Training Alumni Newsletter - 03/2025

Training News & Highlights

An overview of what’s coming in 2025 and beyond

March  

The first tailor-made training designed for the Heinrich-Böll Foundation will be held in Berlin. This one-week intensive in-person training programme will cover topics such as the integration of renewables and grid flexibility, hydrogen and the decarbonisation of the steel and chemicals industries – just to name a few. For more information on customised training, feel free to reach us here.

May 

After successfully piloting our three-day Train-the-Trainer programme in Bangkok, we will offer it again this year to a group of selected partner organisations. We may expand it to broader audiences in the future. Stay tuned! 

June 

Our successful three-day Grids Training in Bangkok will also return for its second round in 2025. With two cohorts scheduled for June, the training will explore solutions for grid integration of renewables as well as identifying gaps in current grid planning and operation practices. Cohorts for these programmes have been selected.

September 

Right after the summer break we will kick off our new training on industrial transformation together with our colleagues at Agora Industry. Providing a comprehensive overview on all things industrial decarbonisation, this one-week training will equip participants to strategically contribute to ongoing policy debates and actively shape industry decarbonisation efforts in their countries. Note: The first round is open to INETTT members only. We will open the call to a wider audience for the industry training in 2026! Watch our LinkedIn channel or sign up to our Learning Opportunities newsletter to be informed once we open the call.

October 

Another training will debut this year! We are currently busy developing a training on Electricity Market Design for the Southeast and East Asian context, equipping participants with a solid understanding of market fundamentals, the challenges of integrating wind and solar and effective policy and market approaches for supporting renewables in diverse regulatory environments. Stay tuned.

Afaf Ali

Institutional Affiliation: Renewables First, Pakistan

In this interview, we speak with Afaf, an alumna of Agora Training's Hydrogen & PtX program and a key member of Renewables First, a think-and-do tank in Pakistan focused on energy transition and climate resilience. Afaf shares insights into her work on industrial decarbonisation, her role in launching the Pakistan chapter of “Women in Green Hydrogen,” and her upcoming fellowship with the Öko-Institut in Berlin. Discover how her passion for green hydrogen and inclusive energy solutions is shaping the future of Pakistan’s energy landscape.

Agora Training: You work with Renewables First in Pakistan. What is your organisation’s mission and what exciting projects are you currently working on?

Afaf: Renewables First is a think-and-do tank based in Islamabad, focused on energy transition policy, inclusive sustainable development and climate resilience. We bridge the gap between research and policy through advocacy, partnerships and communication – all to drive tangible action for a sustainable energy future.

I joined in 2023 and I am currently working on industrial decarbonisation, with a specific focus on assessing green hydrogen's viability in Pakistan. My role involves exploring its potential in decarbonising industry and laying the groundwork for a national hydrogen policy.

Agora Training: Reflecting on the past year, what success or milestone at Renewables First are you especially proud of?

Afaf: Though we are a relatively new think tank (established in 2022), we’ve already made significant strides in shaping Pakistan’s renewable energy policy. One highlight was our third-party verification of the potential renewable energy share in the country’s energy planning, challenging the government’s reliance on fossil fuels, particularly local coal. I’m proud that my work demonstrated that renewables are not just cost-effective but also the most sustainable alternative to coal.

Currently, another major focus is energy finance – how to attract climate and energy investment into Pakistan – so we’re working on solutions to create a market for renewables. We’re also building a new generation of energy professionals who understand the urgency of the energy transition and can advocate for renewables. We do this through the Margalla School of Energy and Climate. Agora’s Training Team has been instrumental in helping us get the school off the ground.

Agora Training: You completed the Hydrogen & PtX Training at Agora in 2023. How did it shape your work? What tangible impacts have you seen as a result? 

Afaf: When I joined Renewables First in 2023, one of my key interests was exploring the viability of green hydrogen in Pakistan’s energy transition. Green hydrogen is still a niche topic here, with ongoing debates about its most viable use cases. The Hydrogen & PtX training was a game-changer for me, giving me the understanding and tools to navigate the green hydrogen debate. It clarified that while green hydrogen is a promising solution, it’s not a one-size-fits-all fix. It truly helped close my knowledge gap and equipped me with the skills I now apply in my work.

Currently, I’m assessing the techno-economic landscape of green hydrogen in Pakistan, particularly the barriers to adoption. While interest is growing, significant uncertainties remain, especially regarding investment. Pakistan lacks the ecosystem to channel the required financing. Our focus is on bridging that gap.

Agora Training: You initiated the Pakistan chapter of “Women in Green Hydrogen” and are now expanding it to more South Asian countries. What inspired this initiative?

Afaf: As a woman in engineering, I’ve experience firsthand how male-dominated the energy sector is. Before joining Women in Green Hydrogen (WiGH), I was part of the Women in Energy Network, which supports young female engineers by connecting them with recruiters and providing capacity-building opportunities. Many women, especially in our society, face cultural and societal hurdles. Networks like these help them navigate their professional journeys and break into the energy sector.

At the hydrogen training in Berlin, I connected with a colleague from GIZ, who is also a founding member of WiGH. At the time, I felt like the only woman in Pakistan working on green hydrogen and wanted to change that. With her support and backing from Renewables First, I initiated the Pakistan chapter. 

However, given the limited number of women in this field across South Asia, we recently merged country chapters into a unified South Asia chapter to foster collaboration, share experiences and address shared challenges, such as the cultural integration of women. We officially launched in early February in India.

Agora Training: You’re about to embark on a new professional journey. What inspired you to take this leap, and what are your hopes for this next step?

Afaf: I’m thrilled to join the Öko-Institut in Berlin as a fellow through the International Climate Protection Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation – the first Pakistani to get it as Prospective Leader in Climate to receive this is a huge honour! It’s something I’m very proud of.

During my fellowship, I’ll be exploring the techno-economic viability of green hydrogen in Pakistan, identifying barriers and mapping out opportunities. My work will involve using the Business Opportunity Analyser developed by Agora Industry and Öko-Institut to take a data-driven approach and I’m excited to collaborate closely with both organisations.

I chose this fellowship to facilitate knowledge transfer between Germany – especially its expertise in areas like green hydrogen exports – and Pakistan. My goal is to deliver actionable policy recommendations to accelerate green hydrogen adoption in Pakistan.