An Innovative Solar Energy Laboratory was unveiled, yesterday morning, by the Vice-Prime Minister (VPM), Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, at the University of Mauritius (UoM), in Réduit. The Laboratory has been set up with the support of Huawei Mauritius and forms part of a long-term project known as the Park of Excellence in Solar Photovoltaic (PESP) at the UoM.
The Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard; the Vice Chancellor of the UoM, Professor Sanjeev K. Sobhee; the Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Mauritius, Mr Zheng Kui; and other personalities, were present during the unveiling ceremony.
This Laboratory project aims to: make the UoM a global reference in terms of electricity use; develop capabilities and experts to support Photovoltaic (PV) education, research, innovation and development, and; contribute towards economic and societal development locally and internationally.
Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun indicated that this project will provide industries and companies with strong supporting capacity-building in solar energy. “This Laboratory will allow us to come closer to Government’s commitment in ensuring that 60% of the country’s energy are produced by green energy by 2030,” the VPM added.
For his part, Minister Lesjongard indicated that energy security and reliability has been a key element in the socio-economic development of Mauritius. He emphasised that using the renewable energy approach is more and more sustainable, both environmentally and economically, and will help to further our ambition for the transition to a low-carbon economy.
On this score, Mr Lesjongard dwelt on some bold policy measures announced by the Government including the phasing out of coal for power generation by 2030 and; reviewing of the renewable energy roadmap for the electricity sector in 2022 so as to facilitate the green energy transition and to optimise the combination of those renewable energy technologies to allow for the achievement of the set target by 2030.
“In Mauritius, solar energy can be fully exploited using PV technology at all scales and, that is why, supported by the various schemes introduced by my Ministry and the Central Electricity Board, more than 120 MW of PV have been installed across Mauritius,” he indicated.
This Solar Energy Laboratory, Minister Lesjongard underscored, will make students more passionate on the subject of renewable energy, in particular as regards solar PV, as well as allow the University to further research in the field of solar PV and PV-based microgrids. “I hope to see the birth of a new breed of future entrepreneurs who can actively contribute to the national green energy transition by bringing innovative ideas and their unique skills set to the service of the green energy industry,” he highlighted.
As for the Vice Chancellor of the UoM, he pointed out that the laboratory has been set up with several modern and unique pieces of equipment, including a video conferencing system that will allow remote learning of solar energy technologies. “This unique facility will further strengthen the quality of education imparted and the skills set of the graduates who will benefit from hands-on training and experiential learning,” Professor Sobhee indicated.
