Young minds on new energy

A new book on energy, released earlier this week, encapsulates the most recent trends as expressed by a group of local intellectuals. Following a training programme on the energy sector, a noted scholar collected the contributions and compiled these into a single tome. This work comes against the background of insufficient domestic energy generation as indicated by current and future demand. The book aims to create civil awareness among the youth on energy issues.
Project facilitator, Dr Natilie Renkhoff has carefully edited the articles and compiled them to come up with a book, Powering Namibia into the future – towards a sustainable energy production.  This 216-page book was launched this week by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics, Natural Resources and Public Administration, Hon Ben Amathila, at the Goethe Centre in Windhoek.
The book, which can become “the bible” for energy generation in Namibia in the near future, is a compilation of 25 articles and offers a multi-faceted insight of energy issues, providing information about different technologies of energy production, protection of the environment and the mitigation of climate change.

The book summarizes the results of a training programme for young Namibians, on the energy sector offered in 2013 by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in partnership with Earthlife Namibia, the Goethe Centre, NaDs and LaRRI.
Dr Renkhoff thoughtfully divided the book into four broad chapters.
The first chapter focuses on the connection between climate change and energy production. Chapter two covers renewable energies and their application. Chapter three dwells on Uranium mining and nuclear power and chapter four elaborates on the rising awareness of energy issues.
Speaking at the book launch, which coincided with the launch of the second training programme, the project manager and book editor, Dr Renkoff said “The training programme is meant to find options to meet Namibia’s rising energy demand and to understand the linkage between energy production and climate change. The programme enables young Namibians to participate in the process of influencing Namibia’s energy sector and to create civil awareness in their respective communities.”
This programme covers all aspects of the energy sector, climate change, the interconnection between energy production and climate change, renewable energies and the potential they have to avoid supply shortages in the future, conventional sources of energy, nuclear power and the role it can play in mitigating climate change.