtu n ity to a p p ly fo r a b u rsa ry Ju lie s says w o rk in g w ith d ata , a n d m o d e llin g th e id e a l
to stu d y e n g in e e rin g p re se n te d itse lf, h e to o k it. Ju lie s e n e rg y so lu tio n fo r a c o m m u n ity th at w o u ld o th e rw ise
o b ta in e d h is B E n g in M e c h a tro n ic s fro m S te lle n b o sc h h av e n o a c c e ss to th e n atio n a l g rid , h a s sh o w n h im h o w
U n iv e rsity a n d w a s th e p e rfe c t c a n d id a te fo r th e C S IR ’s h is w o rk c a n h av e re a l-life im p a c t.
n e w g ra d u ate in -tra in in g p ro g ra m m e .
A n e n e r g y o f f -g r id b lu e p r in t f o r
T h e C S IR ’s g ra d u a te in -tra in in g p ro g ra m m e p ro v id e s
re c e n t g ra d u a te s w ith sk ills a n d re le v a n t w o rk e x p e rie n c e S o u t h A f r ic a ’s r u r a l c o m m u n it ie s
to c re ate a p o o l o f c o m p e te n t p ro fe ssio n a ls th at is
a lig n e d to th e o rg a n isa tio n ’s stra te g y. T h e p ro g ra m m e is E le c tric a l e n g in e e rs a n d re se a rc h e rs fro m th e C S IR
d e sig n e d w ith th e re q u ire m e n ts o f re le v a n t p ro fe ssio n a l a re le a d in g th e w in d c o m p o n e n t o f a m in i-g rid
b o d ie s in m in d ; in th is c a se , th e E n g in e e rin g C o u n c il o f p ro je c t to e le c trify a sm a ll v illa g e in th e E a ste rn C a p e .
S o u th A fric a a n d th e S o u th A fric a n C o u n c il fo r N atu ra l T h e re m o te n e ss o f th e v illa g e h a m p e rs a c c e ss to
S c ie n tific P ro fe ssio n s. T h e a im is to e n su re th a t tra in e e s e le c tric ity fro m th e n a tio n a l u tilitie s g rid . T h e p ro je c t
a re g iv e n e n o u g h e x p o su re to a s m a n y fu n c tio n s o f re lie s o n a h y b rid a p p ro a c h in w h ic h w in d tu rb in e s, a
th e C S IR o p e ra tio n s a s p o ssib le , th ro u g h in d u c tio n p h o to v o lta ic syste m , a b atte ry so u rc e a n d a b a c k-u p
a n d ro ta tio n . T h e p ro g ra m m e w a s d e sig n e d to h e e d d ie se l g e n e ra to r a re u se d .
th re e c o m p o n e n ts, n a m e ly in d u c tio n , le a rn in g a n d The Eastern C ap e governm ent, thro ug h the D ep artm ent
d e v e lo p m e n t, a n d so c ia l in n o v a tio n fo r im p a c t. o f E c o n o m ic D e v e lo p m e n t, E n v iro n m e n ta l A ff a irs
a n d To u rism , is c o lla b o ra tin g w ith th e S o u th
A s p a rt o f th e p ro g ra m m e , Ju lie s w a s p la c e d in th e C S IR ’s
E n e rg y R e se a rc h C e n tre w h e re h e h a s b e c o m e a v a lu e d A fric a W in d En e rg y Pro je c t (SAW EP) to ad d th e w in d
m e m b e r o f th e te a m th a t u n d e rta k e s w in d e n e rg y co m p o n e n t to th e U p p e r B lin k w a te r m in i-g rid
re se a rc h . “It’s e xc itin g to b e a t th e fo re fro n t o f p ro v id in g p ro je c t. S AW E P is su p p o rte d b y th e U n ite d N a tio n s
so lu tio n s re g a rd in g e n e rg y, e sp e c ia lly w ith th e c o u n try ’s D e v e lo p m e n t P ro g ra m m e w ith re so u rc e s fro m th e

10 \ ScienceScope