Senior High Schools participating in the Energy Commission‘s Renewable Energy Challenge, are to enjoy patent rights to their technologies.
This follows an arrangement the Commission has made with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR and the Clean Cooking Alliance based in the USA to provide mentorship for the winning projects, and other equally good ones to develop and improve on them to become commercially viable.
The Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Engineer Oscar Amonoo-Neizer announced this at the opening of the Third Edition of the Energy Commission’s Senior High Schools Renewable Energy Challenge Northern Zonal Competition, in Kumasi.
The Third Edition of the Energy Commission’s Senior High Schools Renewable Energy Challenge Northern Zonal Competition in Kumasi was under the theme, “Clean Cooking and Food Processing Using Renewable Energy Technologies”.
The event witnessed Eight Senior High Schools from the Northern Zone competing. The competition was born out of the Energy Commission’s mandate under the Renewable Energy Act, Act 832, to promote the efficient use of electricity and renewable energy resources through public education, training and regulation of businesspersons in the sector.
By the Act, the Energy Commission is also to facilitate the inclusion of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies and programs into the curriculum of educational and training institutions, In collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, the Renewable Energy Challenge for Senior High Schools has been designed to provide education and awareness on renewable energy, clean energy and energy efficiency among second cycle institutions in Ghana to promote creative thinking and provide mentorship to the young and brilliant students.
Competing schools were expected to develop projects in the area of either clean cooking or food processing, based on the use of renewable energy technologies.
The projects developed, could be new product innovations, accessories to existing products or digital innovations to improve the performances or efficiencies of existing projects, which should be geared towards solving issues or problems identified in the clean cooking value chain by the students.
The Director of Science Education Unit at the Ghana Education Service, Mrs. Olivia Serwaa Opare said the competition ”was unearthing the core competencies in the students in the area of creativity, critical thinking, team work and tolerance”.
The Director of Commercial Services at the Bui Power Authority, Mr. Pascal Kanbonnabah announced that the Authority Bui Power Authority is engaging with the German Academic Exchange Service to support the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Energy and National Resources to undertake research in Renewable Energy for students, lecturers and professionals.
The Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Engineer Oscar Amonoo-Neizer said the legacy of the competition is that, in future, some schools are going to hold patent rights to technologies that will be a major source of income to them.
At the end of the competition, Tamale Business School placed first with 76-point-seven points for recycling agricultural waste into charcoal breaker they took home certificate, educational materials, souvenirs and the trophy.
Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School, placed second with 76.2 points, for developing Pasto fuel and Gas, they took home certificate and education materials while the third place went to Nkoranza Technical Institute, for developing palm kernel charcoal, they received certificate and educational materials.
These schools would compete at the grand final slated for October 19, 2022 in Accra with the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as the Special Guest of Honour.
Other schools that competed in the challenge were Wa SHS, Sumaman SHS, Serwaa Kesse Girls’ SHS, Wulungu SHS and Salaga SHS.
