THE PETROLEUM Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) has pumped $1.8 million into alternative energy education at the Mona Institute of Applied Sciences (MIAS).
MIAS, in collaboration with the Department of Physics at the University of the West Indies (UWI), has been afforded the opportunity by the PCJ to launch an intensive professional certificate course in alternative energy.
This is the first of its kind and the launch of the course is expected to be a well-needed boost for energy managers, engineers, technicians, environmentalists and architects, who will now be able to access local and innovative knowledge on alternative energy sources being explored worldwide.
OIL WOES
Global trends and escalating oil prices, coupled with the importance of the product, have further highlighted the relevance of exploring alternative energy sources. During the first half of 2005 alone, world oil prices peaked above US$51 per barrel, with prices having risen from below US$20 per barrel since January 2002.
Senior lecturer in the Department of Physics at the UWI, Dr. Dharmaratne Amara-koon, says that, "across the globe, the conventional sources, such as crude oil, coal, and natural gas are now facing difficulties in complying with required energy supplies. As prices are escalating, sources are depleting, and the burning of oil and coal contributes to greenhouse gases that accelerate global warming."
RELEVANCE OF THE COURSE
Dr. Amarakoon, who teaches the certificate course, further stresses the relevance of the course, stating that it "covers the concepts and principles in alternative energy technologies, use of relevant scientific instruments, data analysis techniques, energy conservation and energy economics including energy auditing."
The alternative energy course begins June 20 and runs through July 29, with classes held in the Department of Physics on the UWI Mona campus.
