From 27 July to 3 August, a group of researchers from IEK-5 led by Prof. Uwe Rau took part in a fact-finding mission and a joint workshop at the University of Nigeria Nsukka titled “Exploring the renewable energy potentials in Africa for sustainable development”. The workshop, which attracted students and university academics from across Nigeria, provided the visiting guests from Forschungszentrum Jülich the first-hand opportunity to interact with the students and their lecturers to identify potential persons and research areas for joint collaboration. The workshop also presented a platform for the IEK-5 researchers namely Prof. Uwe Rau, Dr. Tsvetelina Merdzhanova, Dr. Olesandr Astakhov and Dr. Solomon Agbo to share their research activities as well as to provide education for young students in the field of photovoltaic. The fact-finding aspects of the trip involved a tour of the facilities of the department of Physics, National Centre for Energy Research and Development and the Nanogroup, all at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). The group also visited the Centre for Atmospheric Research in Anyingba and the Coal City University Enugu.
The host university in Nigeria, her management, staff and students and all the other entities visited showed a great enthusiasm and readiness for collaboration and joint research work. A number of superb students and staff with brilliant ideas were identified. It is in this perspective among others that it can be said unequivocally that a collaboration between Forschungszentrum Jülich and Nigerian institutions in the field of energy research and development is positively foreseeable and will be a stepping stone into Africa at large where both the need and potential for clean energy is enormous.
This initiative has been supported by the internal internationalization fund of Forschungszentrum Jülich called ‘Seed Money’, which will be granted to initiate new international collaborations.
Contact
Dr. Solomon Agbo
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
Institute of Energy and Climate Research
Photovoltaics (IEK-5)
s.agbo(at)fz-juelich.de
+49 2461 61 6310
Sabine Dues
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
Unternehmensentwicklung
Internationale Beziehungen
s.dues(at)fz-juelich.de
+49 2461 61 8915
