1.3 How educated we are

The availability of educated and trained people at all levels and in all engineering disciplines is a crucial factor for the successful implementation of any programme towards sustainable use of energy, as well as preserving the environment. Unfortunately, at current stage the universities of Armenia are not involved in specific education programmes to prepare specialists and professionals in renewable energy field. Some disciplines within the general power engineering programmes though incorporate basics for renewable energy. An introductory and non-mandatory renewable energy classes are incorporated in very few universities’ curricula. However, no

institution is actively pursuing teaching activities in this area at both bachelor and master degrees. Few universities are engaged in education and research and development in solar energy, such as State Engineering University, State University, and American University of Armenia. Despite the fact that with increasing pressures of fossil fuel scarcity and adverse environmental impacts of their use, more countries make efforts towards providing renewable energy and environmental education, Armenia has not been taken this seriously and no real efforts have been made to provide renewable energy and environmental education.

Education as a way to get public (not only academic institutions and students) to understand and be aware about the benefits renewable energy can offer is a crucial component. In this regard, a few efforts have been taken to bring attention of general public and schools community on renewable energy basics. A number of programs to promote renewable energy in Armenia were implemented since mid 1990s. Specifically the education and public awareness projects included small scale publications for general public [1], [2] and workshops or seminars under donor funded projects [3]. In 2004 SolarEn, LLC in association with UNDP, ASE/USAID, Armenia Tree Project NGO and Ministry of Education has developed and implemented a project that included preparation of Renewable Energy Poster and Instruction Manual for teachers [4]. The posters and manuals were distributed to all state schools in Armenia (over 1400). The project envisaged provision of general information on renewable energy technologies as well as the specific technologies applicable for Armenia. It also indicated renewable energy projects already implemented in Armenia. The poster is easily understandable to pupils, while the teachers’ manual provides key information in technical and economic aspects as well as environmental benefits. The project was unique in terms of the approach — delivery of basic knowledge to young generation and teaching teachers through the all state schools. Measurement of results was not envisaged under the project. It was agreed with the Ministry of Education to include provision of basic knowledge through school curricula under “General Physics” classes. However, non-mandatory nature of such introductory approach did not ensure the classes be successful. Finally, general public and potential consumers as well as communities, businesses and decision makers at state agencies are unfamiliar with the benefits of renewable energy.

M. Perez-Garci’a1* , J. L. Bosch1 and A. Fernandez2

1 University of Almeria (UAL), Department of Applied Physics, E-04120 Almeria, Spain
2 CIEMAT-PSA E-04200 Tabernas (Almeria), Spain
Corresponding Author, mperez@ual. es

Abstract

This work describes the configuration and the performance of a small scale device aimed to be used as educational tool to support the contents related to the interconnection modes in a PV generator as well as to visualize the effect caused by the partial shading of one or several of its cells. The device consists of three main components: a set of m-Si cells, a variable light source and a load simulator connected to general purpose electrical meter. All the elements of the device are low cost and easily available in electricity and electronics laboratories. The performance of the device allows to draw I-V curves for each one of the cells and their parallel — series combinations under controllable illumination levels. This educational kit has been developed for its use in the Laboratory of Energy and Environment of the Department of Applied Physics of the University of Almeria.

Keywords: solar cells, interconnection, mismatch, hotspot

1. Introduction

The understanding of the solar cells characteristics as electricity generators is one of the key topics in any course on photovoltaic solar energy fundamentals or applications. In this sense, the students might get used to the solar radiation and temperature dependence of the solar cells parameters and, as consequence, their energy yield in function of local climate as well as they should be also able to extract complementary information from the shape of I-V curves as, for example, that requested for optimizing PV systems performance by the application of the maximum power tracking concept.

