Namibians switch on to solar power But import costs and tariffs are hindering growth

By: BRIGITTE WEIDLICH

THE huge increases in electricity tariffs and soaring fuel prices experienced recently are causing many Namibians to rethink their energy needs and where to cut costs in order to save money as southern Africa is also experiencing a power crunch due to increased demand for electricity against dwindling supply capacity.

Namibia has one of the best solar regimes in the world with some 3

300 hours of sunshine per year.

This gives it a potential average annual solar radiation value

exceeding six kilowatt hours per square metre per day.

 

The challenge is to tap this potential to provide efficient

energy supply from the sun at lower cost.

 

It would create an industry for solar energy technologies

resulting in employment creation.

 

Yet high import costs and tariffs for solar panels and other

energy-efficient equipment and appliances have put a dampener on

this niche sector.

 

"I had to pay 25 per cent import duty on an energy-efficient

fridge for our office plus 15 per cent value-added tax, so the

price was upped by 40 per cent due to the taxes slapped on the

fridge," a local architect told The Namibian recently, "Government

should provide rebates on duties and taxes on all energy-saving and

alternative energy equipment to enable Namibians to save

electricity."

 

Namibia's power usage rises to 450 megawatt (MW) at peak

demand.

 

Installed local capacity is 384 MW and imports from mainly South

Africa can be as high as 200 MW.

 

"The Ministry of Mines and Energy [MME] has embarked on a

five-year renewable energy master plan, which started in 2005,"

Joseph Iitha, its Permanent Secretary said recently at an energy

conference.

 

"Assisted by the United Nations Development Programme, we are

increasing public awareness on the use of solar energy and

biogas."

 

The MME runs a programme to remove the barriers that still exist

to promote the use of renewable energies from the wind, the sun and

waste to produce bio gas for cooking and heating.

 

Solar cooking stoves are already produced in northern

Namibia.

 

Solar water heating (SWH) via electric geysers constitutes the

highest portion of electricity generated from renewable energy in

Namibia.

 

The use of SWH will continue to increase largely due to the

government directive in August 2007.

 

The Ministry of Mines and Energy stipulated the use of SWH

technology in all government and buildings of state-owned

enterprises.

 

A recent study on energy efficiency in Namibia revealed that 22

per cent or 100 MW of electricity used is required to heat water

geysers.

 

"An investment of N$433 million is needed in order to achieve a

domestic penetration of solar water heaters of 33 per cent over ten

years.

 

If this measure is implemented it is estimated to reduce the

demand by about 52 MW."

 

This means if a third of all private houses would install solar

water geysers on their roofs, the 52 MW saved would also reduce

electricity imports.

 

Driving through Windhoek, the observant visitor will spot a

sudden increase of SWHs on roofs as consumers are encouraged by

special loans available from the MME and some commercial banks at

low interest rates to buy and install them in their homes.

 

"The loan repayment of about N$300 per month equals the savings

on the monthly electricity bill," a bank official told The

Namibian.

 

"The loan is paid off with ease."

 

A consideration mulled is to include the cost of solar water

heaters in housing loans for home owners who either want to replace

the old energy-consuming geysers or - when building a new house -

to install the solar geysers right from the start.

 

Most houses of Arandis in the Erongo Region were equipped with

SWHs almost 30 years ago, saving households thousands of dollars

over the years.

 

The student hostels of the Vocational Training College in

Windhoek and of the Polytechnic are fully equipped with rows of

SWHs on their rooftops, cutting their municipal bills

considerably.

 

The Polytechnic also houses the Renewable Energy and Energy

Efficiency Institute, which was established with the blessing of

the MME.

 

It is mainly funded by Denmark.

 

It conducts surveys on energy use and promotes savings on

electricity usage.

 

There is also a plan by private entrepreneurs and farmers to

establish a huge solar energy plant in southern Namibia, where the

highest amount of sun radiation is measured.

 

"Just 64 square kilometres covered with solar panels would

provide enough electricity for Namibia, the size of an average farm

of 6 400 hectares and we would be self-sufficient and need not rely

on electricity imports any more," a commercial farmer in the south

of the country told The Namibian recently.

 

Another project, the construction of a solar or 'green tower',

is also on the drawing board by a group of engineers.

 

The tower would be more than one kilometre high and collects hot

air sucked up through its chimney, causing large turbines at its

base to rotate and generate power.

 

A group of German and South African engineers and academics gave

a day-long presentation on the Green Tower Project to local

engineers, technicians and energy experts last year.

 

According to Professor Wilfried Kraetzig, a smaller model plant

was run successfully in Spain for seven years.

 

"A proper green tower power plant of 400 MW electricity needs to

be 1,5 km high and 280 metres in diameter - but nowhere in the

world has such a high structure ever been built," he admitted.

 

To collect sufficient hot air, a circle of 37 square kilometres

with glass panels - which are heated by the sun during the day -

would have to be constructed around the tower base.

 

They would not lie on the ground, but would be about on a

three-metre-high platform and collect sunlight to add to

electricity generation.

 

"Underneath the glass roof one can grow large-scale vegetables

and grapes, since the total roofed area would cover 3,7 hectares

like a huge greenhouse," his colleague, Professor Reinhard Harte,

added.

 

"Growing flowers for export and fish farming (aquaculture) would

also be a possibility," he said.

 

At the tower base 32 turbines would be installed and driven by

the "hot air" to generate electricity.

