Students and faculty members of IMMT at the foundation day lecture session in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 26: Introducing an energy technician’s course was the prime focus of the foundation day celebrations of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research here today.

Delivering the golden jubilee lecture at the 71st foundation day celebrations organised at the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), Magsaysay award winner Harish Hande said that the state should make efforts to create a “pool of energy technicians”.

“The Industrial Training Institutes should introduce courses in renewable energy to meet the ever-increasing demand of technicians in solar energy sector across the country,” said Hande.

He said that there could be a two-year course for energy technicians in the ITIs. This will help create trained professionals, who can repair and design solar panels and other renewable products.

“Although solar panels are slowly making their way into rural houses, the villagers fail to find technicians to repair these installations. The problem for the breakdown may be quite simple, but just because of the lack of trained technicians to repair the solar installations, the consumers get a negative impression on the concept of renewable energy as a whole,” he said.

“Many new companies are coming up and there will be a growing need for more workers — manufacturing workers to make solar panels, installers and technicians. Institutes must take the opportunity to start such courses and meet the demand-supply gap. The students must be encouraged to take up solar technology as a career and be micro-entrepreneurs,” he said.

Hande also said that Odisha could use renewable energy in multiple ways and had a huge potential in this field.

“The rate of electrification in the state being just 35 per cent, there is a huge scope for de-centralised entrepreneurship,” he said.