Multi-million dollar solar farm for Vic Falls

The Victoria Falls tourism industry has endorsed the proposed setting up of a multi-million dollar Solar Farm project as critical in alleviating power shortages and ensuring that the resort town joins the list of other renowned green destinations.

Faced with serious power outages which have resulted in most hotels relying on generators, the Victoria Falls tourism industry has stepped up efforts to come up with a lasting solution to the power challenges.

A recent stakeholders meeting convened by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) saw tourism players throwing their weight behind the setting up of a multi-million dollar Victoria Falls solar farm.
Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe Representative, Barbara Musariranwa and Victoria Falls Town Clerk, Ronnie Dube stressed the need to support and prioritise the speedy execution of the project.

“We are excited by this all inclusive approach in addressing the power challenges and the industry we welcome the proposed solar farm project,” said Mr Dube.

ZTA Acting Chief Executive, Rita Lukukuma highlighted that adoption of alternative and sustainable energy sources for the tourism sector will be critical in transforming Victoria Falls into a green destination.

 “The solar project has a beautiful dimension of enhancing the status of the tourism quality in this town. There are people now who will visit a place just because it is environmentally friendly,” she said.

A local financial institution has already indicated its willingness to finance the solar power project while power utility, ZESA Holdings is working on upgrading the transmission infrastructure around the resort town and completion of the Mkosana substation project which is currently at 50%.

Source: Multi-million dollar solar farm for Vic Falls (17/08/19)

Solar Park for Livingstone

Intelligent Energy Zambia Ltd (IEZL) plans to soon start construction of a 100-MW solar park in the Southern Province of Zambia and complete it in 2017, local media reported this week.

The Kumi Kumi Zuba (KKZ) project in Livingstone represents an investment of USD 257 million (EUR 228m). IEZL chairman Richman Njovu told Zambia Daily Mail that the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) and the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) have assured the project will have full government support.

South African firm Rhino Engineering will be in charge of the engineering work and German solar power firm Belectric GmbH will supply the modules. Zambian utility ZESCO will purchase the produced solar electricity.

Zambia has average solar radiation of 5.5 kWh per sq m per day with up to 3,000 sunshine hours annually, offering significant opportunities for solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) development, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). That potential remains largely untapped.

Source: Solar Park for Livingstone (17/06/15)

Pioneering biogas project for Livingstone

A pioneering project for Livingstone aims to harvest a non-native invasive plant, the water hyacinth, from Livingstone sewage works where it flourishes, to produce commercial biogass.

As part of the Energy and Environment Partnership Programme (EEP) for Southern and East Africa, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Finland, the pilot project in Livingstone, southern Zambia, will use water hyacinth plants for biogas production on a commercial basis, as well as producing fertiliser as a by-product. The project aims to serve up to four local tourism hotels with green energy, as well as a model domestic scheme. The water hyacinths biomass will be harvested from the wastewater treatment ponds on a regular basis. Waste sludge produced will be used to support a small banana plantation on the site.

The invasive plant, native to South America, is detrimental to the local ecology when it escapes into natural areas, growing in dense rafts, and is extremely difficult to eradicate. The Livingstone Sewage Works suffers from an infestation of the plant which affects its operational efficiency. The project hopes to alleviate the environmental threat of untreated sewage water discharging into the Zambezi River, and also the water hyacinth escaping into the river, just above the world heritage site of Victoria Falls. The sewage works have struggled to cope with the recent growth of Livingstone town and is sceduled for expansion work.

The company Livingfalls BioPower Ltd. has been created as a vehicle for building and operating the project for Southern Water and Sewerage Company in Livingstone.

Read more here. Further information on wastewater projects here.