The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) registered 99 renewable energy companies last year in what serves as testimony to wide spreading appreciation of green energy products.
This follows last year’s gazette that required operating licenses for renewable energy companies. The move sought to improve service delivery and protect consumers from substandard workmanship in the wake of increased uptake of renewable energy technologies.
“We ran the exercise in order to distinguish legit renewable energy service providers and now that the list is here, we advise consumers to engage with the listed companies if they are to avoid being shortchanged,” ZERA chief executive officer Eddington Mazambane told 263Chat.
Substandard solar panels were fast killing people’s trust in green energy products with residents of Hopley who spoke to this publication bemoaning how the solar panels underperform under overcast skies.
“In winter and rainy seasons, when skies are largely overcast, we hardly have a reason to set the panels against the sun because the power they harvest all day cannot even provide lighting for at least 30 minutes,” Prince Mukweva said.
With 1.2 million urban slum population – according to United Nations Human Settlements Programme 2014 statistics – together with 60% of the country’s rural population who are yet to be connected on to the national power grid, fears are that a rampant spread of substandard green energy products may result in a futile green energy revolution.