The step from individual cells characteristics to PV modules, arrays or plants characteristics is immediate because it consists essentially in the series-parallel combination of single elements until matching the voltage and/or current levels requested for the inverters or any other final PV system component. This combination, although in practice is not usually further analyzed by the students once PV system design is concluded, must however be still carefully studied because the lack of equilibrium between interconnected parts or strings can cause a serious problem in the whole PV generator under certain conditions. The above is provoked by two main reasons [1]. The first one, intrinsic, is the finite manufacturer’s tolerance in cell characteristics and, consequently, the eventual interconnection of non exactly identical elements. In an PV array, in these circumstances, the output power of the combination is less than the sum of maximum output power of its constituents. The second reason arises due to external causes as accidental impacts provoking the partial or full opening of a string due to cell

cracking and, especially, the shadowing of a certain fraction of the generator because predictable (near buildings, trees, mast,…) or unpredictable (bird droppings or fallen leaves) sun radiation blocking.

All the losses in the PV generator performance caused by the above are called mismatch losses As greater the difference between mismatched parts in regard to the rest of the generator elements, the higher losses because the output of the entire PV generator is determined by the solar cell with the lowest output. In addition to this undesired effect, when the difference exceeds certain level, the unbalanced elements in the generator become reverse biased, acting as loads instead of generators and, if not appropriate protection exists, overheating of these parts (hot-spot effect) can arise and, in severe cases, the system can be irreversibly damaged [2].

The methods for correcting fault tolerance for the electrical mismatch consist on limiting of component malfunctions by redundant circuit design together to on site extensive modules checking. This increase the installation time and costs, specially in multi-MWp plants, but, usually, the retrieved energy justify this extra effort. On the other hand, the hot spot effect in the partially shadowed solar cell arrays is minimized considerably by installing bypass diodes connected in parallel, but with opposite polarity, to the eventually affected solar cell. Many studies have been done to optimize the number and configuration of these diodes in PV modules and generators [3-4]. The performance of by-pass diodes is based on the following: under normal operation, each solar cell will be forward biased and therefore the bypass diode will be reverse biased and will effectively be an open circuit. However, if a solar cell is reverse biased due to the a mismatch in short-circuit current between several series connected cells, then the bypass diode conducts, thereby allowing the current from the good solar cells to flow in the external circuit rather than forward biasing each good cell. Although modules manufacturers and PV systems designers are used on hot spot prevention, the new needs as bigger modules for grid connected applications and the requirement of the absence of connection box for architecturally integrated PV applications in windows or roofs, make necessary case specific configurations to protect the systems against this risk.

The effect of unbalanced cells in PV generators curves can be easily visualized by a simple a procedure and its study can provide to the students a large amount of specific skills on cells electrical performance. The equipment proposed in this work consists of a) a set of cells prepared to be manually interconnected by leads in different modes c) a set of controllable light sources, each one linked to specific cell and d) a load simulator able to provide corresponding I-V pairs to draw characteristic curve of each cell.

2. Theoretical basis

The idea of Italy’s Archive on the History of Solar Energy began to develop within GSES in 2003, with the main purpose to preserve and make widely available the Italian heritage of solar energy use. Two main actions were initiated: the preparation of a “Directory of Italian Activities and Bibliography of Significant Literature” regarding the period prior to the first oil shock of 1973 and the identification of overlooked archives at universities and research centres or privately owned [1].

Key information to begin a narrowly focused investigation was found in the World Directory on Applied Solar Energy Research, published and distributed in 1955 by Stanford Research Institute for the Association for Applied Solar Energy (AFASE), the precursor of today’s International Solar Energy Society (ISES) [2]. This publication, which lists approximately 4000 references relevant to 27 countries and covers 17 different topics, from architecture to bibliographies, from furnaces to heat storage and systems, includes a dozen references regarding Italian activities and publications prior to 1955.

Other citations and bibliographies that were useful in guiding our historical research during this early phase were found in books, such as “L’energia solare e le sue applicazioni (Solar energy and its applications)” by Righini and Nebbia [3] and in articles, magazines and scientific journals published in the late 1800s and early 1900s, such as IlMonitore Tecnico (The Technical Monitor), Scienza e Tecnica (Science and Technology), L’Ingegnere (The Engineer), Il Sole (The Sun).

