Projects in Motion
HYDRO DEVELOPMENTS
Making the most
of Hydroelectric
dam capacities
The Kariba Dam, constructed in the late 1950s, was designed to provide a reliable source of electricity for both Zambia and Zimbabwe. Power stations were built into the banks of the river below the dam, harnessing the natural flow of the Zambezi to generate electricity. The dam also created what remains one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.
In later years, both countries expanded the generating capacity to make fuller use of the water available, particularly after several instances where excess water had to be released. While this allowed for greater energy output during periods of high inflows, it also meant that generation became increasingly vulnerable during years of low rainfall, when reduced water levels forced shutdowns or limitations in production.
Large-scale power stations of this nature require extensive infrastructure to both produce and transmit electricity over long distances. However, when water shortages restrict generation, much of this costly infrastructure remains underutilized, highlighting the challenges of over-reliance on a single resource
The Intensive Energy Users Group in Zimbabwe has recognised both the opportunity and the technical capacity now available to harness solar power. In response, it has put forward a proposal to establish a large floating solar plant on the lake, designed to complement the electricity already produced by the dam’s hydro turbines. Alongside this, an additional solar development is planned on land at strategic sites across the country. The proposal has already received approval from the relevant authorities.
The project is being divided into multiple stages, the study is to determine viability and to establish all the technical information we need to build and operate the power plant. The study will be conducted by an international team of consultants drawn from a wide array of international countries.
Once completed, this study will be employed to secure the funding required to cover the cost of the project. This will involve a vast number of panels at Kariba in a sheltered bay. This will feed energy via a complex control system to a major battery complex where the electrical energy will be stored. The aim is to strengthen existing infrastructure through this project.
Regional and African Implications.
IEUG is available to work within the region to ensure energy needs are met and utilize relevant water bodies to their potential. IEUG offers its developed knowledge and skills to provide consultancy services for this regions developments.
All of these projects could use this new technology and when the study of the Zimbabwe project is complete, we will offer its findings to other countries in the region.
SOLAR DEVELOPMENTS
Floating Solar
Zimbabwe has over 10 000 dams on its river systems. This includes the largest man made lake in the world at Kariba Dam. In those countries where new solar power generation plants are being developed on water, it has been demonstrated that we can increase the energy output of a hydroelectric plant substantially by augmenting output with solar generated energy.
In addition to this direct result, it has been observed that in hotter parts of the world, solar panels on water perform significantly more efficient than on land because average temperatures on water are lower and more temperate.
THIS Impact on Hydro
When the floating solar plant is generating power from the sun, it will allow the hydroelectric plant to reduce generation and conserve water. This will allow the main plant to use more of its installed capacity at peak demand times and to make better use of the transmission infrastructure of the region.
When all stages are complete, the solar platform will increase the overall capacity of the hydroelectric plant by a third and reduce water use to a level that is more manageable. The batteries used will help stabilize and manage the power generated and allow the ZPC to control the flow of energy generated to the grid. It will do so at a cost that is well below the cost of conventional power stations. This incremental power will be sold to IEUG Members as base load power for mining and industrial production.
The project is being supported by development funding institutions who have already confirmed their support for the projects.
The Intensive Energy Solar Power Plant Development Program
It is clear that the only way Zimbabwe can cover its shortfall in electrical power in the short term is by using solar power generation. Solar power panels have declined substantially in cost and at the same time they have become much more efficient and productive.
The problem remains that they only generate power for about 6 hours on an average sunshine day and are unstable. These problems can only be addressed by sourcing balancing power from some source or using battery storage. While this technology is constantly improving, it is still the costliest part of any solar installation.
In the household sector, a quiet revolution is underway with tens of thousands of small solar installations on roofs linked to small Lithium batteries to hold electrical energy when the panels are not operating.
IEUG is working with large corporations on a national program to generate as much solar energy as we can balance using our baseload plants using fossil fuels and hydro electricity plants. We have more applications than we can accept but are developing a list of projects that can meet our requirements. Applications to be considered for this program should be addressed to the IEUG at its address in the Website.
Recent technological developments in the electrical energy industry has profound implications for the industry worldwide. The leading change has been driven by both market forces and technology in the solar panel sector. Solar panels have increased in their capacity and reduced in price at such a rate that today a megawatt of installed capacity can be created for a fraction of the alternatives, including hydro, natural gas and nuclear.
Reinforcing this, the great weakness in this technology – the unreliability of solar and its dependence on weather conditions, is rapidly being addressed by new battery technology. This unreliability is quickly being mitigated by recent technological developments.
The consequence of these changes are being felt across the world as clients choose to go “off grid” and increasing volumes of low cost energy become available in established markets.
MINING DEVELOPMENTS
Zimbabwe has an abundance of natural resources which can be mined and sold internationally. These resources can be leveraged significantly for new developments and further growth.
In the past 5 years the growth in the mining sector has been phenomenal with mining-based export earnings increasing fivefold. This is now putting great pressure on the country’s infrastructure of rail and road capacity as well as electrical energy. The Intensive Energy User Group was formed by the industry in response to this challenge and the request by the National Utility for help in meeting the growing demand.
This growth in the mining sector is fundamental in unlocking this development plan. IEUG has the capacity to enable this growth by availing power to the point that downtime becomes insignificant.