Promoting green energies in Sri Lanka
Project description
Title: Green Energy Champion Sri Lanka II
Commissioned by: Federal Foreign Office
Country: Sri Lanka
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Power, Energy and Business Development
Overall term: 2017 to 2020
Context
Although Sri Lanka has excellent conditions for generating electricity from renewable sources, more than half its energy demand is met by fossil fuels. The country aims to reduce its dependence on oil and coal in the medium term.
This is to be achieved by switching to renewable energies and improving energy efficiency. In 2016, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Energy began implementing a nationwide programme for the expansion of solar energy. By 2025, one million households are to be equipped with photovoltaic systems that will feed an additional 1,000 megawatts into the power grid.
However, the public lacks easy-to-understand information about alternative energy sources and about a more conscious use of electricity.
Objective
The public is sensitised to a more conscious use of energy. People have wider access to information about renewable energies and use practical guidelines to increase energy efficiency.
Approach
The project sensitises the public to renewable energies and energy efficiency through a nationwide campaign on social media. The campaign also works with animated videos and other formats. It provides households with practical guidelines that are easy to understand on efficient energy use and conveys success stories from the transformation of energy systems in Germany.
In addition, train-the-trainer workshops are held at schools in all the nine provinces of Sri Lanka to create a network of energy ambassadors who independently conduct additional sensitisation workshops at the individual schools.
The German Federal Foreign Office's energy transition road show will visit Sri Lanka for one month as part of the project. The exhibition describes the history of the German energy transition and thereby supports the media campaign.
The media campaign is also the background for a nationwide competition of ideas. The competition calls on municipalities, civil society, the private sector, public administrations and schools to submit ideas for projects on energy efficiency and renewable energies.
The participants with the most promising proposals are invited to attend a workshop which offers them the opportunity to network and to review project ideas under professional guidance. A jury consisting of representatives from the German Embassy, the Sri Lankan energy authorities, Sri Lankan energy experts and GIZ selects the best ideas from the categories of civil society, private sector and public institutions. These then receive financial and technical support from the project to implement their proposals and, as innovative energy pioneers, set an example for further projects to be implemented throughout the country.
Results
The first Green Energy Champion, Ananda College, was equipped with a photovoltaic system and introduced a waste separation system that increased the existing composting capacity. More than 7,000 children, young people and teachers were trained in how to save energy.
To date, the project’s media campaign has reached over 4.3 million users. The Facebook page now has 33,000 followers and provides a platform for the exchange of information on energy-related topics. The project website provides easy-to-understand energy efficiency guidelines in Sinhala, Tamil and English. Eight animated videos were shown across the country to motivate people to save electricity in their homes.
The winner of the Green Energy Champion 2017 competition was the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA). Prizes included systems and equipment worth 14 million Sri Lanka rupees (around 81,000 euros). In the last two competitions, more than 160 applications in total were submitted by private citizens, municipalities, universities, public authorities and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Together with the non-profit organisation Janathakshan (Pvt) Ltd., the project conducted train-the-trainer workshops at selected schools in all nine provinces to increase awareness of energy conservation, the use of renewable energies and waste management among pupils. A total of around 1,300 children and young people have been reached through this approach so far.