The RE.Act project aims to enhance the quality of renewable energy education and research in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. It thereby focuses on the water-energy-nexus recognizing the interdependence and interconnectedness of water and energy systems.

The RE.Act project...

Project activities

Establishing the RE.Act Forum to engage stakeholders from various backgrounds. This forum serves as a platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and partnership formation in the field of renewable energy.

Supporting the enhancement of renewable energy teaching in the participating institutions. This includes developing and updating curriculum, providing training for educators, and integrating practical experiences and case studies into the learning process.

Strengthening research capacity in the water-energy nexus, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches and promoting collaborative research activities between the involved institutions.

Project objectives

Our objective is to update renewable energy study programs to reflect the state of the art in science as well as the local context in Central Asia. Additionally, we aim to improve Bachelor and Master training structures and provision at the participating institutions.

Our goal is to improve the ways in which knowledge and research findings are shared and transferred. Additionally, we seek to establish research focuses related to the energy-water nexus in participating institutions.

The project contributes to the following
Sustainable Development Goals:

The Water-Energy-Nexus

The water-energy nexus is a concept that emphasises the interdependence and interconnectedness of water and energy systems: Electricity is crucial for various processes in water supply including pumping, treatment, purification, distribution and maintenance of water infrastructure. In contrast, significant amounts of water are consumed in the production, extraction, distribution and utilisation of energy. For example, water plays a role in the cooling of power plants and in the generation of electricity from hydropower.

This reciprocal relationship between water and energy spotlights how important it is to consider both resources holistically and in context. By recognising the water-energy nexus, policy makers and stakeholders can develop integrated approaches that optimise resource use, increase efficiency and promote sustainable management of water and energy systems.

Participating Universities

Institute of new Energy Systems (InES)

…is part of Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI). One of the core pillars of THI’s internationalization strategy is the cooperation with African countries which is strongly driven by InES: For more than 15 years, InES has successfully coordinated cooperation projects with a focus on local business partners as well as universities in Africa. With a total of seven projects implemented or ongoing to date, InES collaborated with various local and international industry partners so far – all of them in the sphere of applied RE technologies.

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National Research University - Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers

TIIAME collaborates with over 150 renowned educational institutions, centres, and international organizations worldwide. The university is for example involved in projects such as the Hydro4U grant from Germany’s Munich Technical University, focused on sustainable small hydropower in Central Asia. Furthermore, TIIAME is engaged in projects related to the automation of drip irrigation systems for agricultural crops using renewable energy sources, energy efficiency monitoring systems for irrigation pumping stations and the sustainable management of water resources in Uzbekistan with technical capacity building supported by UPDP. TIIAME is part of the SDG Nexus network promoting the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

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Naryn State University named after S. Naamatov (NSU)

…has participated in various projects, encompassing student and staff mobility as well as research initiatives across multiple disciplines. NSU collaborated for example with Humboldt University, Germany, on a research project promoting institutional development for public management of resources (2015 –  2017). Additionally, a research project in partnership with Eichstatt University was conducted assessing the capacity building and ecosystem for sustainable management of forests along the rivers of Central Asia (2014 – 2017). Furthermore, NSU successfully implemented – in collaboration with THI-Ines and other German universities – the ÖkoFlussPlan project regarding the preservation of selected ecosystem services in the floodplains of Naryn/Kyrgyzstan through renewable energies and short rotation plantations (2019 – 2023)..

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Become a part of our network

Prof. Wilfried
Zörner​

Project lead THI

Jessica
Forster

Project manager THI

Dr. Ermek
Baibagyshov

Project coordinator NSU

Prof. Abdulkhakim
Salokhiddinov

Project coordinator TIIAME

News

First Study Programme Development Workshop

The first study programme development workshop of our RE.Act project took place in Tashkent from 24 to 26 July 2024. During the workshop, the three universities each presented their bachelor’s degree programmes in the field of renewable energies and compared their curricula. In the next step, the focus will be on identifying those modules that either need to be added or revised.
Klick

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