ECREEE, in partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Spanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Savings (IDAE), organized a two-day intensive training course on “National Renewable Energy Policies and Incentive Schemes”. The training, held from 9–10 April 2012 in Praia, Cape Verde is part of an ongoing effort by ECREEE to reinforce capacities among the ECOWAS Member States in the area of energy planning and policy formulation aimed at promoting renewable energy at the national level. These capacities are crucial in the development of National Renewable Energy Policies (NREPs) which represent a key implementation strategy of the proposed ECOWAS Renewable Energy Policy. Participants were trained in Renewable Energy (RE) planning and incentive schemes for promoting the use of RE for households and commercial buildings, rural electrification and the national grid. The workshop featured field visits to renewable energy installations and projects in Praia, Cape Verde such as the 5 MW photovoltaic (PV) park, the 9.35 MW wind farm, the 10 kW solar PV rooftop installation at the ECREEE Secretariat and the QUINVITA Jatropha research field station. The workshop was attended by more than 60 participants from the Ministries of Energy and Finance, the National Regulatory Agencies and the main utilities within the ECOWAS region.
