GOVERNMENT is pursuing the development of 300MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy through State-owned power generation unit, Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), as it moves to find alternative power sources.
BY TARISAI MANDIZHA
The push to solar comes as the country is grappling with power cuts, as Kariba Power Station is generating 475MW against its installed capacity of 750MW capacity, due to low water levels.
Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) chief executive officer, Gloria Magombo said the projects were still at tendering stage.
PV cells produce electricity by capturing the sun’s energy using its cells.
Magombo said through Zera, government has made a number of initiatives to promote solar, such as renewable energy feed in tariff, which is still to be approved, solar photovoltaic grid code, Net-metering regulations and solar photovoltaic and solar geyser pilot projects.
“Government is pursuing the development of 300MW of solar PV through the State-owned power generation company ZPC. The three projects are still at tendering stage,” she said.
Zera has so far licensed four players with a combined capacity of generating 155MW from solar. The PV projects are Marondera-based De Green (50MW), Geo-base in Gwanda with an estimated capacity of 50MW, Yellow Africa in Ntabazinduna that can generate 50MW and Bulilima-Mangwe’s Plum Solar (5MW).
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Magombo said the government was set to launch the solar water heating programme aimed at encouraging the 250 000 households with electricity geysers to consider switching to solar geysers or retro-fitting.
She said the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has installed 425 solar mini-grid projects, at rural health centres, schools and chiefs’ homesteads across the country.
REA has also distributed 437 solar mobile units countrywide.
She said there are also several small scale solar projects across the country that are powering different equipment and providing lighting at household, company and farm level.
She said REA was currently developing a rural energy master plan, which will provide a more accurate evaluation of the level of solar energy penetration in rural settlements in the country.
