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Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter

Food processor, Surrey Meats, in Bromley near Marondera wants to build a 117kW solar generator plant largely for its own needs and has applied for a licence from the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA).

The licence was formally applied for by Distributed Power Africa (Private) Limited for MD de Chassart and Son (Private) Limited, the company that trades as Surrey. 

Surrey is taking up the net metering option from Zesa, that allows it to sell surplus output to the grid when this available and take grid power when there is no sun. 

A number of corporates have installed solar power plants at their headquarters.

Recently, three independent power producers have applied to ZERA for licences to establish solar power plants that will add about 100MW to the national grid.

The three include Schweppes Zimbabwe Limited for a 1MW photovoltaic rooftop power plant at its premises in Harare, Lumigar Solar (Private) Limited for a large 65MW plant at Cactus Hill Farm in Chegutu, and Zhenje Solar Park (Private) Limited for a 33MW solar power plant at Makokoro in Seke District. 

Econet Wireless also commissioned a 466kW solar power plant at its Willowvale industrial complex in the capital, the largest commercial and industrial carport and roof mount installation of its kind to be deployed in the country. 

Econet is now saving between 10 percent and 15 percent of its traditional electricity consumption by adopting the use of the grid-connected solar system with panels installed on roof tops and car parks of its premises.