150 young students from 35 African countries participated in the 26th edition of the Micro-Grid Academy, supported by Enel Foundation and carried out online from  the 29th of November to the 7th of December. The classes provided trainees with first-hand capacity building on decentralised renewable energy solutions and a wide set of technical topics (i.e:  system design, O&M of renewable energy systems, safety, health and environmental risks, and business entrepreneurial skills, etc.).

As a crucial part of the learning path, about 45 students had the opportunity to be involved in two field visits in Nairobi, Kenya, and in Addis Ababa and Koftu, Ethiopia, on the 15th,16th and 17th December. During these practical experiences, organised in collaboration with our partners St. Kizito Vocational Training Institute and Ethiopian Women in Energy (EWiEn), the participants were able to benefit from hands-on practical laboratories and exercises in local power plants on technical topics such as the  i, designing concept & Integration of the solar system with grid system at a household, wiring & assembling of the solar units into a system, Installation tryout, O&M Monitoring, control and metering of the solar system and Social impact discussion. The aim was to bridge the gap between theory and practice as well as to deal with crucial topics in line with this edition's content for Module 3: Decentralised Renewable Energy, System Design, Operation & Maintenance and Safety.

The online activities were carried out and organised in collaboration with the MGA network: Sapienza Università di Roma, Enel Green Power, Enel Grids, Enel Foundation, Open Africa Power Alumni, EACREEE, Gridspertise,  RINA, Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), The Companionship of Works Organization (CoWA Kenya), Alliance for Rural Electrification, AVSI Foundation, Strathmore University, EWiEn :Ethiopian Women in Energy, East African Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Efficiency, St. Kizito V.T.I, and Kenya Power.