A Zambian farm input supplier, African Green Resources (AGR), plans to invest $150-million in an irrigation dam and a 50 MW solar project at a farm in the Mkushi farming block, in Zambia.
AGR chairperson Zuneid Yousuf says engineers from global solar power firm Vico Solar will visit the site in early December to lay the groundwork for a 2 MW pilot project valued at about $2-million.
“This smaller system will answer many assumptions that were critical for the larger utility-scale plant, including soil conditions, State-owned power utility Zesco’s wheeling requirements and network and sun irradiance,” Yousuf says.
He notes that the solar project will ensure continuous power supply for irrigation and other production processes that have suffered as a result of electricity rationing in the country.
Zesco announced recently that load-shedding would be implemented for many hours each day.
Zambia mainly relies on hydropower, but has an electricity deficit of more than 870 MW, owing to low water levels at generation plants as a result of a recent drought.
The country’s peak power demand fluctuates at between 1 700 MW and 1 900 MW.
Yousuf believes the drought is linked to climate change, with Southern African countries’ temperatures rising at twice the global average.
The Zambian government has been encouraging investment into alternative sources of energy, including solar power.