Farmers warned against reliance on Zesa

Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has urged farmers to seek other alternatives instead of solely relying on Zesa for power supply.
ZERA’s chief executive officer Gloria Magombo said small-scale farmers should embrace new and environmental friendly ways of generating power.

“Farmers must embrace the new renewable energy technologies as an alternative for the power from the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC),” she said.

Magombo urged farmers to use solar radiation, saying solar energy potential in the country was high.
“Solar energy potential of Zimbabwe is relatively high with an average radiation of 21,000kwh/m2 per year and 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. Farmers can harness this abundant resource for use in irrigation, pumping water for livestock and household use,” she said.

Magombo said farmers should utilise renewable energy technologies to ensure that their productivity is not disturbed by continuous load shedding since ZETDC cannot meet the national demand for electricity.

“I encourage farmers to make use, embrace these technologies, and move away from solely relying on ZETDC for power as the power utility is failing to meet demand,” said Magombo.

She said solar thermal could be used for drying fruits.
“Solar thermal can be used to dry fruits and vegetables as well as cure tobacco. It provides a cheaper, efficient energy and hygienic method for conserving fruits and vegetables to minimise food waste and promote food security in the country,” she said.

Magombo said the use of renewable energy technologies is cheaper when compared to using diesel generators.
“Initial investment cost of renewable energy technologies may seem to be high but they are cheaper and sustainable in the long run compared to diesel generators and grid electricity, said Magombo.

She said ZERA would introduce programmes to support farmers who use the renewable energy technologies.
“We will introduce net metering which will benefit farmers who generate electricity using rooftop solar PV generators,” she said.