The partners of this cooperation project co-financed by the INTERREG MAC Program met in in Dakar (Senegal) during the week from December 13 to 16 and carried out several coordination actions and the public launch of the results of the project, such as the new mobile R+D laboratories made available to Senegalese partners: CERER and AEME

The Institute of Technology and Renewable Energies (ITER), as coordinator of the MACLAB-PV project “Improvement of R+D+i capacities and infrastructures in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector of the Canary Islands and Senegal”, in collaboration with the Senegalese partners of the project, the Center for Studies and Research on Renewable Energies (CERER) and the Agency for Energy Economics and Management (AEME), held several events aimed at disseminating and coordinating the project’s activities during the second week of December.

The MACLAB-PV work agenda began with the public presentation of the project and its main results at the “Day of presentation of projects in Senegal financed by the 2nd call of the INTERREG MAC Program 2014 – 2020”, promoted by the DG of Economic Affairs with Africa, within the framework of the HEXAGONE strategic project, and held in the Senegalese capital on December 13 and 14. The presentation, that took place on December 14, was given by representatives of ITER, CERER and AEME, and synthesized the main results achieved so far, publicly launching the new mobile R+D laboratories acquired within the framework of the project and officially delivered to the Senegalese partners: the R+D+i Laboratory of the renewable energy field linked to the LCQS laboratory of CERER; and the R + D + i Laboratory of energy efficiency field (LAVE – SENEGAL), linked to the LNE Laboratory of the AEME. The representatives of CERER and AEME explained their usefulness to implement quality control and certification actions of the photovoltaic systems and luminaires to be installed throughout the Senegalese territory. This event was therefore the public launch of both laboratories in Senegal. The participation of all partners in the event allowed to progress in the coordination of other project actions and the establishment of contacts with key reference agents, both in Senegal and in the different areas of action of the INTERREG MAC Program.

Subsequently, during the morning of December 15, the Faculty of Science and Technology of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar hosted the public event “MACLAB-PV Technical Conference – R + D + i in the area of renewable energies and energy efficiency in the Canary Islands and Senegal”. During the event, which counted with an audience of more than 100 university students, the partners presented the general action lines of the project, and the CERER and AEME partners presented their main lines of R+D, which have been reinforced by the MACLAB-PV project, through training actions for researchers and the acquisition of scientific equipment. In this same conference, the Senegalese mobile R+D laboratories MACLAB-PV were launched again, together with the “Project for technological modernization and optimization of the didactic use of the MACSEN-PV photovoltaic plant located in CERER (Senegal)”. The event ended with a debate among the students regarding their main training needs and concerns, highlighting the potential didactic uses of the new equipment launched by the project.

During the afternoon of December 15, the partners of the project held a meeting and a technical visit at CERER´s headquarters, where the agreement for the transfer of the R + D + i Laboratory of the field of renewable energies from ITER to CERER was officially signed. The ceremony continued with the presentation of the different equipment that conform the laboratory and the uses that will be given to each of them. CERER researchers, UCAD students linked to the project, as well as a representative of ASER (Senegalese Agency for Rural Electrification) participated. In addition, ITER technicians made a technical visit to the LCQS laboratory of CERER, the LNE of the AEME (which is located at the headquarters of CERER) and held a meeting with Senegalese and Canarian representatives of the European project MICRO-GRIDBLUE, visiting the photovoltaic installation carried out by this project at CERER´s headquarters, with the aim of establishing synergies between both projects.

Continuing with the agenda, on December 16, AEME hosted the III Transnational Meeting of MACLAB-PV partners, where the progress of the different activities was analyzed, together with the planning the next steps to be carried out and the existing possibilities were evaluated in terms of establishing a consultation with other funds for the development of complementary actions. Finally, the partners worked on the joint design of a future proposal for the new INTERREG MAC Programme 2021 – 2027, to materialize a second phase of the project, MACLAB-PV 2. Subsequently, the agreement for the transfer of the R + D + i Laboratory of the energy efficiency field (LAVE – SENEGAL) from ITER to AEME was officially signed. The ceremony continued with the presentation of the different equipment that conform the laboratory and the uses that will be given to each of them.

Following the signing ceremony, ITER´s researcher assigned to the MACLAB-PV project, Carlos González Montesdeoca, presented “R + D + i in the area of renewable energies in the Canary Islands (ITER) – Perosvkita”, where he announced in detail the R + D + i line “Manufacture of photovoltaic solar cells based on perovskites in a clean room environment” launched within the framework of the project and whose results have been exposed internationally.

During the MACLAB-PV Working Days in Senegal, different meetings were also held with Key Agents located in Senegalese territory, such as the Delegation of the European Union in Senegal; the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage; the City Council of the Island of Gorée; the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Cooperation of Senegal; Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar; the Ministry of Vocational Training, Literacy and National Languages; or the Directorate of National Parks of Senegal. These meetings served to publicize the MACLAB-PV project and its results, and to study possible synergies or future collaborative actions.

Another of the actions carried out was the implementation of the MACLAB-PV awareness campaign “Women in Science and R+D”, highlighting the necessary reinforcement of the role of women in the scientific field of renewable energies and energy efficiency.

The MACLAB-PV project is obtaining excellent results, contributing to the specialization of the scientific community in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector of the Canary Islands and Senegal, and with it, to its sustainable development. The work carried out in Senegal during the week has allowed to maximize the results of the project, transfer the R+D activity of the partners, coordinate the actions to be developed until the end of the project in September 2023, and prepare future actions to ensure the consolidation of the cooperation established between the participating R+D Centers.

MACLAB-PV “Improvement of capacities and infrastructures of R + D + i in the sector of renewable energies and energy efficiency of the Canary Islands and Senegal” is co-financed by the Territorial Cooperation Program Interreg Madeira-Azores-Canarias (MAC) 2014-2020, its main objective is to promote the excellence and applicability of scientific and technological activity in the sector of renewable energies and energy efficiency, contributing to the sustainable development of the regions of the Canary Islands and Senegal.

More information about the project is available on the project website http://www.maclabpv.com/ and on its social networks https://www.facebook.com/MACLABPV/