The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
INSTITUTIONS of higher learning have been urged to be active players in the energy sector and contribute to the national grid.
Speaking during a recent public lecture on building collective community responsibility for energy sustainability at Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences, Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) Consumer Services Manager, Mr Nobert Matarutse said there is need for more independent power producers to come on board and generate more power to meet the growing demand.
“A good example is GreenFuel which is an independent power player producing ethanol and electricity.
“We believe that through market competition, we can enable consumers like MSUAS to get value for their money in terms of whatever service they will be getting from the petroleum or the electricity sub-sectors,” he said.
Mr Matarutse also encouraged institutions to install rooftop solar systems as a start.
“We are actually encouraging you to become a player and one simple way of doing that is installing rooftop solar systems. You already have the wide roofs at your campus which are lying idle when it comes to energy generation. The only thing you need is the solar panels and then you can start producing electricity. Load shedding worries will be a thing of the past,” he said.
Mr Matarutse challenged tertiary institutions to lead by example and generate environmentally friendly and sustainable renewable energy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions while improving air quality.
He said this will not only increase Zimbabwe’s energy security, but will also lessen dependence on imported electricity in the future.
“Access to electricity in Zimbabwe is around 40-50 percent, which we believe is very low compared to other African countries. Kenya, for example, has an access to electricity rate of 90 percent, they have about 80 million consumers, but manage to supply about 72 million consumers, which is quite impressive. If institutions of learning venture into smart energy generation, I am sure the electricity gap will be bridged,” he said.
Mr Matarutse said ZERA is engaging institutions of higher learning for innovation and research to accelerate development in the energy sector.
“Sustainability is guaranteed when you use solar systems and you will always know that you will never use it up or deplete it. Even in terms of environmental protection, we want to ensure you that whatever forms of energy we pursue should speak to our desire to ensure environmental protection,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of MSUAS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Albert Chawanda, the Executive Dean of Innovation, Research and Postgraduate Studies, Dr Chrispen Bhukuvhani said self-sufficiency is key.
He said his institution will develop a solar system as a back-up.
“As MSUAS, consider us the right partners for self-sufficiency projects because we have very qualified personnel that will also contribute towards sustainabile energy research. We rely on our students to find solutions to some of the prevailing challenges,” he said.
