President Mnangagwa recently launched the Presidential solar energy project in a bid to combat the effects of climate change and align with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocols on climate change and sustainable agriculture.
This initiative is poised to play a pivotal role in addressing the challenges posed by climate change, promote sustainable agricultural practices in the country and provide cheap electricity to residents.
Currently, the roll-out of the Presidential Solar Scheme pilot project has begun with 80 houses out of 400 households in Glen View, Harare, having been connected to date.
The Presidential Solar Scheme involves renting and installing solar panels on rooftops of houses. The solar energy generated from these panels will be fed into the national grid where it will also be used for irrigation, for agricultural development.
In return, Zesa has agreed in principle to suspend load-shedding in areas participating in the scheme, while homeowners will receive a token of appreciation.
The project is being implemented by Zimbabwe Solar Energy Company (ZISEC), a subsidiary of the Prevail Group International (PGI) which was also involved in the successful implementation of the Presidential Borehole Scheme.
The adoption of solar power presents numerous advantages in the fight against climate change and sustainable agriculture.
Solar energy is a renewable and sustainable source of power that significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, thereby mitigating the adverse effects of climate change.
By harnessing solar energy, Zimbabwe can reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, leading to a substantial decrease in carbon emissions and environmental pollution.
In light of this, President Mnangagwa is championing the Sadc policy on going green. He recently launched two energy policies, effectively setting the tone for the development and sustainable exploitation of renewable energy.
The National Renewable Energy policy and Biofuels policy of Zimbabwe seek to promote optimal supply and utilisation of energy for socio-economic development.
Government is seeking to prioritise the exploitation of renewable energy and a guideline on its structure.
Addressing investors and players in the energy sector, President Mnangagwa said the two policies would help Government to bolster security in the country.
He said Zimbabwe, like other countries in the Sadc region, had not been spared from critical power shortages that have resulted in extensive power outages for both domestic and commercial consumers.
The situation, President Mnangagwa said had been worsened by adverse effects of climate change.
"Government is, thus aware that renewable energy has become a good option and a preferable source of energy throughout the world. Its technologies are climate-friendly and their adoption leads to a reduction in Green House Gases (GHG) emissions.
"Energy is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases emissions globally, and any strategy to reduce emissions must take into account the provision of clean sustainable energy to minimize the emission of these gases.
"As a country, we have committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 33 percent per capita by 2030. It is my Government's hope that these positive developments will result in more investment and opportunities in the energy sector," President Mnangagwa said.
Turning to the National Renewable Energy policy, His Excellency said it advocates for an increase in the share of renewable energy in the overall energy mix.
"This resonates well with the SDG and our national development strategies. The policy also seeks to address the impact of climate change and focuses on driving cost effective utilisation of sustainable energy sources," he said.
President Mnangagwa challenged local authorities throughout the country, to take advantage of the new policy thrust to avail land and facilities for renewable energy projects.
"Increased investments are welcome in the renewable energy sub-sector as we embrace the vast opportunities offered by renewable energy technologies towards an Upper Middle Income Economy by 2030," he added.
In an interview with Zimpapers Politics Hub, PGI chairperson, Dr Paul Tungwarara, whose company is spearheading the pilot Presidential Solar Energy Project in Glen View said the programme will not only reduce power challenges but become a source of income for residents.
"We are going to use a system that we are calling a rooftop, whereby we install a rooftop, we install our system at residents' homes, and we rent the roof from the homeowner. So this is how the people are going to benefit, by us renting the roof, and we put our system there as ZISEC, Zimbabwe Solar Energy Company, which is driving the presidential solar scheme, under Prevail Group," Dr Tungwarara said.
"So once we install the system on the roof, residents will get an income from us as we are renting their roofs. And then the generated electricity does not go to that home specifically. The generated electricity is going to the grid. So we have such a system whereby ZISEC is the off-taker of the generated electricity from the rooftops."
He said the advantages of this scheme is that residents are going to benefit as they will get an income of the rents from his company and also the area where the project is being implemented, there will be no load shedding.
"So these are the benefits that we are talking of. And also, definitely, there's going to be an excess of electricity which is going to be generated there. Excess will go to other uses like irrigation and many other things," he said.
Dr Tungwarara said as Zimbabwe is in the middle of hosting the 44th Sadc Summit, other regional states can adopt the same approach, which has worked in some developed nations
"We have seen this initiative from other developed countries. They have implemented it and it has worked. It has saved them from having solar farms whereby you are using 100 hectares for a solar farm. Then after you use the 100 hectares to do a solar farm, you also have to export that electricity to where it is needed. But now we are saying we are generating it from where it is needed," Dr Tungwarara said.
"So there's no cost of even some leakages. You know sometimes when you transfer electricity from a long distance, obviously there are some losses of electricity. But now it is being generated right there and it is being used there. Considering that the summit is here, I believe that all Southern African countries are going to also adopt this. Because all of us, we have got this problem of load shedding. We are now saying, this roof is now generating electricity. I believe that most of the countries are going to learn from us. They are going to learn from this and they are also going to adopt this and enrol it in their countries."
He said the Presidential Solar Energy scheme has been integrated with Presidential Borehole Scheme as a way of promoting sustainable agriculture through irrigation.
"As Prevail, we are also doing the Presidential Borehole scheme. So these two projects integrate. Why am I saying so, remember, we are putting a business unit on each and every school. So if we put our rooftop on a school, it means that the electricity being generated there, is also going to work on the business unit," he said
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The businessman and Presidential investment advisor added that they were also going to launch the Presidential Internet Scheme in urban area since the system rely on internet for monitoring electricity generation.
"Because as ZISEC we have to manage, we have to administer and to see how much electricity each house is generating. So we are going to put internet, which is also going to be a Presidential Internet Scheme. We need internet because we have to monitor each house," he said.
"We have an application where we are going to see each house, also to see the faults from each house. So definitely, we need internet. As ZISEC, we are not going to be selfish to say the internet is for the scheme only. But we are saying all the people that are there, the school children that are there, we are going to give them access to that internet. We shall see, when we agree on the commercial value of the project, we shall see if we are able to give the internet for free. But we cannot promise. If people are going to pay, it means they are going to pay a very small amount. But the good thing is, everywhere, they will be internet.
"Imagine if we roll out the whole Harare, Chitungwiza, Marondera and if we roll out the whole Mutare, it means we are coming with electricity, eradicating load shedding and we are bringing internet. So there are two things that are coming there, the benefits that are coming there. This is not a small thing, this is actually a big thing."
The Presidential solar energy project represents a significant step towards addressing the challenges posed by climate change and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Through harnessing the potential of solar power and embracing comprehensive green solutions, Zimbabwe can pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient future, in alignment with the SADC protocols on climate change and sustainable agriculture.
