DPA to install solar for NRZ Pension Fund

Judith Phiri, Business Reporter  

Distributed Power Africa (DPA) has announced an agreement to install rooftop solar at key properties for the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) Contributory Pension Fund nationwide.

DPA is the renewable energy business of leading pan-African technology group Cassava Technologies.

The NRZ Contributory Pension Fund manages a portfolio of properties across the country, including retail space and office buildings.

Combined, the installations at various locations of the NRZ Pension Fund clients will total 5.3MW, making this one of DPA’s most notable projects to date.

In a statement, DPA said with a projected annual energy production of 5.59GWh, the project will contribute significantly towards relieving the grid.

“The electricity deficit on the continent has increased the demand for organisations investing in alternative and renewable energy. This has resulted in DPA speeding up the rollout of renewable energy solutions for customers across various sectors in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa,” said the company.

Commenting on the agreement, DPA chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Divyajeet Mahajan said they were delighted to be working with NRZ.

“We are delighted to be working with the NRZ Contributory Pension Fund. The growing awareness among businesses to adopt reliable and cleaner energy is encouraging as it highlights the increasing consciousness towards meeting sustainability goals.

“We are ready to partner with our clients to deliver solutions that meet their energy needs especially with the current load shedding situation in the country,” said Mr Mahajan.

NRZ Contributory Pension Fund Board chairman, Mr Takunda Madanha said the installation of solar power will ensure occupants have a more reliable and uninterrupted power supply.

He said: “This partnership with DPA fulfils our mission as the Pension fund to manage the Fund in a way that is efficient and responsible. By switching to solar energy, we will save over 2 192 tons of carbon emissions annually, which will help us meet our obligations to our members, our tenants and the environment.”

Demand for alternative energy is growing across Africa, including in Zimbabwe, due to power shortages in the region.

This has seen DPA scaling up the deployment of energy solutions to a varied range of new clients, across sectors such as mining, retail, manufacturing, and agriculture.

DPA’s mission is to ensure that businesses and individuals have access to affordable and efficient green energy through a zero-start-up cost model.