Educational Training on Clean Energy Technologies for School Students in Jaffna District

The programme was organized in collaboration with the Provincial Department of Education, Northern Province. From 6-14 March 2018, an educational training on CETs for 2684 school students from 56 schools in the Jaffna District was conducted. A total of 10 sessions, each of 2.5 hours duration, were organized at 6 different schools. Two sessions were conducted at Vembadi Girls’ High School (Jaffna), Victoria College (Chullipuram), Mahajana College (Tellippalai) and Methodist Girls’ high School (Point Pedro), whereas one session was carried out at Chavakachcheri Hindu College and Velanai Central College.

Target group: Grades 8-11 and G.C.E (A/L) (2019 & 2020 batches of Science and Technology streams)

Main features of the programme:

  • Power point (PPT) presentations about Clean Energy Technologies (wind energy, hydro energy, bio energy and solar energy)
  • Video presentations on Clean Energy Technologies
  • Guided the students to do demonstration of working models such as solar fan cap, solar car, solar phone charger, solar garden night lamp (with senor), Solar fan, solar table lamp, Solar controller
  • Hands on experience in building smaller size solar panels using solar cells (Short video coverage of the event)
  • Written quiz examination on CETs. Find the list of students selected for further training at the university of Jaffna
  • Summary of students’ evaluation of the programme

65 students, who scored above 80 % in the written quiz examination on CETs, were selected for a one-day workshop and final round of quiz competition on CETs to be held in April 2018.

Resource persons:

  • Professors: P. Ravirajan, A. Atputharajah and Meena Senthilnanthanan
  • Senior Lecturers: Dr. B. Ketheesan, Dr. A. Thevakaran, Dr. A. Anbruvel and Dr. R. Shivatharsiny
  • Lecturer: Ms.S.Vinothini
  • Postgraduate students and Technical officers of University of Jaffna
  • Science graduates trained at the Training of Trainer (TOT) prorammes conducted in November 2017

Detailed report of the ten sessions conducted in Jaffna District

Staff Mobility: Research stay of Dr. Raja Manickam, Gandhigram Rural University, India

Dr. N. Rajamanickam, Gandhigram Rural University, India had been worked as a visiting researcher  at Department of Physics, University of Jaffna from 05 February 2018 to 04 March 2018 under Higher Education and Research collaboration on Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Technologies project (HRNCET). He worked on materials development towards Nanostructured titanium dioxide based dye sensitized solar cells as well as methylammonium lead iodide based perovskite solar cells. Based on the research conducted here, he achieved new ideas about the doping effect in different materials. During his stay, he trained a few final year physics hours student and a MPhil student for fabricating solar cells and is planning to co-author a paper. He has a plan to continue the collaboration and make future visit to the department. On the request made by the Physics Society of our university, he made an excellent presentation titled Effect of doping on Binary Oxide NanomaterialsFaculty staff, final year Physics and Chemistry student attended his presentation.

Brief profile of speaker
Dr. N. Rajamanickam obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the Alagappa University, India and his masters and PhD from the Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India. Now, he is working as SERB – National Postdoctoral Fellow at Gandhigram Rural University, Dindigul, India sponsored by Department of Science, Ministry of Science and Technology India. In 2014, he has selected as a Bhaskara Advanced Solar energy fellowship from IUSSTF, USA and visited center for renewable energy research center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA for 6 month. He has published over 18 papers in scientific reputed international journals, 9 AIP proceedings and 1 book chapter. He has also presented more than 36 oral and posters at international and national conferences.

Staff Mobility: Research stay of Mr.Venkat Raman, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, India

Venkat Raman, India had been worked as a visiting researcher at Department of Physics, University of Jaffna from January 26, 2018  to February 05, 2018 to under Higher Education and Research collaboration on Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Technologies project (HRNCET). During his stay, he trained a few undergraduate students on fabrication and characterization of Dye Sensitized Solar cells. He made a presentation on “Enhanced performance of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells using Metal Oxide based nanomaterials”.

