By Nghiinomenwa-vali Erastus
The ministry of mines and energy will be in the two Kavango regions to create awareness for households to get funding and invest in renewable energy technologies.
This is through the Green People’s Energy Project, a collaboration between GIZ and the Namibian government, the ministry announced last week.
The communities that do not have electricity are going to receive information on the utilisation of abundant solar sources for their electricity needs, rather than waiting on the grid supply.
For those that are willing to electrify their households with renewable energy such as solar, the ministry has indicated that it has Solar Revolving Fund (SRF) to give loans to rural dwellers for their renewable energy investment.
The SRF is a credit facility established by MME to stimulate demand for the utilisation of renewable energy technologies in rural areas, particularly for communities living in off-grid areas, but also for urban clients.
The SRF is an element of the Off-Grid Energisation Master Plan for Namibia (OGEMP) whose objective is to provide access to appropriate energy technologies to rural areas, according to the information from the energy ministry.
Various communities in rural areas have no electricity, this is because the national electricity grid is quite far from them or they cannot afford the connection fees charged by the distribution entities (Regional Electricity Distributors).
The Green People’s Energy Project aims to contribute to universal and sustainable access for the people of Namibia, the ministry explained
The project objective is to strengthen the renewable energy sector and promote off-grid electrification in rural and peri-urban areas.
As a result, the ministry of mines will be in the regions to create awareness through information sharing, starting with the Kavango East Region.
WHY RENEWABLE?
It is now scientifically documented that Namibia is well endowed with renewable energy resources.
Of special note are the solar, wind and biomass resources (encroacher bush) that are available in abundance, according to energy expert Detlof von Oertzen in one of his publications.
These sources, however, can be or are mostly intermittent, meaning that they are only available at certain times of the day or night.
However, with the advance in energy storage technology, the intermittent characteristic may be short-term.
Von Oertzen wrote that Namibia’s renewable energy sources will play an increasingly important role in the future, specifically in the further development of the country’s electricity sector; thereby, further enhancing the security of power.
Namibia’s world-class solar resources are showcased by the country’s solar global horizontal irradiation potential which stands between 1 900 and 2500kWh/m2.
This makes Namibia highly suitable for solar electricity generation through photovoltaic or concentrated solar plants and for thermal applications. Email: erastus@thevillage.com.na
