To alleviate the manpower shortage in the solar business, top players in the Philippines’ renewable energy (RE) sector—especially the solar industry—are attempting to collaborate with the Danish government.
In a report published by the Manila Bulletin, the Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance (PSSEA) chairperson Tetchi Cruz-Cappelan, stated that the solar industry sought the assistance of Danish Ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin to guarantee that workers in the country are properly trained and skilled.
This aligns with the advocacy efforts the Danish government and its partners spearheaded under the JOBS4RE project, which aimed to strengthen Filipino skills in preparation for large-scale RE investments in the Philippines.
Cappelan further emphasized the importance of adequately training and increasing the number of solar workers. This is crucial not only for ground-mounted solar installations but also for floating solar, rooftop installations, and the proposed electrification of off-grid areas through solar systems in the country.
In light of this, PSSEA’s original intention is to create a three-level curriculum: the first level is intended for technical personnel working in installations, the second for design engineers, and the third for managers, particularly those in project management and financial modeling.
Cappelan added that one crucial need in the curriculum is to have a laboratory instead of the temporary ground and rooftop that were previously utilized for educating solar personnel who joined the industry’s talent pool during the feed-in-tariff (FIT) system ten years ago.
As the need for solar energy continues to increase, even in developed countries, one more issue that needs to be taken into account is how long solar workers may be employed in the local RE industry.
Regarding the fishermen who might be impacted by floating solar farms, they will receive structured training to support their transition into the service industry, Cappelan stressed.
