IEAHydropower

Annex VII - Education & Training:
Hydropower Competence Network

Background

In April 2002, as a part of Phase 2, Annex VII, Hydropower Competence Network for Education and Training (HCN) was launched. The work of this Annex followed on from, and was partly an extension of Annex V. Its focus was on developing an Internet-based international network for training of personnel in the hydropower industry. The work was carried out by a task force consisting of representatives from Japan. Sweden and Norway.

Activities

Four different Learning Management Systems were thoroughly assessed and compared, and the Open Source system Moodle was selected as software platform and adapted as the HCN framework. Learning materials already in the possession of the task force were used as test cases for adaptation to the HCN platform. The materials were tested by students and scientific staff at Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Luleå University of Technology, Sweden with satisfactory results.

Outcomes

The outcomes of Annex VII are as follows:

  • Installation of the Course Management System, Moodle, on the IEA server.
  • Preparation of a manual for production of learning materials
  • Installation of this manual on the Moodle platform as an example of a training course
  • Installation of two selected modules of the ICH-course "The Process of Social Impact Assessment" on the Moodle platform as an example of a training course
  • Installation of the "Maintenance Strategies" presentation of Prof. Kumar, Luleå
  • University of Technology on the Moodle platform as an example of a training course
  • Testing of these examples of training courses
  • Production of a manual for "Potential Study for Small Hydropower Projects", on CD-Rom, by New Energy Foundation
  • CD-Rom of country presentations at the Bangkok Workshop; on CD-Rom
  • The Annex VIII Hydropower Good Practices, informative cases,  on CD-Rom, produced by Annex VIII task force
  • Presentation of a paper on the HCN at the international conference Hydropower'05 in Stavanger, Norway, May, 2005

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In order to accomplish the foregoing objectives, Participants will carry out the following Subtasks:

  • Subtask 1: Identification and selection of node organizations
  • Subtask 2: Bilateral tests with learning materials
  • Subtask 3: HCN start-up and initiation plan

Subtask 1

Identification and selection of node organizations

Participants plan to arrange three regional workshops, and to invite already identified and potentially interested parties from the region to attend the workshop. Invited organizations could be hydropower-generating companies with a need for staff training, universities or schools with courses or course elements that could be adapted to net-based learning, or training centres with existing products suited for the HCN or with plans to develop such products. The workshop agenda includes presentation of the HCN concept with standards and methodologies, demonstration of tools with pilot learning material, screening of special needs that calls for adaptions, discussion of core competencies of various staff categories and identification of partners for further talks.

Subtask 2

Bilateral tests with learning materials

Learning materials will be prepared by a limited number of node organizations based upon a standard prepared by the task force. Bilateral links will be set up, and selected learning material tested on the HCN platform, followed by potential modifications. A typical test link could be between a training centre or university and a customer organization such as a power company. Possible extensions of the HCN functionality may be an additional outcome of the subtask.

This subtask was performed between May 2003 - April 2004.

Activities

Workshops

Workshop Asian region at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) 2003-10-16 - 17
Materials development

Below are links to the presentations made by the participants of the workshop. The presentations are displayed in alphabetical order by country after the presentations by the IEA Annex VII.

Description of the Hydropower Competence Network - IEA Annex VII (PDF - 824kb)

Microhydro development in Indonesia (QuickTime - 437kb) - New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia

Hydropower as CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) Project Activities (QuickTime - 900kb) - International Affairs Department Hydroelectric Power Development Center New Energy Foundation (NEF), Japan

Hydropower Generation in Lao PDR (QuickTime - 594kb), Laos

Status of Hydropower Education and Training at Institute of Engineering (IOE) (QuickTime - 1430kb), Nepal

Education and Training, Hydropower Sector, Renewable Energy (QuickTime - 209kb), The Phillipines - Renewable Energy Management Division, Department of Energy, Phillipines

Presentation of EGAT (QuickTime - 437kb) - Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, Thailand

Vietnam Energy and Hydropower - Brief Introduction (QuickTime - 259kb) Slides (PDF kb)

Media

Maintenance Strategies Introduction (Quicktime 20600kb)

Mediaformats used in the Hydropower Competence Network (Quicktime 8350kb) Slides (PDF 36kb)

Why not use Microsoft Office formats? (Quicktime 6220kb) Slides (PDF 40kb)

Introduction to planning for a distance course (Quicktime 11900kb) Slides (PDF 3010kb)

Subtask 3

HCN start-up and initiation plan

The pilot version of the Hydropower Competence Network will be established with the selected organizations as network nodes. The system will be tested including accounting, access control and security of materials, and a marketing plan for the HCN will be developed.

Results

Results of Annex VII will include:

  1. 1. An operational pilot version of a Hydropower Competence Network for Education and Training (HCN) that includes a number of learning materials customized to the HCN
  2. 2. A manual describing the standards and procedures that should be followed in producing learning materials for the HCN
  3. 3. A user handbook for the HCN.

Organisation

Mr Tore S. Jørgensen (Operating Agent)
International Centre for Hydropower (ICH)
Klæbuveien 153
N-7465 Trondheim
NORWAY

Professor Kyohei Baba
K. Baba Engineering Consultants Co. Ltd.
3-3-3 Tranomon Minato-Ku
Tokyo 105-0001
JAPAN

Mr. Sten-Erik Björling
Enviro Data
Varvsgatan 47
S-972 33 Luleå
SWEDEN




The IEA Hydropower Agreement is keen to promote its work programmes within participating countries and to encourage further interest in its work from non-participating countries. All OECD countries are eligible to participate fully. In addition, the IEA Governing Board has decided that the Implementing Agreements may also be open to non-member countries. If you are interested in finding out more about IEA Hydropower, please contact the ExCo Secretary.