Category: Energy
Govt considering shutting down 3 power stations, Hwange Units 1-6 should be evaluated too
The circus that is Zimbabwe’s power generation continues. The country remains in literal and figurative darkness as electricity demand continues to outpace supply. As I write this, the Zimbabwe Power Company says we are producing 587MW against a demand that sometimes reaches 2200MW. That is why we are in darkness. We can rig and twist […]
You doubted them, Hwange Unit 7 now feeding electricity into national grid
We were starting to think it was never gonna happen. We had been told that the commissioning of Hwange Unit 7 was imminent too many times before. The day finally came, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) is proud to announce. Unit 7 was successfully synchronised late yesterday, Monday the 20th of March. As we speak, […]
Load-shedding and financially struggling users are negatively affecting DStv, even in SA
Running a successful business is no easy task, most companies fail. Running a successful business in Africa requires prayer and fasting. The once-beloved DStv is engaged in so many fights at once, one wonders how it’s still standing. Only a few years ago, DStv lost 230,000 Zimbabwean customers in just 6 months. They said it […]
These are Zesa’s new electricity charges, effective 1 March 2023
You live in a hyperinflationary economy, so you should be used to this. Electricity tariffs have gone up and this is how much it’s going to cost you to keep the lights on. Of course, we are talking about the 4 hours or so in the day that you’ll actually get the electricity. So, I […]
Hwange Unit 7 commissioning delayed again as several current Units break down, it’s ridiculous
I knew I should not get my hopes high but I did it anyway. It was ill-advised but sometimes you just have to be an optimist. The electricity situation will not be improving any time soon, I have to accept that. Hwange Unit 7 will not save us. Mid-February we were told that Hwange Unit […]
iPhone’s new feature charges phone slowly when the grid uses ‘dirty’ energy like Hwange coal energy
I do not know where you stand on the whole climate crisis issue. There seem to be two camps and they won’t allow anyone to straddle the line. It’s either the world will end in 2050 or the whole climate crisis story is a hoax. Pick a side. Now, those on the ‘mother Earth will […]
New Hwange Unit 7 set to add 300MW to the national grid, time to embrace coal?
Humans are built to adapt and we are really good at it. I think the Zimbabwean is particularly excellent at this. There is no point in mourning over what won’t change no matter how much you murmur and complain. Hence why we no longer bat an eye at rolling 16-hour blackouts. The electricity situation has […]
While Zimbabwe dilly-dallies, the clock is ticking on vast Lithium deposits
For such a poor country, Zimbabwe has an embarrassment of natural resources. We have almost every precious mineral you can think of in large quantities. Even in the fictional world of Vibranium, Zimbabwe is blessed too. It was hogwash but Kadoma was on the map in the electrically charged rocks stakes. Back in the real […]
Sadly, claims that electrically charged rocks (vibranium) found in DRC and Kadoma are false
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a natural resource-rich country. So, when claims started popping up talking about fancy new electrically charged rocks found there, we all wanted to believe. The claims, all over social media, said the rocks worked like natural batteries. They claimed you could pick one up and it would be […]
Zimbabwe’s unreliable electricity supply makes it the biggest adopter of solar systems in Africa
Zimbabwe’s electricity situation has not changed much. Our total power generation output is currently just over 25% of the national demand. Load shedding has been a way of life for decades in the country and those who can afford it either have backup power solutions or have switched to alternative forms of power. In a […]
They are now printing solar panels on paper like newspapers, would be great for Zim
These scientists are always cooking up crazy stuff man. I’m glad this time around they are working on something that would be a complete game changer in these parts of the world – solar. Don’t get me wrong, I love the folding phones and the other completely unnecessary but cool tech we see. However, solar […]
New houses now required to have solar geysers: Our electricity problems are solved, right?