We also looked at books by international authors, which had been translated into Italian. For example, according to Rau, although Italy is “Ilpaese del Sole” (The country of the Sun), there were few Italian representatives among the most innovative solar energy pioneers. Those who were interested in solar energy, according to Rau, ‘made only marginal contributions by adding to or improving technologies developed elsewhere’ [4]. This statement, as we will see later is not correct.

The initial branch of the solar archive started to take shape in Brescia, in northern Italy, at the Luigi Micheletti Foundation and the Eugenio Battisti Museum of Industry and Work (www. musil. bs. it) [5]. In 2002 the Giorgio and Gabriella Nebbia collection on a range of environmental topics was donated. Nebbia’s collection contains one of the largest Italian archives on solar energy of the 1900s. In 2005 the heirs of Giovanni Francia (1911 — 1980), who was the first person ever to apply the Fresnel reflector technology principle in real systems, both linear and point focus, donated his personal archive.

The creation of Italy’s Solar Archive made an important step forward in 2006, when the “Italian National Committee ‘The History of Solar Energy’” (CONASES), a multidisciplinary non profit entity was established by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, following a proposal by GSES. Funding support by CONASES contributed to intensify research of other private archives and documentation that belonged to Italian solar pioneers cited in literature, such as Gaetano Vinaccia (1889 — 1971), Vittorio Storelli (1911 — 2003), Ferruccio Grassi (1897 — 1980), Daniele Gasperini (1895 — 1960). These archives were donated to the Museum by their heirs and have already been partially inventoried and can be consulted at www. musil. bs. it.

CONASES also supported specific research on patents done by Martelli and Merola in 2006-2007 at the Central State Archive, where documentation produced by the Italian central institutions has been preserved since 1861, the year of Italy’s unification [6]. The research was carried out on the Patent collections, which are among the better-structured collections preserved at the Central State Archive. These collections are made up of 891,000 folders that document more than one century of activity of the Italian Patents and Trademarks Office of the Italian Ministry of Trade and Industry, today’s Ministry of Productive Activities. The research was focused on collection of patents dealing with Inventions, which is made up of 620,000 folders dating from 1855 to 1962, and whose content is available only in print format. Each patent application includes the description of the patent, as well as machine and flow chart drawings. As of March 2008, 157,113 folders related to the period from 1855 to 1916 had been examined and 392 patents associated with solar energy were identified, corresponding to 2.5% of all patents.

Non-Italians, mainly from European countries, such as Austria, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain, also authored several of these patents. Among the European patent authors were well — known pioneers such as the French scientist Augustine Mouchot (1823 — 1912) and the Portuguese Manuel Antonio Gomes Himalaya (1868 — 1933).

Among Italian patent authors only a few can be easily identified in literature. Most of the applicants, who anticipated important technical concepts and solutions, are unknown. The case of Alessandro Battaglia (1842 — ? ) from Acqui Terme, author of a Multi Solar Collector, made up of an array of 252 mirrors individually aimed at a receiver, provides a good example. He applied for a patent on September 30, 1886. Several research efforts to learn more about him, have thus far resulted in determining only his time and place of birth. This shows that it can be difficult to find additional information regarding patent authors identified at the Central State Archive. This type of research has also shown to be highly time consuming.

Martelli and Merola presented the research results at a seminar promoted and organized by GSES and CONASES in cooperation with the Central State Archive on April 4, 2008. Detailed information about the seminar can be found at www. gses. it.

