INDEPENDENT power producers in the country have appealed to the government to monitor the importation of solar products to make sure they comply with accepted quality standards amid concerns the market was flooded with fake products.
BY MTHANDAZO NYONI
Power producers who showcased their products at a solar fair in Bulawayo on Saturday told NewsDay that the dumping of fake solar products in the country was suffocating the industry.
“People are embracing our products as evidenced by the huge turnout for the fair. However, at the moment the market is flooded with solar products which are not genuine. We, therefore, feel that the government should work hand in hand with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) to monitor the importation of solar products,” Zenzo Ndebele, Greenatation Solar Products director, said.
With approximately 300 days of sunshine each year, wind and several sources of hydropower, Ndebele said Zimbabwe has significant quantities of clean energy resources, but faced a huge power deficit affecting all sectors of the economy.
Joamac sales and marketing officer Samson Mathema concurred adding that the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) should also exercise consistency in its pricing system.
Innocent Ndebele said it was high time people used renewable energy such as solar and LP gas. Thulani Ncube, SNV renewable energy sector adviser, said the fair was a success and people should expect a similar event next year.
The fair, organised in partnership with the government, solar companies and provincial authorities, attracted a huge turnout of approximately 3 000 with more than 17 exhibitors.
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SNV in Zimbabwe is rolling out provincial solar fairs in eight provinces as part of a public awareness and communication strategy that has contributed to the development and expansion of the solar market in the rural and peri-urban areas in Zimbabwe.
The fair, which started in Gweru and is expected to roll to other places like Lupane, Karoi, Mutare, Mt Darwin, Masvingo and Mutoko, is running under the theme, Solar Kumusha, ISolar Ekhaya and Zvirikufaya ne-/Ziyakhipha nge-solar.
Last year, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority completed a study on renewable energy feed in tariffs for applicable technologies in a move aimed at enhancing the country’s power supply situation.
Zimbabwe is reeling from the negative effects of intermittent power supplies and load-shedding, a situation that has adversely affected all facets of the economy.
A number of countries the world over are rapidly adopting renewable energies. Germany’s renewable energy sector is among the most innovative and successful globally with its share of electricity produced from renewable energy increased to about 25% in 2012 from 6,3% of the national total in 2000.
