H.E. Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs, today inaugurated the second Solar PV Installers Certification Training Course for Contractors and Consultants which was held in EWA’s training center in Sitra. The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Amin El Sharkawi, UNDP Resident Representative, a number of officials and about 60 participants, including a number of staff from the Electricity & Water Authority. The training course is organized by the Sustainable Energy Unit (SEU) in cooperation with the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) and with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The course aims to qualify contractors and consultants specializing in the installation of solar PV systems, to later become certified installers by the Electricity & Water Authority. The SEU is delegated by the government of Bahrain to contribute towards the institutional capacity building of the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector as part of its mandate, and an important part of the Kingdom’s strategy to implement and promote renewable energy development in the country.

In his welcome address to the attending officials, participating contractors and consultants, H.E. Minister Mirza commended the success of the first training course back in January 2018, and the positive results that reflected on the investment market in the field of renewable energy. H.E. also shared that EWA has thus far received around 20 applications to install solar PV systems since the endorsement of the Net Metering Policy in December 2017 and the first training course in January 2018. Ten solar PV systems installed over residential units have already been connected to the grid and around ten more will shortly follow. The Minister added that the Kingdom’s remarkable achievements in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency also included: the adoption of the Net Metering Policy, the start of the implementation of the utility scale solar plant with the capacity of 100 megawatts. There are also plans to implement decentralized solar PV installations on the roofs of government buildings through the adaptation of the Tender Based Feed in Tariff Policy being developed by the Sustainable Energy Unit in collaboration with the Ministry of works, Municipal Affairs & Urban Planning.

These recent developments have positively contributed towards increasing the kingdom’s attraction for foreign and domestic investments in renewable energy sector and were reported in the first national voluntary report for the Kingdom of Bahrain on the implementation of the sustainable development goals 2030. The report will be presented by a high-level delegation at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in July 2018.

H.E. Dr. Mirza also highlighted that the launch of the second session of the training course reconfirms the government’s commitment to encourage the use of clean energy in the country, promote sustainable development, and deliver on the national and international related obligations, such as the sustainable development goals, particularly the SDG7.

Dr Mirza added that the second training course is offered through two renewable energy specialized companies, J Lanka Technologies and CESI, and aims to provide a high-level training and diversify experiences and lessons learned offered for the trainees.

At the end of his speech, the Minister thanked the Sustainable Energy Unit, the officials of the Electricity and Water Authority, and the two consulting companies for their cooperation and efforts, which contributed to the continuation of this course and wished the participants success in the training program and in their future endeavors.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) H.E. Amin Al-Sharkawi also extended his congratulations to Minister Mirza on the record achievements of the Kingdom. H.E. Amin also added that the first national voluntary report of the Kingdom of Bahrain has a significant impact on the Kingdom’s achievements and commitment to achieving the sustainable development goals, especially the seventh goal related to clean energy.

This training course was run for five consecutive days for contractors and consultants. Passing consultants and contractors will then be awarded a certificate that allows them to complete accreditation procedures with the Electricity & Water Authority.
The next batch for the training course will be announced for in the SEU website and social media accounts in due time. Announcements will also be featured in the local newspapers and on the UNDP website and EWA website.