Fifty children from Moldova are spending ten days of vacation at the ENERGEL Summer Camp learning how to use renewable energy and discovering the secret of smart energy consumption. The children were selected following a public competition launched by the Energy and Biomass Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), IPN reports.

According to a press release of the Project, Irina Constantinova, 12, is studying at a school in Comrat. Together with a group of local enthusiasts, she invented a motorcycle powered from solar energy. It earned her ticket to the ENERGEL Summer Camp.

Pirkka Tapiola, the Ambassador of the European Union to Moldova, said energy security and a sustainable energy future are among the key priorities on the agenda of the European Union, with a secure and safe environment being crucial for the well-being of the population.

The Camp is part of an educational initiative for the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency, which was initiated by the EU-UNDP Moldova Energy and Biomass Project in the same communities where it also installed a number of biomass boilers.

Dafina Gercheva, UNDP Moldova Resident Representative, said that together with the EU and the Government of Moldova, they are working to raise awareness about the benefits of renewable energy sources.

“The Ministry of Economy supports the initiative successfully launched by the Energy and Biomass Project for studying the renewable energy and energy efficiency in schools. Its results are striking and demonstrate that young people are those who bring change in their communities and their families by example and thanks to their own belief,” said Valeriu Triboi, Deputy Minister of Economy.

In 2011 the Energy and Biomass Project launched its first renewable energy and energy efficiency competition. The competition engaged schools from the communities whose public institutions had benefitted from biomass heating systems thanks to the project’s European funds. In 2013 the Ministry of Education supported the initiative and introduced teaching about “Renewable Energy Sources” as an optional course in all schools in Moldova. From 2011 to 2014 over 350 schools in the country joined this initiative, with 19,000 students learning about renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The Energy and Biomass Project is now in its second phase, which will last for three-years (2015-2017). The project received a funding of €9.41 million from the European Union and is implemented by the UNDP.