$3.6M SOLAR PROJECT TO PROPEL ENERGY SECTOR
GOVERNMENT will use the US$3.6 million solar and wind resource atlas project to increase the energy mix and attract more investment in the renewable energy sector
he project is also expected to reduce feasibility study costs for power developers as they will have preliminary information on resource availability.
Government in collaboration with the World Bank was undertaking the project which started in 2015 and completed in February this year.
Energy Minister, Mathew Nkhuwa, said the resource mapping project would provide reliable means to collect quality data on solar and wind energy.
Mr Nkhuwa said the project would also provide variable information which would encourage developers to invest in solar and wind.
This, he said, would complement hydro power which was susceptible to climate change.
He was speaking in Lusaka yesterday at a media briefing during the launch of the solar and wind resource atlas and handover of the resource mapping measuring equipment to Government from the World Bank.
“The ministry of Energy is diversifying the national energy mix through the utilisation of the abundant renewable energy resources available in the country with a view to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“One of the challenges the sector had been facing in the process of diversification is insufficient information on the solar and wind resources which can be used for planning and project formulation,” Mr Nkuwa said.
Under the project, he said, right wind masts of 80 metres high and six state of art solar measuring equipment were installed across the country to collect valuable data.
And World Bank country manager, Ina-Marlene Ruthenberg, emphasised that the project was critical for the private sector to invest in renewable energy.
Ms Ruthernberg said the idea of the project was to provide information on solar and wind to the private sector.
She observed that there was a general lack of development of renewable energy in Zambia due to limited data on the available resources, lack of available funding and inadequate policy provisions.
“The position of solar meteorological stations and wind measurement masts was selected to achieve a representative geographical distribution within the territory of Zambia, as well as in proximity to the population centres, where potential solar and wind power plants will be mostly deployed,” Ms Ruthernberg said.