New courses address energy efficiency issues

The training and development of an energyefficient knowledge base is essential if South Africa wants to reach its energy targets over the next few years. This is according to Professor Xiaohua Xia, director of the Centre of New Energy Systems (CNES) at the University of Pretoria. Speaking at the monthly Transport Forum in Woodmead, Johannesburg last Thursday, Prof Xia said the demand from the industry for more knowledge and a better database on energy efficiency had led to the University designing several short courses for 2009. “To address industry demand, a five-year project from 2009 to 2013 of the South African National Energy Research Institute (SANERI) has been launched in a joint effort with the Department of Minerals and Energy as well as the Department of Science and Technology with the focus on training postgraduates in energy efficiency.” Said Xia: “We know there is a demand for research from the engineers working in the various fields in the industry. We hope to address skills shortages and expand the knowledge base. We are, however, calling for more participation from the industry to give input into specific needs for training programmes. More internships should also be developed to give researchers a base within the workplace.”