Whether you are a renewable energy professional with a vision of improving lives through clean energy in developing countries, or a Peace Corps volunteer about to embark upon international field work, Solar Energy International (SEI)’s RDOL101: Appropriate Technology for the Developing World is a great place to begin.
This course takes a look at appropriate technologies (practical solutions that are both affordable and accessible) to address many of the United Nations’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals to transform our world. Rather than focusing on one technology, the course provides an overview of options so that you, the project developer or field worker, can work with a community to brainstorm solutions to meet their specific needs. Included are clean technologies to address water, sanitation and hygiene, food processing and cooking, lighting and rural electrification, biomass, and shelter.
New to the course are several lessons on successful project development and implementation, all the way through monitoring and evaluation to assess a project’s impact on the local community. Highlighted is the critical importance of the participatory process in technology transfer projects, with lessons learned from both successful and unsuccessful real-world endeavors. The course culminates with a final assignment where students must apply what they’ve learned and design a community project.
Laura Walters, SEI curriculum developer who has also worked with several international development organizations including USAid, We Care Solar and Remote Energy said, “I love how this course makes you really think about the simplest way to solve a problem. The course is both broad and comprehensive- not only do we examine technology solutions but we also discuss how to implement a project successfully, which in reality, can be more important than the technology itself!”
The next online session begins April 9th, sign up today!
