The Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development, Honourable Munacho Mutezo has officially handed over the Public Solar Water Heating Pilot Project to the Harare Institute of Technology.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Deputy Minister Munacho Mutezo said his ministry intends to promote the extensive use of solar geysers in all new housing schemes and offices, which is expected to cut power consumption by 40 percent."The Zimbabwe-Korea partnership would see 100 commercial solar power generating units being installed in the first phase of the national projects. This development means that we will cut energy consumption on the national grid by 40 percent and hope all public institutions will have these installations," said Engineer Mutezo.
This follows the successful commissioning of two solar water heating pilot projects at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) and the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) in 2013.The Pilot Public Solar Water Heating System Project was funded by the Government of the Republic of South Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) working in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Public Works, and Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development.
Republic of Korea ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Mr Lew Kwang-Chul said his country is willing to partner the Zimbabwe government in the harnessing of renewable energy."As the Republic of Korea, we are looking at the expansion of the water heating project and are confident in the Zimbabwean government’s commitment. We will be working on 100 commercial units soon," he said.Mr Lew Kwang-Chul said that the Republic of Korea is committed to sharing its knowledge and expertise gained through its own experiences to ensure the success of the development of alternative power generation in Zimbabwe hence the establishment of the Solar Water Heating Project that is being handed over today. Solar energy has become futuristic as the world is focusing on green energy sources and sustainable green growth initiatives.
HIT Acting Vice Chancellor, Engineer Quinton Kanhukamwe said the project links well with the institution’s renewable energy research and is cost effective, hence the working together with the Koreans on knowledge transfer.
"This project has effectively cut our bills by about US$2500 a month," said Engineer Kanhukamwe.
Zimbabwe lies in one of the best solar belts in the world with up to 300 days of sunshine per year.
However, the resource has been under-utilized despite the country experiencing energy challenges.
