Content exchange is important

The HAW Hamburg student team, Vincent Gülck/Rayan Hamo, and Prof Anna Usbeck got to know the Senegalese professors (Prof Lamine Thiaw, Head of the Electrical Engineering Department, Prof Lamine Ndiaye and Prof Ousmane Sow, Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department) as well as the ESP Master’s students Fatou Diouf and Aliou Niang. Later, during the two-month collaboration in Senegal, the two students worked in tandem on the construction and testing of the ‘SeneSet’ solar cleaner.

The two Senegalese Master’s students presented the design drawings of their solar cleaner. The idea was discussed and Prof Anna Usbeck, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, gave brief, qualitative feedback. The Senegalese also provided valuable information on the Hamburg team’s SeneSet solar cleaner for the test run at the Diass solar park.

Prof Ousmane Sow developed a solar cleaner in Dakar with two students, Aliou Niang and Fatou Diouf. The idea was presented by the students and discussed with other professors from the field of mechanical engineering.

Final workshop with Prof Ousmane Sow. The students had already developed suggestions for improving their solar cleaner. The next steps for practical implementation – for example with the production of gears in the workshops at HAW Hamburg – were agreed.

Prof Lamine Thiaw from Dakar was a guest in Hamburg. The workshop served to exchange ideas and get to know each other personally. Prof. Kolja Eger presented the degree programme ‘Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Management (REE)’ and HAW Hamburg. The question ‘What do graduates need to know about renewable energies?’ was discussed intensively.

The workshop was divided into two parts. It began with a presentation of the three universities and their special features:

1. Dr. Papa Silly Traore, ESP Dakar, presented the structure of the ESP
2. Prof Benno Radt, HAW Hamburg, presented the ‘Regenerative Energy Systems and Energy Management’ (REE) degree programme
3. Prof Martin Wolter, University of Magdeburg, presented the work of the Institute for Electrical Energy Systems (IESY)

In the second part, Dionisia Jodi compared and contrasted the modules of the one-year postgraduate programme at ESP with the REE programme at HAW Hamburg. Projects were then presented: Redox Flow Batteries (RFB) by Prof Struckmann, the smart grid project ‘SEMI-D’ by Prof Vaupel, Digital Twin Solar by Prof Lapke and the GridBatt battery technologies to ensure stable grid operation by Prof Wolter. The experts discussed the future of degree programmes and the pressure for change in Germany compared to the new curriculum in Senegal.

At the end of the visit, the modified and new designs of the Senegalese were presented and discussed. The students were able to gain their first experience with CAD and learn practical manual skills in the HAW Hamburg workshops such as milling, filing, soldering… Intercultural co-operation: The difficulties were sometimes serious. There was a ‘clash of competences’ between the Senegalese Master’s and German Bachelor’s students – hierarchies determine teaching in Senegal, professors and students hardly ever work on an equal footing. English is an important means of communication.

Sun and wind are the pillars of a climate-neutral energy supply. There is plenty of both in West Africa. Senegal has set itself the goal of reducing CO₂ emissions in the energy sector by 2030. By then, 40 per cent of electricity is to come from renewable sources. To achieve this, the country needs skilled workers with the right qualifications. In the CO2FREE project, HAW Hamburg and ESP in Dakar are developing a future-oriented Bachelor’s degree programme in ‘Renewable Energies’ under the direction of Prof Dr.-Ing. Anna K. Usbeck (HAW Hamburg) and Prof Lamine Thiaw (ESP). The lively exchange between companies and teaching was enriching for the participants. Mark Kragh, founder of Off-Grid Europe, reported on the challenges of setting up a decentralised solar-based power supply. Boris Westphal, CEO Business Unit Renewables, reported on the use of renewable energies in West African mines. Romana Hartke spoke about the global activities of Mainstream Renewable Power in the expansion of wind energy, Dr Jens Eiko Birkholz from industry partner SMA Solar Technology provided information on ways to ensure the quality of decentralised solar power generation and Prof Sebastian Timmerberg presented technological approaches to transporting generated energy to Europe in the form of green hydrogen.

