Instructor: Paul Nyombi, PE

Safe and reliable operation of any power system requires a fast, selective, secure, and dependable system protection package.  Application of a protection package or more specifically protection relays require a good understanding of how the system behaves electrically, at the relay location, during abnormal system conditions. For selective tripping and protection of power system equipment, protection and control designers need to clearly identify the protection boundaries of the different system equipment, also known as local zones of protection. This, in part requires a good understanding of symmetrical components concepts as they are immensely vital in selecting protection schemes to use.  In this tutorial, fundamentals of identifying/establishing zones of protection, basics of symmetrical components, application of basic protection schemes to the different power system equipment, and the challenges associated with the protection of distributed energy resources, will be discussed.

Although the design of protection relays has evolved over the years, from single function electromechanical relays to modern day multifunction microprocessor relays, what has not changed are the operating principles. With a few selected examples, and using both electromechanical relays and microprocessor relays, the tutorial will also be used to illustrate how knowledge of symmetrical components is applied to system protection.

Instructors: Dr. Robert A Durham and John Nelson, PE

Lightning is an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon. Portions of Africa have the highest incidence of lightning occurrences annually. Lightning is a high power, high frequency, high voltage, high current event that causes deaths, injuries and millions of dollars of destruction each year. Nevertheless, as evidenced by facilities that successfully, and without damage, accept multiple lightning events per year, personnel, facilities and equipment can be successfully protected from lightning damage. This tutorial will explore the origins of lightning protection, some of the permutations that lightning protection has taken over the past 150 years, as well as the state of the art in lightning protection practices and standards. Additionally, the status of so-called alternative lightning protection systems will be examined in light of their efficacy and adherence to standards.

Organizer: Iwona Bisaga

This tutorial will present the current state of the clean cooking sector in Rwanda with a focus on cooking fuels and technologies used, common cooking practices and the economics of cooking energy in both household and institutional settings. The main policies and targets associated with Rwanda’s clean cooking transitions will be introduced and some of the main initiatives supporting the clean cooking sector will be discussed, including the Clean Cooking Fund Results-Based Financing and the Biomass Strategy.

An overview of recent regional developments in the clean cooking sector, including innovative approaches to clean and modern energy transitions, will also be offered to highlight what opportunities for learning and knowledge exchange exist to inform and speed up progress on the achievement of SDG7 on universal access to clean, modern, sustainable and affordable energy for all. The tutorial will include speakers from MININFRA, the Ministry of Environment, BRD and other relevant agencies involved in the clean cooking sector, as well as research organizations carrying out pioneering work in this sector.

Organizers: Aphrodis Nduwamungu and Geoffrey Gasore

This tutorial offers hands-on training at the Smart Grid and Microgrid laboratory, at the African Centre of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development. Overall orientation will be provided to selected experimental setups in the lab. Participants will be trained to carry out connections, measurements, and analysis on two setups.

• One is an emulated Industrial Photovoltaic plant, with 3-phase synchronization and battery storage and SCADA Viewer software.
• The other is an emulated Hydropower plant with pumping and classical power generation, also with SCADA Viewer software.

These practical experiences will bolster theoretical background knowledge provided to the participants, and also give them a hands-on, direct experience with the technologies of solar power, batteries, and hydro generating stations.