Germany supports Sri Lanka’s path towards a green energy future
The Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration ( SLIDA) was recently picked as the Green Energy Champion 2017, in the second year of a competition launched by the German Federal Foreign Office together with other partners.
The Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy of Sri Lanka, and the project implementing partner Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit ( GIZ) GmbH and Sri Lanka S u s t a i n abl e E n e r g y Authority, were the other partners.
A media release issued by the German Foreign Office, said SLIDA was able to convince the jury members with their integrated project proposal which aims at becoming a model training institute for the entire public sector in Sri Lanka.
With the help of the Rs. 10 million provided through the German Government, SLIDA is going to extend its existing Solar PV system, to install a biogas unit for its kitchen waste, to establish an urban composting garden and to promote home gardening, to install RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) keys and to develop an awareness training course for public sector managers.
The jury that picked the winner comprised Jörn Rohde,German Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives; D. D. Amarathunga, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy and representatives of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Sri Lanka Energy Managers Association (SLEMA).
The Green Energy Champion project is aimed at finding the best idea towards the use of renewable energy as well as the improvement of energy efficiency, and this year 80 applications were submitted from community based organisations ( CBOs), schools, household groups, government institutions and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).
Five finalists were selected for the final round: Batticaloa Municipal Council, Kuliyapitiya P r a d e s h i ya S ab h a , Renewable Energy Systems Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, SLIDA and Diyagala Boys Town (DBT) together with the State Ministry of Science, Technology and Research Sri Lanka.
They all took part in a 2-day workshop where their individual project concepts were presented for further adjustments under technical guidance.
The workshop included sessions on project management as well as on technical and financial Feasibility, public acceptance and communication. Based on those inputs the participants were able to fine- tune their concepts before presenting them to the jury members.
In addition to the winning entry, the second ranked Diyagala Boys Town together with the State Ministry of Science, Technology and Research will be awarded with technical equipment and training worth up to Rs. 2.5 million and the third ranked Batticaloa Municipal Council with equipment worth up to Rs. 1.5 million.