The 2023 ideas competition came to an end with the presentation of the solar panel cleaners by various student teams. At the Diass solar park, the dusty solar panels are normally cleaned by tractor with water and a brush. Two HAW teams have each developed a solar cleaner to tackle the problem of Sahara dust and the constantly dirty solar panels: 1. a large 6-metre boom with a hand crank and brushes or cloths 2. a solar cleaner consisting of two parts: an electrically powered motor with sensors that drives a cleaning module using a fishing line. This team has produced many individual parts using 3D printing, including the parts that hold the brushes and the drive gears. Rayan Hamo also presented a measuring sensor that measures the thickness of the dust layer on a solar panel.

After the exciting trip to Senegal, we continued to discuss the modules of the new curriculum in Hamburg, which the ESP had presented to us in a presentation. The experience of the students was very helpful.

At this workshop, the ESP presented the status of the ‘Renewable Energies’ curriculum with the planned modules and elective options for students. One area that has come into focus is electric mobility. There is a lot of traffic in Dakar, it is noisy and the air is often poor. Electrically powered vehicles can provide a remedy, as the sun can be used to generate the required energy. The two Senegalese students, who are at HAW Hamburg for almost three months, are working on precisely these topics for their Master’s thesis.

The two Senegalese Master’s students Sidy Samb and Cheikh Sall presented the research they were able to carry out during their time at HAW Hamburg. The topics of their master’s thesis were fast battery charging and electric drive.

In the first part, Dr Papa Silly Traore presented the current status of the ‘Renewable Energies’ curriculum, Kathrin Rath explained the CARPE network and Prof. Henner Gärtner introduced the new English-language ‘Mechanical Engineering’ degree programme at HAW Hamburg. In the second part, smaller workshop groups discussed the expansion of collaborations and compared the two curricula in detail to see whether modules fit together. The workshop was moderated by Janina Hertel from the Migration Centre at HAW Hamburg.

One module in the new curriculum is to be energy efficiency. The Senegalese delegation travelled to the SmartCity of the Viebrockhaus company in Harsefeld near Buxtehude. In a show house, Lars Viebrock, the grandson of founder Gustav Viebrock, gave a very clear presentation on the development of energy-efficient house construction. Afterwards, we were able to see live on site how the theory has been put into practice.
This event was organised in cooperation with the hs21 University of Applied Sciences in Buxtehude.

After the tour of Viebrock’s SmartCity, a two-day workshop on ISO 50001, energy efficiency in buildings, took place. The trainer was Detlef Borst from TÜV Rheinland, who explained clearly and well what DIN ISO 50001 is, how it can be implemented and what significance it has. The participants were able to test their knowledge with practical exercises. There will be an energy efficiency module in the ESP’s ‘Renewable Energy’ curriculum.

In recent years, the Senegalese government has shown increasing interest in the development of renewable energies in order to diversify the energy mix and promote environmental sustainability. The workshop took place in a hotel not far from the ESP with representatives from companies such as the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASER), the National Agency for Renewable Energy (ANER), Semis, a service provider for energy in the Sahel region, EREPCO, a specialist in the fields of electrical engineering and energy, the African Network for Energy Efficiency Experts and Sustainable Business For ALL (biogas – biomass – wind – solar). In addition to exchanging experiences, the aim was to work out in specialised working groups how to train specialists who are able to design, install, operate, maintain and manage renewable energy systems.

Professors and lecturers in renewable energies and stakeholders from the industrial sector came together to share their experiences and to work out what ESP graduates in Senegal need for a good start to their working lives. The identification of competences is necessary for the development of curricula. The objectives were: 1. presentation of the results of a survey of various stakeholders 2. skills of a senior technician in the field of photovoltaics and wind turbines 3. skills of a senior technician in the field of biogas and solar thermal energy. The companies are looking for training adapted to their reality, which will help them to maintain and develop in a competitive world. The result of the workshop is a table with tasks in the areas and the corresponding skills. It is a good basis for further work.

A large delegation from HAW Hamburg is visiting the ESP in Dakar. The delegation includes project manager Prof Anna Usbeck, Prof Martin Lapke (Electrical Engineering), Prof Udo Pulm (Sustainability) and Carsten Schütte (Hydrogen), to name but a few.

Companies are looking for training that is adapted to their reality and helps them to assert and develop themselves in a competitive world. The result of the workshop is a table with tasks in the areas and the associated skills. It is a good basis for further work.