IF POWER cannot come to the village, the village must make its own. This is the step most rural people have taken to mitigate the challenge of not being connected to the national grid.
In Paramount Chief Mpezeni’s area in Chipata, Eastern Province, the sale of solar panels is booming, as evidenced from their numbers on roofs of houses and shops.
The boom is not just turning on the lights, but opening up new economic opportunities as well.
“We never used to watch television or indeed use fridges, but now, the story is different. I sale ice blocks to people that freeze fish or meat. I don’t need too much income to do this kind of business, all I do is put water in plastics and freeze. I also sale solar panels and people are buying,” Enrick Jere said.
In a village in Luangeni in Paramount Chief Mpezeni’s area, Mr Jere is like a trade name because he supplies solar panels to the nearby villages.
He says business is booming. Mr Jere’s shop offers an array of products from tiny solar flashlights to mid-sized rooftop panel systems, amidst bicycle parts, textiles, fertilisers, and the other more traditional products.
Most of his customers come from villages on the outskirts of Luangeni.
“There is very good business. Just within the last year, people seem to have understood the benefits of solar, and now they come to buy solar panels. Unlike before, I struggled to sell these items but I was patient enough and now I am reaping the benefits,” he said.
A school teacher at Nsingo Primary School, Peggy Mwale understood those benefits early. Ms Mwale lives within the school compound, a few kilometers from Mr Jere’s shop.
Ms Mwale bought her first solar system in 2010. She uses it mainly for lighting, but she has recently started a side business charging K2 for locals to power up their mobile phones and for those with rechargeable ones, she demands a fee of K5.
“Unlike in the western countries, people here often get solar just for lighting purposes not knowing that its benefits go beyond lighting. With years of reading and researching on why solar is an important source of energy, I have also learnt that solar has environmental benefits,” Ms Mwale said.
Asked if the environmental benefits had anything to do with her decision of buying a solar panel, Ms Mwale laughed and said, “I just wanted electricity. I could not sleep under a candle forever for fear of accidents”.
Energy experts say, whether a homeowner or commercial business owner, solar energy is a clean, affordable, and sustainable way for anyone to generate electricity.
While many people make the switch to solar for its substantial financial benefits such as lower utility bills and increased home value, the significant environmental benefits are equally important.
For Ms Mwale, access to solar energy increases people’s productivity. Children can study, read books and watch television, allowing them to be connected to the world.
Access to electricity has the benefit of transforming lives, especially in rural communities of Zambia where more than 95 percent of homes have no access to energy sources.
“For those with access to electricity like us here, it has changed our lives. We can now keep in touch with friends and family, and those in cities can use their mobile phones to send money to relatives in rural areas.
“Electricity is a vital product, without which no true development is possible. Access to energy for the poorest rural populations often reduces poverty by developing income-generating activities, and also education, health and access to water,” Ms Mwale said.
And Paramount Chief Mpezeni says with increased awareness on solar’s potential, the use of the energy will likely increase amid the loadshedding, rising electricity prices and unstable supply experienced in the country.
“I am happy that my subjects here are slowly getting used to using solar energy. When it started, only a few people and mostly teachers, used solar. In Zambia, the cost of connecting the rural population to the national grid is high,” he said.
For rural areas, self-generation is the only viable option, with renewable off-grid solutions in most cases to provide cheaper options with no fuel cost and low maintenance.
Zambia has a range of primary energy sources, including hydropower, coal, forest biomass and renewable sources.
Among renewable sources, hydro and solar resources are the most significant, followed by biomass and wind energy potential.
Energy experts say Zambia’s total demand currently exceeds internal generation, primarily as a result of a growing mining and farming sector.
There is also high demand for electricity due to the increased population, although only about 22 percent of households currently have access to modern energy services.
In a situation like Zambia’s, renewable energy solutions can provide additional clean energy capacity to the national grid and also be particularly useful in the remote rural areas.
Nevertheless, despite the high potential for electricity generation from renewable energy sources, their use in Zambia remains low.
The major barriers for renewable energy usage have been the relatively high cost of electricity generated from renewable resources, lack of clear renewable energy policies and tariffs, and low capacity to develop and implement economically feasible projects. PUBLISHED IN THE ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL ON AUGUST 29, 2016. https://www.daily-mail.co.zm/?p=77665
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