Energy and Zimbabwe
On this page you can find links to Internet sites with energy related information about Zimbabwe.
general--electricity--biomass--solar energy
hydropower--wind energy--organisations--add a site


General Zimbabwe

Key Energy Indicators for Zimbabwe in 1998 (general info)
    Overview of the key indicators on energy for Zimbabwe by the International Energy Agency
Zimbabwe national energy policy
    Objectives 
    • to ensure accelerated economic development 
    • to facilitate rural development 
    • to promote small-medium scale enterprises 
    • to ensure environmentally friendly energy development, and 
    • to ensure efficient utilisation of energy resources 
UNEP working paper 5
    Implementation strategy to reduce environmental impact of energy related activities in Zimbabwe (Working Paper No. 5 of UNEP Collaborating Centre on Energy and Environment, Risø National Laboratory, Denmark of January 1997 ) 
    The scope of the study includes: 
    • Delineation of present sources of energy, projection of future energy demand and collection of information on energy sector development plans. 
    • Delineation of broad environmental impacts due to energy related activities. 
    • Detailing environmental impact due to coal mining and coal based thermal power generation. 
    • Development of emission scenarios for energy sector development plans. 
    • Delineation of technological options to reduce pollution due to coal mining and thermal power generation. 
    • Delineation of barriers to implementation of environmentally sound energy technology. 
    • Delineation of institutional and financial mechanism to implement the emissions reduction measures. 
    • Delineation of the different roles of multi-lateral and bi-lateral institutions and agencies in the transfer and diffusion of sound energy supply and end-use technology. 
    • Formulation of action plans for implementing strategies for minimizing negative environmental impacts of energy related activities 
    This report gives a good overview of the energy situation in Zimbabwe, including the energy balance of 1991.
Energy balance 1997
    Data on Zimbabwe from the WORLD ENERGY Database of the International Energy Annual by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the USA.
Renewable Energy Suppliers and Services in Zimbabwe
    Overview of renewable energy suppliers and services in Zimbabwe from the World Directory of Renewable Energy Suppliers and Services by James & James (Science Publishers) Ltd.
WEEA address list Zimbabwe
    The World Energy Efficiency Association (WEEA) was founded in June 1993 as a private, non-profit organization composed of developed and developing country institutions and individuals charged with increasing energy efficiency. At this page you will find their address list with Zimbabwean organisations.
The role of renewable energy resources in household and informal sector development in Zimbabwe by Johnson Pfaira (for LEAD International / Zimbabwe Session - Cohort 4 / April 21 to May 3, 1997). Also available as PDF-file.
    This paper therefore examines the role of renewable energy resources in household and informal sector development in Zimbabwe. The present supply, demand and consumption patterns of the principle renewable energy resources in use is reviewed. Renewables potential as part of a solution to sustainable environmental development of rural economies is considered. Barriers to the accelerated dissemination of renewables and possible options to their enhanced application is discussed.
Renewable household energy interventions in the North Eastern Highlands of Manicaland province by Maxwell Mapako (prepared for LEAD International Zimbabwe Session - Cohort 4, April 21 to May 3, 1997). Also available as PDF-file.
    This paper looks at the household biomass energy usage issues in the North Eastern Highlands, with particular reference to Mutasa district. Much of the information was obtained during a small survey undertaken by the Biomass Users Network in late 1994 and early 1995.

    In view of the complex nature of rural development, of which energy supply is but one component, efforts have been made to appreciate the nature of other problems which may be interlinked with the issue of renewable energy, particularly biomass energy which is the subject of this paper. 
    A unique feature of the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe is the close proximity of the different natural or agro-ecological regions, and more importantly for this paper, the presence of a well established forestry industry whose waste by products are often not gainfully utilised. There are often deforested communal areas not far from well-wooded resettlement areas and commercial forestry plantations. The types of problem and the viable options available for tackling these present a challenge that requires understanding the unique situation in each case.
MSc Course Renewable Energy in Harare / Zimbabwe
    Renewable Energy Programme (REP) at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). The REP offers courses at undergraduate level, specialised short courses, consultancy, and a two-year MSc degree course.

