Efforts to develop Africa’s future energy workforce will receive a welcome boost with several universities in Africa identified to benefit from the roll-out of Electrical Engineering Masters and Doctoral programmes specializing in Smart Grids.

The DAMOC project, short for the Development of a Harmonized Modular Curriculum for the Smart Grid, is an ambitious programme funded by the ERASMUS + KA2 initiative, which promotes platforms for cooperation in innovation and the exchange of good practices in the international higher education sector.

CPUT’s Centre for Substation Automation and Energy Management Systems (CSAEMS) has been identified to participate in the DAMOC project, along with Stellenbosch University, University Of Pretoria, as well as two Tanzania-based institutions, which include The Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology and the University of Dar Es Salaam.

Director of the CSAEMS and a leading expert in Smart Grids, Prof Raynitchka Tzoneva, will lead the CPUT delegation, who this month will attend the project’s kick-off meeting in Germany.

Smart grid technology is a highly specialized area of electrical engineering, which focuses on development of standard-based monitoring, protection and control integrated power systems that allow electricity suppliers to monitor the flow of electricity, improve transmission and storage, as well as facilitate the distribution of energy generated from alternative sources, such as wind turbines. The skills developed in this area are crucial for the development of the energy sector and will help address Africa’s energy woes.

“Envisioned outcomes of this project are new, interdisciplinary master and doctor courses implemented at partner institutions in Africa, running laboratories, online courses, and improved networking between the partners,” says Tzoneva.

The Masters and Doctoral courses will include modules such as emerging standards for smart grid, power electronics, integration of renewable energy into the power system, cyber security, and virtual power plants.

Tzoneva says specialised laboratories will also be set up at CPUT and the Nelson Mandela African Institute Of Science and Technology.

The European partners include Dresden University of Technology in Germany, Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi in Italy, and Karlstad University in Sweden.

The project will receive support from the South African National Energy Development Institute – South Africa.

The DAMOC project will run over the course of three years.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

A Swedish student’s research towards her Master’s degree has highlighted the extent of food insecurity in certain communities on the south peninsula. 

Helena Römmelman from Karlstad University recently visited the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences in Bellville where she presented her study.

It is titled Vulnerability to Social Risks through the Lens of Food Security. A mixed methods study at the Household level in Cape Town, South Africa.

She focused on three communities: Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Kommetjie.

A sample of 902 households was surveyed while focus group interviews were also conducted.

Among other things, her research found that while the experiences in Kommetjie indicate generally food-secure households, this was not the case in the other two communities.

“All in all, 22% of the households in Kommetjie have experienced food insecurity to some extent, compared to 85.2% in Masiphumelele and 88.1% in Ocean View,” the study stated.

Römmelman said she had not expected the situation to be so dire.

“I had expected there to be some food insecure households because, for example, in a place like Masiphumelele the poverty is very visible so you expect some food insecurity but I didn’t expect it to be to this extent. I learnt so much. I was very inspired by the strength that people show in these communities and how hard they are working to improve their lives.”

She recently returned to the communities to provide feedback on her work.

Prof Penelope Engel-Hills, Acting Dean of the Faculty, said Römmelman’s work was linked to an NRF/ STINT funded project, which Engel-Hills is collaborating on with Prof Hilde Ibsen from the University of Karlstad.

Their study is titled Internationalisation for Knowledge Partnership and Social Transformation.

“Helena was supervised by Prof Ibsen. She used a methodology that we are promoting within a community-based environment. Our project is set in Ocean View, which is one the communities that Helena looked at and so we were able to give her some funding for her to return to Cape Town to give feedback to communities, which is an important part of our research cycle within community-based research.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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