International Symposium on NANOMATERIALS FOR CLEAN ENERGY AND HEALTH APPLICATIONS

From 6th of December to 8th of December, an international symposium was arranged in India under the UTFORSK, INCP and NORPART projects. Both students and staff from HVL, UiB, UoA, UoJ, UoP were involved in this symposium and meetings along with our partners from CIT. Eight academics from Universities of Jaffna, Peradeniya and Eastern were actively participated by presenting papers at the symposium under this project.

Visit to a Research Institutes in Norway

Professors and research students from HVL, University of Jaffna,University of Peradeniya and Coimbatore Institute of Technology visited Christian Michaelsen Research and Prototech on the 17th of October. President of Prototech, Dr. Bernt Skeie presented the research work carried out in the field of fuel cells. The delegation had also presentations on the activities carried out under the NORPART project. Delegates held discussions on possible research collaborations. The day was concluded with a visit to the laboratories driven by Prototech.

Sri Lankan researchers at the HVL

Professor V. Dhayalan invited Senior Professor Gamini Rajapakshe (University of Peradeniya), Professor G. R. A. Kumara (National Institute of Fundamental Studies) and Professor P. Ravirajan (University of Jaffna) to have research stays at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) commencing from 16th to 26th of October. During their stay the visiting professors will be attending seminars, meetings with both institutions and industries who are working on clean energy technologies. They will also present their respective research at various seminars arranged by HVL. They will also be involved in discussions with the research students from Univ. of Jaffna and Univ. of Peradeniya currently having their research stay at Prof. Dhayalan’s research group at HVL.  

Research Stay of UOJ staff at HVL

Professor V. Dhayalan invited Dr. (Ms.) Shivatharsiny Rasalingam to have research stays at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) for a period of three weeks from September 18th to October 7th, 2017. She mainly involved in executing the experimental work of the research students from UoJ, UoP, and CIT. She assisted the students with setting up their labs and to start their experimental work. She has also visited several departments in Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) and University of Bergen, where Prof. Dhayalan’s collaborations going on. In addition, she attended seminars and had meetings with professors from HVL and UiB, who are working on clean energy sectors and chemical engineering.

 

Western Norway University PhD student at University of Jaffna

One of Professor Dhayalan’s PhD scholars, Murugesan Rasukkannu is on short term visit for sharing his expertise knowledge on computer modelling of Nanomaterials.  He is going to deliver a talk on Computation modelling of Nanomaterials for the Solar cell applications at the department of Physics, UoJ  on 15.09.2017. Abstract of his talk as follows:

Abstract: Computation modelling of nanomaterials is computationally challenging, we use appropriate mathematical and computational methods to solve the problem effectively. For this task, we use the density-functional method, fully self-consistent in the generalised gradient approximation for exchange and correlation corrections and hybrid function. Our results suggest that these nanomaterials are promising host for the development of third-generation solar cells. We present here the numerical results of these nanomaterials findings a significant effect in understanding these materials and use to improve the photovoltaic properties.

Educational Training on Clean Energy Technologies for GCE(A/L) students

he Jaffna Science Association and Provincial Department of Education, Northern Province in collaboration with University of Jaffna and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences intend to provide educational training on Clean Energy Technologies to the GCE (A/L) students in Science and Technology streams in the Jaffna District.

Applications are invited from eligible school teachers, who teach Engineering Technology/Physics/Chemistry at 1AB schools in the Jaffna District, to serve as resource persons in this initiative. The selected teachers must attend a one-day Training of Trainers (TOT) programme on clean energy technologies (solar, wind, hydro and bioenergy technologies, etc.) to be held in October/November 2017.

Interested teachers are requested to complete the application form (given below) and post the signed application to Jaffna Science Association, No. 84, College Road, Neeraviyady, Jaffna or e-mail a scanned copy of the signed application to thejsaorg.office@gmail.com by stating ‘EOI-TOT Programme on CET’ as the subject of your e-mail correspondence.