Opportunities for Sabahans being Created

A joint local and American effort is under way to train youths from Sabah’s indigenous communities to run micro scale alternative energy projects such as hydro power systems.

The local community-based Tobpinai Ninkokoton Koburuon Kampung (Tonibung) and Green Empowerment of the United States have set up the Centre for Renewable Energy and Appro­priate Technology (Create), which was launched on Satur­day.

Create would also receive key support from the National Geo­graphic Society under the Great Energy Challenge programme.

Located at the Innovative Skills Training Centre (ISTC) at Kampung Nampasan near here, the flagship technology at Create is a micro-hydropower system that generates 24-hour electricity from running water while conserving watersheds.

Green Empowerment programme coordinator Gabriel Wynn said micro-hydro systems that provided incentives for watershed conservation could be integrated with existing traditions and community resource management strategies to improve Sabah’s ability to sustainably manage its natural resources.

Wynn said Create would be manned by individuals from villages who had strong technical skills – many of them have worked on Tonibung’s previous community-based project.

Create would provide them with additional skills in renewable resource engineering.

Staff and trainees at Create would assemble turbines on location. ISTC has already been used for years to train villagers on appropriate technologies.

The launching also saw AirAsia Foundation handing over a RM58,000 social enterprise fund for Create.

Source: The Star Online