African Unification Front
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RENEWABLE ENERGY
BIOMASS
About 74 percent of the total energy requirements of the eight Zambezi River Basin countries comes from biomass; fuelwood, charcoal, and plant residues. Biomass is used for domestic purposes (cooking and lighting) and in agriculture for curing tobacco (especially in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe). It is also used for brick manufacturing; lime production; fish smoking; and coffee and tea-drying. While the amounts of biomass energy derived from the basin by each country are not readily available, information on fuelwood consumption compiled for six of the basin countries by the SADC Forestry Sector Coordination Unit in 1997 indicates that all of them derive most of their energy needs from biomass
Hydropower generation
Electricity power generation which is as a non-consumptive water use, involves directing water to turn turbines, thereby producing electricity. The estimated hydropower potential of the ZambeziRiver is 20,000 megawatts (MW) of which about 4,620MW has been developed. Of the 4,620MW available, about five percent is in Malawi, 45 percent in Mozambique, 36% in Zambia and 14% in Zimbabwe.
The Cahora Bassa hydropower plant, with an existing installation capacity of 2,075MW, is the largest in SADC, followed by the Inga in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 1,771MW. Under current arrangements, Zimbabwe can import up to 400MW per month and the remainder is consumed by both South Africa/Azania and Mozambique.
Potential hydropower plants with a total installation capacity of 12,892 MW have also been identified in the basin as follows: nine in Angola; seven in Malawi; 12 in Mozambique, including the giants, Cahora Bassa II, Mepanda Uncua and Chemba which have installation capacities exceeding 1,600MW each; 10 in Zambia, including the giants, Batoka (1,600MW), Devil’s (1,240MW) and Mupata (1,000MW) gorges; and four in Zimbabwe, also including Batoka, Devil’s and Mupata gorges.
Ethanol
Malawi is the only country utilising the basin’s resources to produce ethanol, which is used to blend petrol. Ethanol is produced from sugar molasses at Dwangwa Estate Plant on the lakeshore. However, other basin countries, for example, Zimbabwe, produce ethanol outside the basin.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Solar cells are used to tap light from the sun which is converted into electricity. This technology (commonly used for lighting, and in low-voltage electrical appliances such as radios and television sets) has been welcomed by rural communities throughout the basin and beyond. In Zimbabwe, alone, about 10,000 solar panels have been installed mainly through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Solar Project. In Botswana, solar energy is also widely used, including for water desalinisation.
Windmill pumps are utilised by rural commercial farmers to pump water for livestock-watering and to a limited extent, supplementing irrigation water. A pilot project in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe, by Regional Environment Organisation (ZERO) has shown that it is possible to generate electricity even at low wind speeds using specially designed turbines.
The greatest threat to the environment is the disposal of solar panels and batteries that may lead to pollution, particularly from battery acids.
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
Deforestation, leading to soil erosion and ultimately land degradation and siltation, is the main problem associated with biomass energy utilisation in the basin. As such, more environmentally friendly energy alternatives such as hydropower (at micro level), wind and solar should be promoted, especially for the rural communities.
There is also need to make existing technologies more energy efficient. Examples are the tsotso stove and the recently redesigned brickmaking kiln which can lead to huge savings in woodfuel.
Wood fires contain many poisonous chemicals, and can be a locally significant source of air pollution. However, virtually all the basin countries are involved in programmes aimed at reducing heavy dependence on woodfuel, particularly in rural areas. Afforestation and environmental awareness programmes are also being undertaken within basin countries by the governments, NGOs, donors, the private sector and the public to ensure sustainable use of woodfuel.
Damming rivers for hydropower plants has widespread negative environmental impacts. These include the displacement of people and animals; burial of heritage sites, plants and animals; depletion of wetland habitats and aquatic life; increases in water-borne diseases; sedimentation, siltation and siltation-induced flooding; and loss of irrigation water downstream.
Lake Kariba alone displaced over 58,000 people about 40 years ago while the Cahora Bassa in Mozambique forced the relocation of about 25,000 in the 1970s. The animals and plants were not spared either. In addition, buried biomass and flood debris decompose, emitting methane, one of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) associated with global warming. Molasses disposed of into the water systems, from ethanol production, threaten the environment.
To minimise the negative impacts, legislation binding developers to undertake Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) before embarking on such environmentally sensitive development projects are inevitable. In addition, remedial measures outlined in EIA reports must be fulfilled. Although the basin countries have made great strides towards establishing national EIA laws, the benefits of conducting EIAs are not being fully realised.
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