A total of 18 trainees from 10 countries, including Angola, Ghana and Mongolia, received diplomas from Chinese experts on Tuesday, ending their two-month training session on solar energy technologies in Gansu Province, northwest China.

"Although two months is not a long period of time, we learned a lot of practical information about solar energy," said Ali Abdelrahman from Sudan.

Gansu is China's cradle of solar energy development where the country's first solar energy research institute and first international solar energy training center are located.

The 2004 International Solar Energy Training Workshop was co-sponsored by the Gansu Natural Energy Research Institute and the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Center for Solar Energy.

The 18 trainees were from Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mongolia, Nigeria, Romania, Rwanda, Sudan and Thailand. They systematically studied solar energy technology through class teaching, field visits and hands-on operations, said Xi Wenhua, director of the institute and the center.

"We have different colors, but we gather here with the same goal: to bring back the practical technologies on solar energy use and development that we have learned in China," said Newton Gamboafrom Angola.

Viorel Ursu from Romania said Chinese experts had taught them knowledge and experience of solar energy research, equipment design, utilization and maintenance, and this was helpful to save energy and protect the environment.

The Chinese government stresses the use of solar energy and has adopted preferential polices to develop solar energy technologies nationwide, especially in remote western areas where sunshine is relatively rich and the electricity infrastructure remains undeveloped.

Before the training session, the center had, up to the end of last year, held 20 others and trained more than 400 technicians from some 70 countries throughout the world, said Wang.

(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2004)