Many countries’ leaders stress the need for strengthening human resources for improving the quality of energy. They urge their governments to focus efforts on promoting renewable energy technologies and pledged international community with commitment to strengthen national energy sector with renewable energy technologies. On one hand, most of developed countries succeeded in their efforts and currently renewable energy contribution in those countries are significant and the industry in general is on the stage of exponential growth. The same is true for those developing nations whose governments have taken concrete steps towards harnessing renewable energy resources for socio-economic development of their country. On the other hand, many efforts in last years by a number of states and organizations have yet to achieve a renewable energy marketplace. Experts view this was a consequence of three fundamental things: (i) first, not achieving the critical messages and motivators needed to affect business and consumer behavioural change; (ii) second, despite widespread publicity and media coverage of the subject, most consumers are not aware of any compelling reason to choose renewable energy; (iii) third, not effectively leveraging the investment and incentives as most available research suggests that price is still the single most important factor in selecting a renewable energy comes with a premium price; (iv) fourth, the target audience is diverse and complex [5].

The demand for skilled and knowledgeable labour throughout the renewable energy industry and increasing interest from students has spurred several educational institutions across the U. S. and Europe to add undergraduate or graduate degrees, or certification programs in renewable energies to their curricula.

Obviously as a part of obstacles is that benefits of renewable energy have not clearly communicated with the public, customers and decision makers. Educational quality, measured by what people know, has powerful effects on individual earnings, on the distribution of income, and on economic growth [6]. The role of education and its quality becomes important and crucial not only in general terms but in this specific area as well.

In fact, what most people like about their utility is the total absence of having to think about it at all. For those who have an understanding of options, reliability is then a worry. Concern about a change to an unfamiliar source represents a significant barrier to switching that must be addressed and overcome.

Another key factor is that education supports market and industry development in renewable energy field. For an economy, education can increase the human capital in the labour force. It can also increase the innovative capacity of the economy, knowledge of new technologies, products, and processes promotes growth. Education facilitates the diffusion and transmission of knowledge needed to understand and process new information and to implement new technologies devised by others, again promoting growth [7].

One individual silicon solar cells provides under nominal conditions, on average, in the order of 600 mV and 30 mA/cm2. Solar cells are then rarely used individually. Rather, cells with similar characteristics are connected and encapsulated to form modules which, in turn, are the basic building blocks of solar arrays. Starting from individual solar cell load curve, the curve of the combination of certain number of cells will preserve the basic series-parallel interconnection laws (Figure 1). Voltage for serially connected elements is the sum of partial voltage across the individual cells and the same current flows through every solar cell. If higher currents are demanded in a system, these can be obtained by parallel connection of the individual strings. In a parallel connected configuration, the

voltage across each solar cell or solar module is equal, while the total current is the sum of all cell or module partial currents. At present, PV generators in grid connected systems work in the range of hundreds volts and amperes.

Fig. 1 Interconnection modes of identical solar cells

The results of the research done during the 2006-2007 period at the Central State Archive on the Patents and Trademarks Collections have secured new commitments. The Italian State Archives Department and GSES signed a cooperation agreement and established an ad hoc working group (Solar Archive Working Group) in 2008 to perform a nationwide survey of sources and create a multimedia database. The work already done in the Central State Archive’s Patents and Trademarks Collection, and by GSES in the private archives of Italian solar energy pioneers, has produced useful technical and scientific results that can provide a starting point for this survey, which might well focus first of all on sources regarding patents and trademarks contained in the State Archives and in private archives.

The work ahead for Italy’s Solar Archive was illustrated by Terenzoni from the State Archives Department at the seminar on April 4 [7]. She addressed the main aspects related to archival sources and tools for historical research on solar energy in Italy. Italy’s archives contain miles upon miles of shelves filled with all kinds of documents, information and data produced by government bureaus and agencies, public and private enterprises, and individuals. Very often their contents are accessible only by means of “traditional” systems. To consult documents regarding a particular subject, it is sometimes necessary to be familiar with, or reconstruct, the history of the institution or the biography of the individual that produced the documents, as well as the

circumstances that led to their production, drawing one to look into all the ramifications (real or suspected) of a given activity.

The archival sources are heterogeneous and the existing research tools are complex and not easy to handle, and will thus require some terminological-control tools, for instance a glossary and dictionaries of standard terms, which can enable users to search through databases by keywords and identify descriptors. Moreover, language and terminology evolve; therefore, in order to produce a truly useful search tool it will be necessary to clarify linguistic ambiguities and the relationships among terms that belong to the same family.

