The Namibian (Windhoek)
Brigitte Weidlich
21 November 2006
Windhoek — NAMIBIA will soon have its own regulatory framework and technical standards for the use of appliances powered by renewable energies such as solar or wind power.
Namibian experts met in Windhoek yesterday to discuss a draft framework drawn up by consultants.
The document will eventually become the draft for a Renewable Energy Bill, and is set to place Namibia at the forefront of renewable energy in Africa.
While the use of renewable energies was included in the existing White Paper on Energy Policy, "more commitment to clearly identify it is needed", said Carter Hartz, one of the consultants.
"Eventually, the country also needs regulations for renewable energy electricity production, feed-in tariffs for this type of energy source into the grid on a commercial basis and for individual households when they have surplus."
According to Hartz, huge potential exists in areas where bush encroachment is a problem.
"There are approximately 26 million hectares of bush-encroached farmland. The bush could be 'harvested' and converted through burning in special conversion plants to generate electricity in off-grid areas. The potential lies at around 1 000 megawatt, calculated at five tons of wood per hectare from bush-encroached areas."
Experts proposed that the Ministry of Works and that of Mines and Energy could adopt a code of practice on the use of solar-energy technologies.
Another outflow of the workshop was a plea to reduce the high import tariffs on solar panels and other renewable-energy products.
The draft regulatory framework also addresses energy efficiency.
It recommends the establishment of an energy-efficiency agency, as well as national building codes and guidelines for insulation, solar water heating and energy audits to make large buildings more energy efficient, thus reducing electricity consumption.
The experts further recommended that a national strategy for energy efficiency should be compiled, as has already been done in South Africa.
Namibia imports more than 50 per cent of its electricity from South Africa.
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