The Sunday Mail
Harmony Agere
Debate on the proposed ban of electric geysers reached sweltering levels last week when some experts sensationally accused Zesa of misleading Government about the facts regarding the appliances as well as the situation at Kariba Power Station. Government last week resorted to banning electric geysers after generation at Kariba Power Station declined as a result of depleting water levels in the Zambezi River but the development has since been met with scepticism by engineers.
Engineer Francis Masawi said banning the electric geysers will be missing the root problem. He added that it was not true that low water levels in the Kariba Dam are to blame for low generation. While not giving what he thinks are the actual reasons for low generation, Engineer Masawi claimed that Kariba Dam was designed to sustain maximum power generation for three years of drought.
“Kariba Dam was designed in such a way that it can sustain itself with maximum generation for three years of drought,” he said. “Therefore, the assertion that it is drought which is causing low power generation is a lie. Now they are talking about banning electric geysers but that does not address the root problem. Geysers have always been there, have they (geysers) all of a sudden started consuming power now?”
Engineer Masawi also questioned how the ban will be enforced bearing the fact that there are about 250 000 geysers in the country. The electric geysers, Government said, will be replaced by solar-powered water heaters.
While some experts hailed the impending ban as a positive step in the reduction of high electricity demand, some have questioned the practicality of enforcing it. Experts reckon the process will be complex as identifying households and buildings with electric geysers will be a tumultuous task which will costs the Government more money.
Consumers have also raised questions as to who will foot the cost of acquiring the alternative solar-powered water heaters with some even vowing to conceal their electric geysers should a door-to-door inspection be commissioned.
In addition, revelations that 300MW will be saved by phasing out the estimated 250 000 electric geysers in the country within a five-year period have aroused debate, with statisticians querying how the figures came up.
As a result experts have advised Government to abandon the banning approach and rather encourage people to do away with electric geysers. Energy expert, Professor Edward Chikuni, applauded efforts to phase out electrical geysers but said consumers should be encouraged instead of being forced.
“It is quite a good idea because it will help reduce demand and help save electricity,” he said. “But banning is probably not the right approach, maybe we need to educate people about the benefits of using solar rather than forcing them.
There are also a lot of issues to be considered such as the supply of the solar geysers and their standards.
‘‘We do not want to bring in the country equipment that is sub-standard which may as well cause more cost.”
Professor Chikuni also encouraged careful examination of the statistics as well as methods which will be used to enforce the ban.
Meanwhile, Engineer Masawi’s submission that it is not the poor rainy season that has seen water levels go down in Kariba, goes hand-in-glove with assertions that while the country generally experienced poor rains last year, it had a fairly successful rainfall season in terms of water reservation.
Statistics from Zinwa show that the country’s water reservoirs are still within the expected limits despite last year’s poor rains.
Mr Nyashadzashe Viriri from Zinwa said only Runde, Gwayi and Save catchment areas had water levels which are below average.
Observers say the drying up of Kariba is probably an indication that the country has to improve its water harvesting infrastructure.
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Vice President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa said Government had secured $100 million to construct dams and water harvesting infrastructure.
Solar expert, Mr Chamu Muchenje, said it is probably the use of the wrong terms to say electric geysers should be banned as banning is virtually impossible.
“Banning is probably not the correct term or the correct position to assume,” he said. “What Government should concentrate on is creating awareness and encouraging the use of solar energy.”
Government is, nonetheless, adamant to go on with the ban as evidenced by the launching of the National Solar Water Heating Programme (SWHP) by the Ministry of Energy and Power Development last week.
Launching the programme, the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Cde Samuel Undenge, said Government is having talks with private players to facilitate the mass manufacture of solar geysers to make sure that the project goes smoothly.
Cde Undenge said the project will be rolled out over a period of five years. “It is my intention to have the solar geysers manufactured locally,” he said.
“This will create employment for our people and enable us to add value to our resources in line with Zim-Asset objectives. Zimbabwe has an enormous solar potential, which if exploited will supply approximately 10 000 MW of electricity per year.”
Proposed solar projects have, however, stalled with the Sate Procurement Board being accused of sitting on a tender which would have seen the setting up of solar farms which would contribute 300MW of electricity.
