Energy- Improving Living Standards

Three bodies were involved in the course - the Technion's Division of Continuing Education and External Studies, MASHAV - the Centre for International Cooperation of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Israel's Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. And it was from the Ministry of Energy that the seeds of this comprehensive course were sown.

Before setting the wheels of the course in motion, the Ministry of Energy conducted a small survey among a representative number of developing countries, sending out questionnaires "to get a sense of what would interest them." Collecting and collating the responses, it became obvious that three energy technologies headed the "most-wanted" list - solar, geothermal and biomass. The result - the bulk of the course was designed around these leading technologies, as well as on energy conservation "which was also a topic of strong interest".

Solar energy, perhaps the best-known of the three technologies, is energy radiating from the sun which can be exploited in a number of ways to provide energy for the generation of heat and electricity. Geothermal energy is energy extracted in the form of heat from the earth's crust.

Geologically active regions have high heat flow values that result in hot springs and geysers. Biomass energy is the use of plant material, vegetation or agricultural waste as a source of fuel and energy. "With biomass energy," reports Dr. Joseph Er-El, consultant to the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, "you are doing two things. You are reducing the amount of waste while, at the same time, utilizing it as an energy resource. So you are winning on both counts - improving environmental conditions while acquiring a usable energy source."

Why should Israel be the venue for a course of this nature? What can it offer? Er-El replies, "In Israel there are some energy areas in which we are among the world's leaders, notably that of solar energy. We are also strong in the area of geothermal energy in spite of the fact that our geothermal sources are neither extensive nor of high quality. Nevertheless, we have been able to develop efficient and robust power systems utilizing both our low-temperature geothermal springs, as well as waste heat. If, for example, you have an electricity-generating plant which produces, as its by-product, hot water, you can actually use the heat in the water as an energy source. True, it's low-grade compared to the original energy sources which you are using, but, still, it's an efficient utilization of waste heat. Similarly, although we are really not a leader in the field of biomass energy, we have succeeded in conducting some very impressive theoretical and applied research in this discipline at various sites around the country."

In addition to the lectures and demonstrations on solar, geothermal and biomass systems, the course also covered such topics as human relations at the workplace, energy policy and management and the relation between energy and the environment. Without a doubt this was a heady, tightly packed program that was also supplemented by field visits to the Weizmann Institute of Science and its impressive solar tower and to the Geothermal Technology plant of Ormat, as well as by extensive sightseeing throughout Israel - from a tour of Jerusalem's holy places to one to the Golan Heights.

To gauge the impact of the course, Shalom talked with six of the participants. Some had a special reason for attending, singling out one or more different aspects that were exciting and challenging for them, while others shared similar sentiments regarding the effacicious and comprehensive approach that characterized the course.

For Dr. Ivan Rajniak of the Slovac Republic, Chief Inspector in the Department of Air Pollution for his country, his principal aim was a desire to learn more about geothermology "since in the southern part of my country, we have many hot springs where the water reaches a temperature of 100°C. Today we only use this water for health-related spas, but there is an energy potential here we could and should develop."

In addition to his interest in geothermal energy, Dr. Rajniak was attracted to the course "due to its emphasis on solar energy, of importance to us since in the Slovak Republic coal is our main source of fuel and this presents us with an ongoing problem - the negative effect of coal on the environment. Thus we are constantly trying to strike a balance between our fuel requirements and protection of the environment - and solar energy could be one solution. True," he admitted, "there is still a lot of work that has to be done before the potential of this energy can be fully realized - both in Israel and in other countries." Nevertheless, Dr. Rajniak found the people in Israel "both extremely knowledgeable and very optimistic about the future applicability and extended use of solar energy."

"ln Zambia, too," said Charles Mulegan, an energy economist in the Department of Energy in his country's Ministry of Energy and Water, "our main source of energy is coal, as well as wood." As an energy economist, Mulegan's position involves contacting consumers and suppliers of electricity and helping them utilize electricity more effectively. For him, the course was especially valuable in the way it helped him learn how to develop an energy policy, taking into consideration political, social and economic factors.

"We learned the importance of developing an energy policy that doesn't conflict with political policies, as well as with social and cultural patterns of behaviour. Electricity, for example, is something with which the majority of our population are still quite unfamiliar. Thus I learned how we must prepare people to accept it, to introduce it in such a way so that our people will not see it as a threat. And, of course, economic factors are also a vital consideration, for if electricity is too expensive, then we can't use it." Mulegan was also impressed by the way the different technologies were presented, "exposing us to the most efficient ones now on the market and, equally important, showing us how to select the best technology appropriate to the needs of our respective countries."

Samuel Baire of Eritrea, Director-General of the Department of Energy in his country's Ministry of Energy, Mines and Water Resources, singled out the classes on management "which helped me immeasurably to see how to select our priorities. Since we received our independence just a little over four years ago, with my Ministry itself only three years old and my department within it functioning actually for only a year, the information regarding decision-making in the field of energy utilization and conservation was of tremendous value.