The Solar Archive Working Group has already started looking into this. The systemic aspects of solar energy is guiding the terminology work, both when we think of solar energy resources on earth as well as when we think of solar know-how and technologies that can convert those resources in energy forms useful to us (food, heat at low, medium and high temperatures, daylight, fuels, electricity, materials etc.).

Inputs to clarify linguistic ambiguities and relationships among terms will also come from the material contained in the archives, documentation, and bibliographies collected thus far.

More and better education is a prerequisite for rapid development of renewable energy industry, growth of the businesses and markets. Education stimulates economic growth and improves people’s lives, and empowers individuals and governments make right decisions and support renewable energy development. On the other hand, nation’s commitment to education is both demand-lead and supply-lead [8].

For example, with surging interest from the residential construction sector and new requirements for utilities to generate portions of their energy from renewable sources, the renewable energy industry in the U. S. is flourishing, and job opportunities are increasing. As the industry grows, however, a workforce shortage is expected [9].

In Armenia, education about renewable energy has mostly been limited to learning tracks and seminars at industry tradeshows and conferences. Clean energy should start playing a significant role in people’s lives, and thus teaching of renewable energy should be emphasized in education and public awareness campaigns. Education in renewable energy fields should become a priority for the state. Some curriculum developers and teachers in both schools and academic institutions should incorporate renewable energy related activities in their curricula.

As mentioned earlier, one of barriers to mainstream adoption of renewable energy systems is the lack of awareness among consumers. Many consumers have heard at least some reference to renewable energy at various times in their lives, but they do not know how to incorporate it into their daily lives and they lack the necessary knowledge to purchase and utilize renewable energy technologies.

"There are a lot of great engineering and architectural firms that want to do things with energy but aren’t quite sure what to do with them. We need to educate more people," says Michael J. Newtown, director of the State University of New York-Canton’s (SUNY-Canton) Alternative and

Renewable Energy Applications degree program. "As engineering and architectural firms come together, there really is a need to educate the populace on how renewable energy gets used, and where it gets used, and what’s the best application" [9].

At this stage, the limitation of reaching the set targets for renewable energy development is indeed related to education and training. Per words of Dr. Ad van Wijk, Chairman and Founder of Econcern (the Netherlands) “we developed many scenarios for the integration of wind power and energy efficiency. The reality has always exceeded the most optimistic scenarios. The only thing that is limiting goals is a shortage of skilled people. We have train and educate in a range of skills and technologies that are not traditionally taught in colleges and universities. It is a real challenge”

[10] .

The importance of general public education is proved by lack of understanding by a consumer of the technology. While, numerous surveys have confirmed widespread public interest in renewable energy, hurdles identified by the California Energy Commission (CEC) included [11]:

• lack of awareness about choice and how to switch to new, and fear of switching and losing reliability

• price premium for renewable energy with return on the investment unclear

• lack of knowledge regarding the environmental impacts of electric generation and the benefits of renewables

• lack of knowledge regarding the equipment and its technology application and availability

• a perception that the installation processing is difficult and complicated

• difficulty in finding a qualified installer and lack of trusted references from (friends, neighbours, etc.) that have installed their own solar or wind systems.

In general terms, given a temperature and irradiance values, the load curve of a conventional solar cell can be represented by a classical parametric model (Figure 2) in which it can be distinguished 3 operation zones in regard to the load nature. As shown, cells being operated in reverse bias mode can suffer structural damage. Mismatch appears when the electrical parameters of one or several solar cells are significantly altered from those of the remaining devices and being altered the resulting curves shown in Figure 1. The alteration of a cell can consist, as advanced, of slight parameters modification due to the tolerance in manufacturing process or a change in its operating conditions in regard to the rest because the blocking of radiation impinging the cell surface.

For simplicity, we will restrict the description of the influence of mismatched parts to a circuit constituted by 2 single cells, A and B (Figures 3 and 4), being the cause of the unbalanced behavior the shading of cell B.

