KOTA KINABALU: A joint local and American effort to train youths from Sabah's indigenous communities to run micro-scale alternative energy projects is underway.
The community-based Tobpinai Ninkokoton Koburuon Kampung (TONIBUNG) and the United States' Green Empowerment have set up the Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology (CREATE), launched on Sunday. CREATE will also receive key support from the National Geographic Society under the Great Energy Challenge programme. Located at the Innovative Skills Training Center (ISTC) in Kampung Nampasan near here, the flagship technology at CREATE is a micro-hydro power system that generates 24-hour electricity from running water while conserving watersheds. Green Empowerment Programme Coordinator Gabriel Wynn said many Malaysians in rural areas still lack access to electricity, an essential foundation for economic activities, education and public health.