AT LEAST eighty households out of the targeted 400 in Glenview suburb, Harare have started benefiting from the Presidential solar scheme.
Under the scheme, solar panels are being laid on rooftops to generate power to be sold to the power utility, Zesa Holdings, and fed into the national grid.
Apart from renting a roof and installing the solar panels, the Government is also installing inverters into each household participating under the scheme.
In return, Zesa has agreed in principle to suspend load-shedding in the areas participating in the scheme.
The initiative involves renting and installing solar panels on the rooftops of houses starting with Glen View before being spread across the country.
The solar scheme is seen as a timely intervention in the face of rolling power cuts lasting over 12 hours because of depressed electricity generation capacity.
The project is being undertaken by the Zimbabwe Solar Energy Company (ZISEC), a subsidiary of Prevail Group International (PGI), in Ward 30, Glen View suburb.
PGI chairman Paul Tungwarara said the rolling out of the programme is underway.
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“The Presidential Solar Scheme has kicked off. This project is going to be done under ZISEC which is going to be involved together with Prevail Group,” Tungwarara said.
“We are generating solar from the rooftops and putting the electricity into the grid to eradicate load-shedding in the specific areas where we are installing the solar system
Standard contractual arrangements have been agreed upon that allow ZISEC to recoup its money over the life of the scheme and make a fair profit if they are efficient.
The Combined Harare Residents Association has welcomed the solar scheme.
“We welcome this developmental rent-a-roof initiative meant to cushion people against load-shedding,” ZHRA director Rueben Akili was quoted saying recently.
“As CHRA, we will play an advocacy role to ensure that the contractual agreements between ZISEC and residents serve in the best interests of residents.”