"In Eritrea 80% of our fuel comes from wood, posing a major problem as our forests are now being cut down very rapidly and fast disappearing. In view of this situation, we have now passed an order forbidding trees to be cut down for fuel. This is forcing us to find other alternative resources. At the moment we are promoting the use of low-cost kerosene, as well as LPG (liquid petroleum gas) and working on a program to bring electricity to more of our people. In addition, we are studying the use of renewable energy sources such as solar, biomass and wind energy. Thus this course, which gave us so much valuable information about this technologies, was of special significance to me. Yes, of course, I'd had a sound theoretical grounding in these subjects, but, here, my basic knowledge has been dramatically reinforced. In essence, the entire program has been an exciting and meaningful refresher course for me."

Baire was especially interested in the presentations on energy, "for if we can introduce solar heating systems, solar energy acquired via roof collectors, we can manage more effectively the utilization of electricity which is in very short supply in Eritrea."

Since the participants did not come from a homogenous background, it was obvious that some were more interested in the broader picture of energy conservation, while others had more specific interests. For Philippe Morin, for example, of the Indian Ocean island Republic of the Seychelles, an electrical engineer who works for a public utility corporation, "a public company responsible for water, electricity and sewage," his primary concern was in the power generating field. The electrical division in which Morin works is responsible for generating, transmitting and dispensing electric energy. He found in the course "much valuable information regarding ways and means of assessing the efficiency of power generating plants, as well as many meaningful insights regarding the management of energy in general."

Regarding power generating plants, Morin noted how he learned to look at various options, to see the advantages and disadvantages of different types of plants such as gas-steam generating turbines. "When designing these plants, as well as other systems, we learned what factors in general have to be taken into consideration, as well as what equipment in particular to use." Morin praised the course planners for the way the program was structured "to give practical, concrete information, not easily available in textbooks or catalogues."

For Zheng Fancheng of China, also an engineer who works for his country's State Science and Technology Commission, for whom he organizes and coordinates research work on national projects conducted by different universities and other institutions, the attraction of the course, as for many of the other participants, lay in its comprehensive and overall approach to the management of advanced technologies. "In China," he explained, "we are now commencing our ninth 5-year plan of development. We expect to use much more solar energy for electricity within this coming 5-year period. Therefore, the knowledge I gained here can only serve to intensify and encourage our efforts."

At all international training courses, a significant bonus or side-effect is the interaction between both participants and their hosts - lecturers, scientists and industrialists, and among themselves. Thus, for Smita Vichare of India, a dominant attraction was the desire to establish contacts "with people on whom I can call for detailed and up-to- date data." Vichare is a project executive and consultant for MITCON (Maharashtra Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organization Ltd.), a management consultancy firm established in 1982 as a joint venture with many central financial institutions in India.

"MITCON," she explained, "plays a dual role. First, it has to constantly remain in touch with the latest market and technological developments so as to serve its clients with the best, latest and most appropriate options which is why I am in Israel. Second, it has to constantly appraise the financial institutions and their decision-makers so as to make them receptive to the changes required to adopt these techniques." The professional services offered by MITCON include prefeasibility, preinvestment and in-plant studies.

Vichare is in charge of new and renewable sources of energy (NRSER), "a new field for us, one we started just six months ago. As our first step, we organized a training program, selecting participants interested in setting up plants using renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, biogas, thermal and microhydro (using water flowing from turbines to generate electricity). In this course we concentrated on giving our participants information regarding the various technologies, marketing, accounting, financial management and human relations. Thus it goes without saying how much I have gained from the technologies reviewed in the course and the management and administrative techniques involved in implementing them. This knowledge will help me when I set up another training course. When people approach us, they want information. The more I can get here, the more I can give them. For example, if someone wants to set up a solar water heating system, I have to be ready to provide information regarding its design, technology and costs of production.

"In consultancy work," she repeated, "the more information you can acquire, the more effective you can be. Often people who consult us want information about various technologies developed outside of India, 'imported technology', as we called it. Thus, for example, in manufacturing a solar water heating system, today I can give them five options, with at least two from Israel. My stay in Israel has broadened my depth of knowledge, expanded my own horizons and options. And meeting people from Israel and other countries has provided me with business contacts, with people whom someday I may be able to approach - both for information and for possible markets."

Vichare also found the field trips in Israel "most valuable." She referred, for example, to the visit to the municipal water waste treatment plant in Haifa, "where we saw how sewage is treated and converted to water that can be reused in agriculture", as well as to the visit to Ormat and to a biogas plant.

Reviewing the overall goals of the course, Dr. Er-El listed its three main objectives: "One, we wanted to expose the participants to our industrial and scientific expertise and, by so doing, also encourage export. Second, as in all international development cooperation training programs, we strove to strengthen our ties among these countries. And third, we wanted to help them develop more energy, for only then will their populations have a chance to improve their lives. If we can help these countries advance by demonstrating and encouraging them to utilize and conserve their energy, then this may be the most important professional contribution any of us can make."