    The MSc programme started in 1996 and is offered every year beginning in March. It covers the following areas: energy from biomass, solar resource analysis, solar thermal energy, solar photovoltaic systems, wind power and mini-hydropower as well as energy economics.
Promotion of Renewable Energy Technologies: Some Thoughts by Maxwell C. Mapako, Biomass Users Network, Zimbabwe
    All too often, projects intended to introduce new energy technologies are conceived without proper understanding of the needs and priorities of the targeted users. Based on the author's own experiences over the last 15 years, this article illustrates some of the misconceptions that can be avoided if energy projects are designed with the targeted communities' needs, problems and priorities in focus.It gives several ecxamples of successfull and not successfull projects in Zimbabwe (and neighboring countries)

Electricity
 

Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority(ZESA)
Energy & power generation
    Information on the energy and power generation sector of Zimbabwe  from the MBendi Zimbabwe directory
How do Sub-Saharan African utilities compare? by Luis E. Gutiérrez (dead link)
    This paper compares the power systems of 21 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including ZESA of Zimbabwe, and selected developing and developed countries based on the most recent available data. We try to gauge how SSA power sectors have performed relative to each other and relative to other countries elsewhere, so as to provide a frame of reference for understanding the many challenges facing African utilities. The overall aims are to examine the following issues: (i) Does recent sector data on SSA power sector performance support the conventional wisdom? (ii) Does the performance data of different country-sector models support an specific industry structure?, and (iii) What should be the way forward? 

Biomass
 

Co-generation of Power and Heat from Sawmills in Zimbabwe by Fredrik Mellqvist, SEI and Leif Palm, SwedSteam (also published in Renewable Energy for Development of December 1996, Vol. 9, No. 3/4)
    There is considerable potential for productive utilisation of biomass residue from both sawmill and forestry operations in Southern and Eastern Africa. In an ongoing SEI-project, funded by Sida, the technical, economic and financial feasibility of a biomass-fuelled steam power plant in Chimanimani, a remote area in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe is being investigated. Such a power plant can result in commercial gains for the private sawmill operator, socio-economic gains for the community and a new energy source for the region. Electricity produced from biomass residues could also substitute electricity produced from coal, thus reducing net emissions of CO2.
Using sweet sorghum as energycrop in combination with sugarcane Demonstrating increased resource use efficiency in the sugar industry of southern Africa through environmentally sustainable energy production
    Project description. The nature of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of co-cropping sweet sorghum with sugar cane (utilising fallow land) for the production of energy. The project will develop a Methodology and Systems Analysis Model to act as a decision support system for replication and technology impacts. 
Biomass Users Network - Zimbabwe (BUN - Zimbabwe)
    Biomass Users Network - Zimbabwe (BUN - Zimbabwe) is part of the Biomass Users Network International (BUN), a non profit making membership organisation created by and for developing countries. The network helps to identify opportunities in which rural economies can be improved in an environmentally sustainable manner through the innovative production and efficient use of biomass resources.

    BUN - Zimbabwe helps to promote development especially in rural areas by encouraging the efficient production and use of biomass. BUN raises funds for community projects, and works as a networking agency for the exchange of information related to the sound management and utilisation of biomass resources.
     