For a series interconnection, Figure 3 (right) shows how open circuit conditions for A+B generator are no highly affected by mismatching of cell B. However, as the current through the two cells must be the same, the overall current from the combination cannot exceed that of the poor cell. Therefore, the current from the combination cannot exceed the short-circuit current of the poor cell. At low voltages where this condition is likely to occur, the extra current-generating capability of the good cells is not dissipated in each individual cell (as would normally occur at short circuit), but instead is dissipated in the poor cell. An easy method of calculating the combined short circuit current of series connected mismatched cells is to consider that the current at the point of intersection represents the short circuit current of the series combination (VA+VB=0).

For parallel connected cells, at low voltages, there is no real problem with mismatch as the currents just add and the total current is always higher than the individual cell currents. However, the resulting open circuit conditions are highly affected because the addition of mismatched cell B reduces the open circuit of A+B generator to a lower value in regard to the original one. A simple method to calculate the resulting open circuit voltage in this situation is to consider according individual cells curves that the above will occur when iA + iB = 0,as shown in Figure 4 (right).

Fig. 4 Mismatching in parallel connected cells

Since 2002, more than 15 privately owned archives as well as those belonging to solar pioneers of different standing or their heirs, have been located or simply identified. It has been a time consuming endeavour. In fact, in the matter of just a few decades, the traces of people and events can be lost. For solar energy it is even more difficult to find firsthand witnesses with specific knowledge of projects as well as to locate and consult private archives and documentation produced just a few decades ago. While interest in solar energy has for decades been repeatedly left behind, and with it also its history and the history of its pioneers and advocates, interest has recently been growing again worldwide.

At any rate, this has been our experience in Italy, where interest in solar energy history and in the creation of Italy’s Solar Archive increased at an institutional level essentially over the last three years, also due to the pioneering work done by the Eugenio Battisti Museum of Industry and Work (www. musil. bs. it) in Brescia and GSES [8].

This museum was promoted by the Luigi Micheletti (www. fondazionemicheletti. it) and Civilta Bresciana Foundations. Branches have been established at multiple locations, based on a program agreement among the Lombardy Region, the city and the province of Brescia, and many other public and private organizations.

Thanks to a decades-long acquisition policy, the museum owns large collections of objects and documents related to the history of industry and work on the local, regional and national levels.

The collections concern everything from motion pictures to printing and textiles, textile machinery, energy, large engines, machine tools and metallurgy.

The collections that deal with energy were assigned to three new branches of the museum, one in Brescia, another in Rodengo Saiano (Franciacorta) and the third in the Camonica Valley, at a

former hydroelectric plant from the early 20th century in Cedegolo. This last branch opened on September 13, 2008 [9].

Information about donation, inventory status, and references of a few examples of solar archives currently preserved at Eugenio Battisti museum are provided in Table 1.

In addition to the archives at the Eugenio Battisti Museum, GSES and CONASES are promoting other acquisitions and preservation of documents at other organizations and institutions. For example, at the University of Bologna, the inventory of the archive of Giacomo Ciamician (1857 — 1922), known as the father of photochemistry, will soon be completed. The 150th anniversary of his birth was celebrated in Bologna in 2007 [16] [17]. Ciamician’s famous paper on “The photochemistry of the future,” presented in New York in 1912, is available in English, French, and Italian at www. gses. it.

The collected archives contain notes, letters, articles, patents, the proceedings of Italian and international conferences, journals, clarification notes exchanged with academics, companies and research centres. They also include photographic documentation on experiments and prototypes, and some personal documents that give us a better idea of each personality. Most of the documents are in Italian, but there are also many letters and documents in other languages, including English, French, and German.

These and other archives, as well as information preserved at public and private libraries, can be important for both the history of solar energy and for rediscovering overlooked concepts and solutions, concepts that can now be improved thanks to newly acquired scientific and technological knowledge [18]. The intention of the GSES and CONASES project is to make most of the archives easily accessible via Internet. Current cooperation among the Museo Eugenio Battisti, the Central State Archive, the State Archives Department, and other institutions and organizations should allow a first structure of the Archive to be on line by 2011.

