NamPower launches second solar power system

THE national power utility, NamPower launched its second solar photovoltaic (PV) system worth about N$ 2 million in Windhoek on Thursday.

The solar panels were mounted on the rooftop of the NamPower national control building. The first panels were installed on top of the NamPower Convention Centre, also in the capital.

Namibian Engineering Corporation (NEC) did both installations.

Speaking at the event, NamPower managing director Paulinus Shilamba commended the staff of NamPower’s information technology (IT) Department on the idea of using solar energy.

“The information communication technology (ICT) colleagues went beyond the normal call of duty when they motivated the idea of powering the building through solar – first of all to harvest the free energy of the sun for the systems that run 24 hours, seven days a week; and secondly, to reduce energy costs,” he noted.

The 103 kilowatt (KW) PV grid-connected system provides up to 14 600 KW-hours of energy per month. During peak periods, the system can reduce NamPower’s daily energy consumption by up to 35%.

With this project, NamPower is reducing the overall demand for energy provided by the City of Windhoek.

Shilamba said the implementation of these projects are a clear demonstration that NamPower is not preaching the message of energy savings to its diverse stakeholder only, but that the company is also “walking the talk” and leading by example. He said the focus at national level is to implement large-scale generation projects to address the power supply shortage that the country is currently facing, and as experienced in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region at large.

Shilamba emphasised that small- scale renewable energy projects such as these are taking off pressure – albeit on a small scale- from the national electricity grid. “NamPower cannot meet this target alone. We need combined efforts from all stakeholders in the electricity supply industry, as well as support from potential investors. We thus encourage independent power producers to become active and invest in renewable energy projects,” he added. – Nampa

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