BRRA spearheads power supply initiative for Ward 18

Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter

The Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA) is working with the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) in an ambitious endeavour to ensure uninterrupted power supply for Ward 18 residents through solar net metering and power ring-fencing.

According to the BRRA, the initiative aims to enhance the reliability and sustainability of power supply to Ward 18 residents through a two-pronged approach:

• Power ring-fencing: dedicating a portion of power supply to serve the BRRA community to provide a more reliable and consistent power supply to the neighbourhood.
• Solar Net Metering: where solar systems are installed and excess power fed back into the national grid.

BRRA chairperson Mr Robert Mutyasira told residents in a letter outlining the initiative that the residents’ body is now conducting an information gathering exercise in Ward 18 and residents have been requested to supply their details if they are interested.

“Members residing in the area who are interested in the scheme are encouraged to submit the following details in order to facilitate the development of concrete solutions and to pave way for an MOU (memorandum of understanding) and rollout plan,” Mr Mutyasira wrote to residents.

The required details to be sent via email address [email protected] are:

• Full name
• Address
• GIS location
• Contact phone number and email address
• State if residential or business
• Whether you have existing solar system and the size

Mr Mutyasira said the project’s take off needed residents to embrace and subscribe to it as it could serve as a blueprint for Zimbabwe.

“This project will only move forward with a meaningful number of residents subscribing to it, and if successful, it will serve as a pilot project for the country, potentially paving the way for similar initiatives in other areas.

“We are excited about the potential of this project to improve power security and sustainability in our community. We look forward to your participation in this innovative endeavour,” he said.

The net-metering initiative, a cutting-edge approach, will enable residents to feed their surplus solar-generated power to the ZETDC grid.

The BRRA’s initiative comes at a crucial time when Zimbabwe is grappling with detrimental power cuts that have significantly impacted both households and business consumers.

Zimbabwe, a nation basking in sunshine for at least 10 months of the year, has witnessed this valuable power source go unused.

Ward 18 residents are poised to pioneer the net-metering initiative on a large scale and have embraced the opportunity to harness the potential benefits of the project.

The collaboration between BRRA and ZETDC has involved extensive meetings and consultations to meticulously plan and deliberate on the intricate technicalities of the initiative.

An interface meeting between residents and ZETDC staff held at the Northside Community Church in Borrowdale on Tuesday night this week served as a platform for Engineer John Chiketa, the ZETDC commercial services manager, to explain the intricacies of the system.

He fielded a number of inquiries from residents who, prior to the meeting, possessed minimal knowledge about the initiative.

The well-attended meeting saw residents from across the ward express their eagerness to witness the success of the project following comprehensive deliberations.

To set the project in motion, residents must mobilise to achieve the minimum threshold figure prescribed by ZETDC, which stands at approximately 70 percent of the 20,000 households in the ward.

The BRRA is calling upon all residents of Ward 18 to seize the opportunity presented by ZETDC. Plans are underway to accredit solar system companies that residents can engage and several suppliers have displayed interest and willingness to provide the service at a reasonable cost. These packages will include flexible financing arrangements for the solar equipment with ZETDC providing the net-metering equipment free of charge.

Mr Mutyasira said the initiative is poised to add tremendous value to residents of Ward 18.

“Living in a community where there are no power cuts is an exhilarating experience that is going to enhance multiple dimensions of the community that include livelihoods and economic development as more investors and corporates would want to establish their operations in areas with stable power supply. We will be moving from being consumers to becoming producers of electricity,” said Mr Mutyasira.

BRRA has until the end of July to compile a comprehensive list and data of residents who wish to participate in the project and the residents organisation is urging as many residents as possible to reach out and engage with the association before the cut-off date, as it strives to ensure the success of this groundbreaking initiative.