Despite the Energy Saving and Renewable Energy Law of the Republic of Armenia (2004) states about the importance of education in renewable energy no real steps in developing academic programmes as well as training efforts is made so far. It is obvious that renewable energy education is a complex programme that comprises introduction of special academic disciplines for students, training of professionals, consumer education, public awareness programmes, workshops and seminars for decision makers, etc.

Children, for instance, easily understand and accept the concept of renewable energy as it is something they can see and is the technology that is harmonized with the nature. Thus, renewable energy education at primary schools is essential in building green mentality and seeding for interest in further studies and professional orientation.

While there is a broad appreciation of the need for energy and environmental education, some countries are actively pursuing teaching activities in this area. One should expect that with increasing pressures of fossil fuel scarcity and adverse environmental impacts of their use,

Armenia should make efforts towards providing renewable energy and environmental education too. Introducing relevant inputs into the undergraduate level courses in universities have not been taken seriously so far. Educational programmes at higher level do not give adequate coverage to the subject of energy. At bachelor’s level, courses in engineering includes elements of power generation, and cover mainly conventional sources of energy. Universities at both undergraduate and graduate levels will need to emphasize concept of renewable energy in various disciplines like physics, chemistry, power and electric engineering, as well as mechanical and civil engineering, economics and environmental studies. This will help graduates to be engaged in project

developments, energy system integration, energy audits, system integrations and manufacturing as well as energy economics and planning. Universities will need to get into research activities in renewable energy technologies to meet demands for sustainable development and for solutions to replace conventional energy sources focusing on wind, solar, geothermal, fuel cells, biofuel and other technologies. Academic programmes with focus on environmental management will need to cover aspects of energy conservation. For electrical and power engineers, agriculture professionals specialized in rural development, builders and architects involved in new construction design skills are necessary for adding installation, maintenance, service, and creation of sustainable energy technologies to their businesses. There is a need to expand the courses and more extensive coverage be given to energy planning and management, technologies, environmental considerations, renewable energy resources and technical system, etc. Projects and research should be undertaken on renewables by students at graduate and postgraduate level.

The availability of educated and trained people at all levels and in all engineering disciplines is a crucial factor for the successful implementation of any programme towards sustainable use of energy, as well as preserving the environment. It is, therefore, suggested that a comprehensive plan for training manpower in the field of renewable energy technologies may be prepared by the concerned institutions or businesses; and training requirements should vary from resource to resource.

Education is a way to get public to understand the renewable energy technologies and how to benefit of it. Lack of awareness among consumers is certainly a barrier to adopt the renewables. Although many consumers consider renewable energy as a right technology providing them with facts and information can help them in making decision. Most of the farmers and rural community developers are not literate and have no knowledge of these technologies either. Thus, the goal should be a campaign to raise consumer awareness which will support and promote dissemination of renewable technologies.

A number of pilot projects in Armenia show that the grant programmes, in this regard, encourages adoption of renewables. On the other hand, adoption of new technology often requires a mental shift. This mental shift is often just as important as any lifestyle shift required. Social marketing involves social change, an intangible product. There are stages to adoption of social change. It takes time and the right approach to accomplish the desired changes. A campaign should target the appropriate audience, the message should be sufficiently motivating, the campaign should be well funded, and individuals or groups that are targeted should be given a way to respond constructively; the campaign should present target adopters with inducements to act now [12].

It is possible to change consumer attitude when public awareness campaign is well planned and implemented effectively. Simply the consumers should have the right information to make right decision. A good example is a Renewable Energy Program implemented by the California Energy Commission. In the beginning of the programme consumers were uncertain about renewable energy. After four years, a survey showed that more than 65 percent of those surveyed are familiar with renewable energy systems and more than 50 percent would be willing to pay more for a home already equipped with solar or wind technology [12]. Thus, increasing consumer awareness is the key to support renewable energy technologies and promote their adoption.

