This follows
the approval of a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Solar
Alliance (ISA) to establish a Solar Technology Application Resource Centre
(STAR-C) at Chinhoyi University of Technology.
The initiative
seeks to build capacity for solar energy deployment, research, development and
innovation, boosting the country’s renewable energy sector.
Speaking at the
just-ended sixth International Renewable Energy Conference and Expo, Energy and
Power Development Minister July Moyo said: “We are convinced that the future is
here, because of the technology we have. We want to partner our universities, and
this week, the Cabinet approved a project to partner with Chinhoyi University
of Technology on solar energy, covering all aspects of solar innovation,
research, training and potentially manufacturing our own solar panels and
exploring battery options, given our lithium resources. We believe the
opportunities are now available for everyone to participate.”
To drive the
economy forward, Minister Moyo said the country should focus on investing in
renewable energy.
“When we are
thinking about these things, solar or renewable energy must be contextualised
in our economy, and our economy right now has 17 sectors. The big ones are
agriculture, the mining, industry, manufacturing. As stakeholders in renewable
energy, we must also focus on these areas and identify opportunities within
each one.”
The minister
said the use of firewood as an energy source should be a thing of the past,
calling on the country to embrace clean energy.
“And we’re
looking at clean cooking, and when considering clean cooking, we want to
liberate ourselves and our women from the smoke produced by wet wood during the
rainy season, which can be overwhelming. So, promoting clean cooking is also
part of our goals.”
He also urged
property owners, businesses and homeowners generating solar energy to
participate in net metering to bridge the energy gap.
Net metering is
a system that allows solar energy system owners to sell excess electricity,
such as quite often happens in the middle of the day, to the national grid and
get credit for it.
They only pay
the balance between what they use and what they supply.
This two-way
system allows for more efficient use of renewable energy resources, as
households and businesses can both contribute to and benefit from the national
grid. Herald
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