ENERGY efficiency is the key to address the country’s power challenges and should be embraced by all stakeholders as the country grapples with power cuts, an official has said.
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Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) chief executive officer, Gloria Magombo said while long-term power projects in the country are being implemented to address the power crisis, raising capital took long.
“Let’s embrace energy efficiency, we need to implement it. We cannot continue as if there is no problem, the problem is there, so there is need to implement (energy efficiency) because it’s cheaper,” she said.
Magombo’s call for energy efficiencies comes as the country is grappling with power cuts, a deadly blow to the already burdened manufacturing sector. Companies have been forced to invest in alternative energy sources, thereby pushing up the cost of production and ultimately making local products uncompetitive. Low water levels at Kariba Dam mean the plant is producing 475MW against an installed capacity of 920MW.
Magombo said the energy mix of any country includes hydro electricity because it is cheaper than coal.
She said hydro-electricity helps when the country receives good rainfalls, but once in every 10 years, the challenge of drought emerges. She said people should now use gas for cooking and solar for heating as a way of addressing the power cuts. She admitted that the cost of setting up solar system is expensive, but in the long run it is cheaper and reduces the company’s wage bill.
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Government recently announced the banning of electric geysers as a way of saving energy and it is estimated that 300MW of power could be saved through the initiative.
Engineer Mercy Manyuchi also said at the workshop held on energy yesterday, that the government has to do more on solar heating systems. She said solar geysers are the way to go, considering the current electricity shortages in the country.