Finally, the government decision makers carry the responsibility in energy sector development planning and getting them understand the importance of independent and clean energy is key in supporting and promoting renewable energy in Armenia.

It is of nation’s and state’s interest to have renewables significantly contribute in total energy mix of the country. Certain steps will need to be taken to achieve this goal. Key educational aspects and considerations in this respect should be the following:

• start building green energy mentality at schools by introducing mandatory classes on basics of renewables

• develop educational programs to give adequate coverage of the subject at bachelor’s and master’s level at academic institutions

• educate and train manpower to ensure development of the technologies through various stages (resource assessment, design and manufacturing, installation, generation, O&M, end-users) in efficient and economical manner

• conduct awareness programs and provide expertise for government and financing institutions regarding sustainability of renewable energy

• educate the public and consumers about the near and long-term applications and benefits of renewable energy, conservation and energy efficiency

• develop networking opportunities for renewable energy educators, researchers, advocates and business people, and support in establishing training centres and partnership with advanced technological institutions and universities abroad

• support legislative initiatives for alternative energy technologies education

• involve international donor institutions in public awareness campaigns and rural community development to support and promote renewable energy technologies

• conduct seminars workshops for NGOs, businesses, government officials, conduct intellectual competitions and games at schools, and involve mass-media in public awareness campaigns and public education.

2. Conclusion

Armenia’s energy sector is heavily dependent on imported fuel and risks associated with this. This has significant impact on the country’s energy independence and energy security. Development of indigenous renewable energy source is a key for the country’s sustainable development. However, development of renewable energy faces with challenges one of which is lack of knowledge about the benefits renewable energy technologies can offer and popper education at all levels.

Renewable energy education becomes imperative for Armenia. It should start from schools, be taught at universities, as well as be comprehended by public, relevant professionals and statesmen. Introductory classes in schools and both no-degree and degree classes in universities, public awareness and decision-makers training programs will help in understanding technologies, and utilizing the country’s indigenous and sustainable energy resources. Training packages are effective tools for improving capabilities and skills and need to be developed, primarily, for the following target groups: designers, manufacturers, builders, technicians and system operators. Dissemination of renewable energy technologies needs public awareness and understanding. Awareness programme in the form of pilot projects should be promoted further. Awareness campaign on various types of renewable energy technologies should also be promoted through mass-media, public debates and even school quiz competitions. People are used to fossil fuel-based energy resources and switching over to renewable energy will not be an easy task. In order to achieve the desired objective, public have to be informed about the finite nature of fossil fuel, cost of imported fuel, energy dependency risks and adverse impact on the environment, and how they can benefit from the use of renewable energy sources. The state should set goals and develop

strategy to achieve these goals for the interest of the people and the country. Going for imperative

in education is one of such goals.

References

[1] “Biogas: What it is, how it is generated and how to use it”. Union of Greens of Armenia. Yerevan, 1993 (in Armenian)

[2] “We and our Planet: Renewable Energy”. Khazer Ecological-Cultural NGO. Yerevan, 2005 (in Armenian)

[3] “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Education Workshop”. Advanced Engineering Associates International/USAID. Yerevan, July 2002

[4] “Renewable Energy. Methodological Manual”. Ministry of Education of the Republic of Armenia. Yerevan, 2004 (in Armenian).

[5] “Building Renewable Energy Markets: A Public Education Strategy For State Clean Energy Funds”. Lyn Rosoff, Chris Colbert, February 2002

[6] “Education Quality and Economic Growth”. E. A. Hanushek, L. Wossmann. World Bank, Washington DC, 2007

[7] “Endogenous Growth Theory”. Aghion Philippe and Peter Howitt. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, 1998.

[8] “Natural Resource, Education, and Economic Development”. Thorvaldur Gylfason. Center for Economic Policy Research, ISSN 0265-8003, October 2000

[9] “Renewable Energy Education Proliferates”. Stephani L. Miller. ARCHITECT Magazine,

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