Biomass Energy for Sustainable Economic, Social, and Environmental Development in Eastern Zimbabwe
    Biomass Energy for Sustainable Economic, Social, and Environmental Development in Eastern Zimbabwe is an applied research project based in the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) of the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at the University of California, Berkeley in collaboration with the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) - Southern Africa. The project's goal is to promote sustainable biomass energy management for positive economic development in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. Although its focus is on Eastern Zimbabwe, if successful it promises to be a model for the integration of large-scale and community/household-scale sustainable biomass energy and ecological management in a number of developing nations. The project will consist of testing, evaluating, and implementing methods for sustainable power generation using the wood waste produced by large, medium and small sawmills operating in the Manicaland region, near the border of Mozambique. Currently, over 70,000 tons of this biomass waste is produced annually. The project's principal objectives will be to examine the technical and economic feasibility of the available alternative biomass energy generation technologies, their effect on the forest-management practices, and the social implications for this region. We will work closely with the local sawmills, community groups, municipalities, NGOs, governement agencies, and the national utility to implement and evaluate the potential of various bioenergy technologies while building the local capacity to implement, maintain and manage biomass conversion systems.  

Solar energy
 

Rooster boosters by John Barraclough (also published in HoriZons Winter 1997 of Oxfam/Australia).
    This document describes an other application of PV then the "normal" household energy supply. The Zimbabwean NGO Management Outreach Training Service for Rural and Urban Development (MOTSRUD) leases solar panels from an USA based company and then lend them out to local farmers along with day-old chicks and a starter pack of feed. With the PV installation electrical light is provided in a chicken run to extend the time light is available and in that way extend the time chicken are able to eat. The chicken will be marketed with the brand name 'Sunraised'. A new application of PV, althought it can be questioned from animal wellfare point of view, whether we have to start with this kind of bioindustry in developing countries. 
The Zimbabwe Global Environment Facility (GEF) Solar PV Project (short description)
Project description (Solutions Site Case Study)
    The Zimbabwe Global Environment Facility (GEF) Solar PV Project is jointly funded by the GEF and the Government of Zimbabwe. Apart from raising rural living standards through electric light, the project further seeks to upgrade the indigenous manufacturing capacity, delivery infrastructure and development of a rural sustainable market.
Technology Transfer Overlooked in GEF Solar Project (also published in Renewable Energy for Development of December 1995, Vol. 8, No. 4).
    In this article Bhekumusa Maboyi (ZERO, Zimbabwe) argues that GEF project development mechanisms need to be improved in order to combine global and local benefits. According to Maboyi the GEF Solar PV Project in Zimbabwe was approved without adequate consultation with the stakeholders of the project, and, as a consequence, capacity building to enable stakeholders to fully benefit from the project has not been achieved. 
Reaction on: Technology Transfer Overlooked in GEF Solar Project (also published in Renewable Energy for Development of May 1996, Vol. 9, No. 1).
    G. Mandishona, project manager for the GEF Solar Project, reacts to the article "Technology Transfer Overlooked in GEF Solar Project" by B. Maboyi (see above). Mandishona gives a different view of the project's relevance for industries, users and the overall rural development of Zimbabwe. 
Solar Energy Industries Asociation of Zimbabwe
    SEIAZ is a association of members dedicated to the promotion of solar energy and other renewable energy technologies. The association was formed in 1992 in recognition of the need to present a united front to assist the Global Environment Fund (GEF) solar project achieve its goals. Since its formation and after the winding up of the GEF project, SEIAZ has continued to be the representative body of companies involved in the solar energy industry throughout Zimbabwe. Through its Strategic Business Plan, SEIAZ promotes both long-term and short-term strategies to ensure the survival and vibrancy of the solar energy industry in Zimbabwe. The association has an important role to play in promoting clean and environmentally friendly renewable energy technologies.
Solar electricity too costle for the poor
    The downside to solar energy is that solar panels cost too much and deliver too little energy. As a result, they are no solution for the poor, reports Lewis Machipisa

    Article from the Mail&Gardian decribing the switch back to grid-electricity of the Mujuru family after six years of frustration with solartechnology.

