By Tatenda Davis Garwi
The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority, ZERA has encouraged companies to invest in renewable energy to reduce the burden of power demand on the national grid.
Speaking to Classic 263 Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority spokesperson Mr Mazarabani said the Authority would offer discounts to institutions and individuals that used their resources to install power plants through net metering.
The procedures for net metering were promulgated in 2018 and involve both corporate and household levels of excess power generation.
“Where one can have their own rooftop solar panel which will be connected to the grid where during the day when the solar panels are producing more power than that which is getting consumed, the excess power will be added to the national power grid and at night were the solar panels are not producing any power the corporation or household will be drawing power from the grid.” said Mr Mazarabani.
The call by ZERA follows the commissioning of a One Mega Watt new solar power plant by local beverages manufacturer, Schweppes Zimbabwe.
Mr Mazarabani said the Schweppes solar plant will not only decrease the burden on the national grid but will also provide a sustainable source of renewable energy.
“The power being taken from the grid by net metering users during off peak hours will be at eighty percent of what the user would have generated for the grid during peak hours. This is because the user needs to recognize what the utility would have invested into the net meter facilities and maintenance of the national grid.” He said.
The ZERA official highlighted that solar energy and other forms of renewable energy are also great for the environment and help curb climate change.