 

If constructed in the Namib Desert, close enough to allow for a

pipeline to the Atlantic Ocean, seawater can be extracted and

desalinated to allow large-scale agriculture such as crop

farming.

 

According to Harte, all these diversified activities would

create about 25 000 jobs.

 

One solar chimney project would cost about N$6 billion,

including a turbine manufacturing plant and a glass factory to

produce the thousands of glass panels needed for the collector

platform.

 

This gives it a potential average annual solar radiation value

exceeding six kilowatt hours per square metre per day.The challenge

is to tap this potential to provide efficient energy supply from

the sun at lower cost.It would create an industry for solar energy

technologies resulting in employment creation.Yet high import costs

and tariffs for solar panels and other energy-efficient equipment

and appliances have put a dampener on this niche sector."I had to

pay 25 per cent import duty on an energy-efficient fridge for our

office plus 15 per cent value-added tax, so the price was upped by

40 per cent due to the taxes slapped on the fridge," a local

architect told The Namibian recently, "Government should provide

rebates on duties and taxes on all energy-saving and alternative

energy equipment to enable Namibians to save electricity."Namibia's

power usage rises to 450 megawatt (MW) at peak demand.Installed

local capacity is 384 MW and imports from mainly South Africa can

be as high as 200 MW."The Ministry of Mines and Energy [MME] has

embarked on a five-year renewable energy master plan, which started

in 2005," Joseph Iitha, its Permanent Secretary said recently at an

energy conference."Assisted by the United Nations Development

Programme, we are increasing public awareness on the use of solar

energy and biogas."The MME runs a programme to remove the barriers

that still exist to promote the use of renewable energies from the

wind, the sun and waste to produce bio gas for cooking and

heating.Solar cooking stoves are already produced in northern

Namibia.Solar water heating (SWH) via electric geysers constitutes

the highest portion of electricity generated from renewable energy

in Namibia.The use of SWH will continue to increase largely due to

the government directive in August 2007.The Ministry of Mines and

Energy stipulated the use of SWH technology in all government and

buildings of state-owned enterprises.A recent study on energy

efficiency in Namibia revealed that 22 per cent or 100 MW of

electricity used is required to heat water geysers."An investment

of N$433 million is needed in order to achieve a domestic

penetration of solar water heaters of 33 per cent over ten years.If

this measure is implemented it is estimated to reduce the demand by

about 52 MW."This means if a third of all private houses would

install solar water geysers on their roofs, the 52 MW saved would

also reduce electricity imports.Driving through Windhoek, the

observant visitor will spot a sudden increase of SWHs on roofs as

consumers are encouraged by special loans available from the MME

and some commercial banks at low interest rates to buy and install

them in their homes."The loan repayment of about N$300 per month

equals the savings on the monthly electricity bill," a bank

official told The Namibian."The loan is paid off with ease."A

consideration mulled is to include the cost of solar water heaters

in housing loans for home owners who either want to replace the old

energy-consuming geysers or - when building a new house - to

install the solar geysers right from the start.Most houses of

Arandis in the Erongo Region were equipped with SWHs almost 30

years ago, saving households thousands of dollars over the

years.The student hostels of the Vocational Training College in

Windhoek and of the Polytechnic are fully equipped with rows of

SWHs on their rooftops, cutting their municipal bills

considerably.The Polytechnic also houses the Renewable Energy and

Energy Efficiency Institute, which was established with the

blessing of the MME.It is mainly funded by Denmark.It conducts

surveys on energy use and promotes savings on electricity

usage.There is also a plan by private entrepreneurs and farmers to

establish a huge solar energy plant in southern Namibia, where the

highest amount of sun radiation is measured."Just 64 square

kilometres covered with solar panels would provide enough

electricity for Namibia, the size of an average farm of 6 400

hectares and we would be self-sufficient and need not rely on

electricity imports any more," a commercial farmer in the south of

the country told The Namibian recently.Another project, the

construction of a solar or 'green tower', is also on the drawing

board by a group of engineers.The tower would be more than one

kilometre high and collects hot air sucked up through its chimney,

causing large turbines at its base to rotate and generate power.A

group of German and South African engineers and academics gave a

day-long presentation on the Green Tower Project to local

engineers, technicians and energy experts last year.According to

Professor Wilfried Kraetzig, a smaller model plant was run

successfully in Spain for seven years."A proper green tower power

plant of 400 MW electricity needs to be 1,5 km high and 280 metres

in diameter - but nowhere in the world has such a high structure

ever been built," he admitted.To collect sufficient hot air, a

circle of 37 square kilometres with glass panels - which are heated

by the sun during the day - would have to be constructed around the

tower base.They would not lie on the ground, but would be about on

a three-metre-high platform and collect sunlight to add to

electricity generation."Underneath the glass roof one can grow

large-scale vegetables and grapes, since the total roofed area

would cover 3,7 hectares like a huge greenhouse," his colleague,

Professor Reinhard Harte, added."Growing flowers for export and

fish farming (aquaculture) would also be a possibility," he said.At

the tower base 32 turbines would be installed and driven by the

"hot air" to generate electricity.If constructed in the Namib

Desert, close enough to allow for a pipeline to the Atlantic Ocean,

seawater can be extracted and desalinated to allow large-scale

agriculture such as crop farming.According to Harte, all these

diversified activities would create about 25 000 jobs.One solar

chimney project would cost about N$6 billion, including a turbine

manufacturing plant and a glass factory to produce the thousands of

glass panels needed for the collector platform.

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