Hydropower

E7 project 108
 
    Joint Implementation project of E7 on the Manyuchi Dam in south Zimbabwe, 350 km from Harare. The already existing dam will be electrified with a 140 kW turbine.
Case Study: Kariba Dam-Zambezi River Basin  for the World Commission on Dams
 
    The Kariba Dam-Zambezi River Basin Study began in late May 1999 with the preparation of the scoping paper, which was to identify key issues to be addressed during the study phase. The draft scoping report was discussed in a meeting held in Kariba Town (Zimbabwe) on August 5-6, 1999. The meeting was attended by representatives of various government, private sector, academic, and civil society organizations from Zambia and Zimbabwe, but also from other countries of the Southern African sub-region (Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa). The minutes of the scoping meeting and the final report reflect the feedback from this consultation meeting and various written comments received afterwards.

    The scoping paper laid out the general framework of the study report, which was finalised in January 2000. The draft study report was circulated in December 1999 and discussed in a second stakeholder meeting.
Svinurayi Co-operative hydropower scheme case study
 
    Case study on a microhydro installation at the premises of the Svinurayi Co-operative in Cashel Valley, Eastern Highlands.

Windenergy

African Low Windspeed Turbine
 
    A Manx Wind Energy project with ZERO in Harare. The objective was to investigate the feasibility of locally manufacturing a simple battery charging wind turbine. It was aimed at being equivalent to a six 85W PV system in windspeeds of 3m/sec, covering most of Zimbabwe.
African Windpower
 
    African Windpower manufactures wind turbines for off-grid power generation in rugged conditions, such as  
    • Rural development projects 
    • Remote telecoms installations 
    • Electric water pumping 
    • Off-grid power for homes and businesses 
    • Grid link systems 
African Windpower by Powertronics
 
    Temaruru is a site in the eastern highlands where Powertronics of Harare has installed a stand alone community wind power station. There are four machines. Each has 3.6m diameter and nominal 1kW power rating. 
    This wind turbine is the commercial version of the ZERO project in 1996 or, more recently, the Powertronics 3600.

Organisations
 

Intermediate Technology Developemnt Group Zimbabwe (country office ITDG) (dead link)
    IT Zimbabwe, established in 1989, seeks to make the case for an appropriate technology approach to the development of Zimbabwe and the region. IT Zimbabwe demonstrates this approach through practical projects in a number of different technological areas. Through this process, ITZ has developed strong, closely knit teams of professionals that are part of wider networks at local, national and international levels working in different technological areas. The Energy Programme is investigating ways of providing affordable and appropriate forms of energy for rural areas. Within this, the Micro-Hydro Project is exploring the viability of small hydro schemes to provide energy for domestic use and for enterprises such as grain milling, oil pressing, etc. 
Energy and Environment Experts in Zimbabwe
    overview of individuals active in the field of energy and environment
Renewable Energy Information Network in Zimbabwe
    These pages form part of the Southern African Renewable Energy Information Network (SAREIN). This project aims to accelerate the uptake of renewable energy technologies  in Southern Africa by transferring relevant experience for European Union (EU) countries through the operation of the network SAREIN.  The establishment of joint initiatives will be promoted to ensure the sustainable development of RE markets for mutual benefit.  Seven Southern African countries - Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Republic of South   Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe - are collaborating in this 18-month project, and it is hoped that others will become involved as the Network becomes self-supporting.

    Major objectives of the project are to set up and develop SAREIN as a mechanism for: 

    • exchanging information and know-how on RE technologies between EU and Southern Africa 
    • identifying opportunities for EU/Southern African partnerships aimed at implementing RE schemes in Southern Africa 
    • encouraging the involvement of private sector industry and finance in the operation and further development of the Network. 
    Information  available includes: 
    • News (Newsletters, News Flashes) 
    • Renewable Energy Projects (Project and System Information) 
    • Stakeholders (Key Renewable Energy Players) 
    •  Activities (Promotional Activities, Events, Publications)

Add a site
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access counter by NedStatLast modified on 23 December 2000 by Wim Klunne
Please note that the author of this page can not be held responsible for the content of links provided. 

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