University to help Sri Lanka tap into "vast resource" of renewables

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) will receive a share of almost one million euros to help Sri Lanka address workforce shortages in renewable energy skills and meet its ambitious targets.

Researchers at the University have been tasked with helping the South Asian country upskill so it can deliver 80% of its energy from renewables. The project will look to achieve this by building skills in the designing, commissioning and maintaining of renewable energy projects, with a specific focus on solar and wind.

The three-year project has been funded by Erasmus+ and is worth £900,000, with GCU allocated £124,000.

In collaboration with a host of partners from a range of countries, GCU’s researchers will now establish five training hubs across Sri Lanka for technicians (for installation and commissioning), engineers (for design and maintenance) and project managers (for developing and operating the projects).

The pitch for the research project was led by Professor Mohamed Emad Farrag, from GCU’s School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment. He is joined on the project by Dr Ahmed Aboushady, Dr Muditha Kulatunga and Dr Azmy Gowaid.

Professor Farrag said: “Sri Lanka has a vast resource of renewables that is not used due to the lack of a trained workforce.We have the expertise here at GCU to train others, so they can make their own countries better and healthy places within the world community. Projects such as this are what GCU’s research strategy is all about, tying in with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”