In another case of the government treating symptoms instead of the disease, all new housing units are now required to install solar geysers according to a report by the Sunday News. This new push is said to be part of the government’s efforts to institute the National Renewable Energy Policy and this message was delivered […]
Lithium is used in phone and car batteries and Zimbabwe has lots of it. You should know who stands to benefit from it
The histories of oil rich countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE depress me. Off of one major natural resource, those countries became rich beyond their wildest dreams. Zimbabwe may have been unlucky in the black gold lottery but in everything else, we have been blessed. How come we are closer to becoming a 4th […]
Meikles Hotel’s 5-star bucket bath & the uncomfortable convo about the ZESA power monopoly
I have been saying “this is the strangest thing I have ever seen” too often here lately. Every time I say it I think, “Well, this can’t be topped” but Zimbabwe has a way of bringing up something new to better what has come before. I am sure we have all seen the circular from […]
ZESA is now certified to fix faults with drones. It’s not a silver bullet, more of an efficiency thing
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) is now legally able to incorporate drones in its infrastructure management. This announcement was made at an event the national power company held to mark its acquisition of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator’s Certificate (ROC). What is an ROC and why does ZESA need it to fly drones? An […]
TECHNIKARI: ZESA’s strength is TRANSMISSION infrastructure, not power generation with DPA CEO Norman Moyo
On this episode of Technikari, I was joined by Norman Moyo the CEO of the Econet Group subsidiary that Strive Masiyiwa said would be bigger than Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Econet Wireless – Distributed Power Africa (DPA). We discussed the state of power generation in Africa with a particular focus on the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply […]
Cassava’s solar subsidiary DPA & France’s EDF extend energy partnership in SA
Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, and Électricité de France (EDF), a world-leading electricity company, have entered into a partnership to develop hybrid energy solutions for businesses in South Africa. Through a 50% shareholding in DPA operations in South Africa, EDF will fuel the development of distributed energy solutions, starting with a […]
Electricity is now pegged at 10.6 US cents per unit
ZETDC has announced a new electricity tariff adjustment where a unit of electricity of 1KWhr will now be pegged at 10.63 US cents with effect from today Sunday 15 May 2022. This will be what the tariff will be pegged against the RTGS at the official rate of the day. The statement reads: The Zimbabwe […]
Telco at ZITF 2022: solar equipment, internet packages & mobile computer lab
Renewable energy and internet connectivity were what defined Telco at ZITF 2022. The company, which is one of the oldest internet service providers, brought all it has to offer to this year’s edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. The team that Telco sent to ZITF 2022 was kind enough to give us a tour […]
New fuel prices: It’s either ZUPCO, electric cars or we go on foot
I am not going to lie, I seriously contemplated cutting off a few friends who live beyond city limits when I saw the new fuel prices. Two price increases in the space in less than a week is ridiculous. But such is the interconnected world we live in and the pressures that come from events […]
ZESA’s token platform is going to be down TONIGHT, buy your units early
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has in a statement said that its token purchase platform is going under maintenance this evening. This latest fix up follows what has almost become a tradition at the turn of the year when ZESA does some work on its token purchase platform. If you are running out of […]
Bye-bye ZESA, partial to fully off-grid solar prices in Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has a large role to play in the economy because without electricity a number of things that we use can’t function especially in the digital age. Over the last couple of decades, ZESA has fallen short of the power demand, so much so that Zimbabweans have adopted alternative energy […]
Fastjet flight forced to return to Hre after Byo airport had no ZESA?
This is the most “Zimbabwe” thing I have heard in some time, according to a report by New Zimbabwe, Fastjet Flight FN 8441 was unable to land at Joshua Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo due to the facility not having ZESA. Apparently, there was no backup generator for the aircraft to make a safe landing […]
Sun Exchange’s US$1.4 mil crowdfunded solar project in Marondera goes live!
Sun Exchange, the global solar leasing platform that enables anyone, anywhere to own and earn income from solar assets in emerging markets, today announced the 510 kWp + 1MWh solar-plus-storage installation to power Zimbabwean agriculture leader, Nhimbe Fresh, has started generating electricity. Sun Exchange previously completed the crowdsale for the project, with approximately $1.4 million […]
UN approves Zimbabwe’s US$45 mil renewable energy programme
The United Nations (UN) SDG-Fund has approved Zimbabwe’s US$45 Million programme on catalysing investments in Renewable Energy (RE) for the acceleration of the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country. The UN SDG-Fund is contributing US$10 Million to the programme whilst the Government of Zimbabwe through the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe […]
ZESA resumes rehabilitation work at Kariba Power Station
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has, in a statement, said that it has resumed work at the Kariba South Hydro Power Station after suspending work to reduce load shedding over the festive season. ZESA statement reads as follows: RESUMPTION OF KARIBA SOUTH HYDROPOWER STATION DAM WALL REHABILITATION WORKS ZESA Holdings would like to advise […]
ZESA’s token purchase platform is going to be down tomorrow till the new year
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has, in a press release, said that prepaid token purchases are going to be down from the 31st of December 2021 to January 1st 2022. ZESA’s statement reads as follows: NOTICE ON UNAVAILABILITY OF THE PREPAID ELECTRICITY VENDING SYSTEM DUE TO SCHEDULED ANNUAL MAINTENANCE ZESA Holdings would like to […]
ZESA brings back 3 units at Kariba, power output up by 345MW for the festive season
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Company (ZESA) has announced that it has brought three units at the Kariba Power Station that were offline back into service. The units were down because of maintenance that was being undertaken on the dam wall. ZESA also says that this measure was to ease load shedding during the festive period. […]
Cassava Technologies’ solar subsidiary to power Africa Data Centres’ SA facilities
Africa Data Centres has appointed Distributed Power Technologies (formerly Distributed Power Africa DPA) to provide renewable solar energy and storage solutions for its data centres across South Africa. The partnership will begin with the deployment of renewable energy generation facilities to meet the more than 10 MW power requirements at Africa Data Centres’ Cape Town […]
ZESA gets a US$110 mil loan to improve tariff collection
The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), a subsidiary of ZESA Holdings, was the beneficiary of a US$110.4 million loan from Afreximbank. The loan which was the largest part of a total allocation of US$188,600,000 to three other local companies (CABS, CBZ and ZB Bank) was confirmed at the Intra-African Trade Fair that happened […]