Busy Zimbabwe Clean Energy, Clean Cities Week

 

 

The Zimbabwe Energy Council (ZEC) recently organised a Clean Energy Week 2015 on the topic “Clean Energy, Clean Cities” in Harare where the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Dr Samuel Udenge, spoke about work on sustainable energy solutions.

At the Forum there were wide-ranging discussions on urban clean energy which included the potential of energy efficiency initiatives in buildings and the launch of a National Solar Water Geyser programme to address the country’s serious power shortages.

Panganayi Sithole, Executive Director of ZEC said: “Zimbabwe could save cumulatively over 300MW in energy by implementing energy efficiency initiatives. These initiatives include the robust implementation of solar water geysers and switching from incandesant bulbs to more efficient LEDs”.

There was also a Youth in Energy Forum, where several energy leaders presented on different topics on energy issues affecting Zimbabwe and the world at large. Other events and topics included: The energy innovators roundtable; Opportunities for young people to participate in climate change agriculture; The role and expectations of tertiary institutions in greening the economy; Sustainable energy utilisation; Energy access in Zimbabwe and Opportunities in the energy sector.

The Future Energy Leader (FEL) Zimbabwe Chapter was launched with Gloria Magombo, CEO for the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority expressing his support for the FEL programme where he said:  "Zimbabwe’s' long term energy solutions are in the hand of these young energy leaders, my organisation has a deliberate and sustainable policy to work with the youth, so that they become part of the solution to the current power challenges in Zimbabwe.” At the event Mr Wisdom Farirai, a chemical engineer in Zimbabwe and now an entrepreneur in the oil industry who recently joined the FEL-100, presented the topic: “The Experience and Expectation of a Future Energy Leader (FEL)”.

At the Women and Energy luncheon, which attracted over 120 women, Hivos Southern Africa Regional Director, Ms Tanya Lubbers said: "You cannot empower a woman without providing her with sustainable, affordable energy. Provision of sustainable energy liberates a woman.”