-Minister of Energy Peter Kapala (left) cuts the ribbon and commissioned the Kabamba micro-solar grid in Serenge District. Image courtesy of Francina Chumba
The lighting of the Kabamba Middle School in Serenje District, Central Province gave Priscilla Ngosa excitement for good reason.
This is because Kabamba is a secondary school attended by a 17-year-old 12th grader.
The school is located in a rural area that is now energized, opening up many possibilities for students like Priscilla who are so excited about electricity.
The lighting of Kabamba Middle School changed the face of the environment.
With uninterrupted electricity in the classrooms, the school suddenly becomes more lively and interesting. Students can study at any time of the day without worrying about dark.
Prior to this, the first 40kWP Kabamba solar mini-grid was installed, which was jointly funded by the Rural Electrification Bureau (REA) and the Kafue Gorge Regional Training Center, and was supported by the government.
The project aims to benefit at least 13,000 people.
Priscilla said that her dream of becoming a doctor is now certain, because she has plenty of time to study at night and prepare for exams, unlike before relying on candles.
"I am very excited because the environment has changed with the advent of electricity. I was able to have enough time to study at night and I saw my performance at school improved a lot," Priscilla said.
Progress Ngoma is another student celebrating the school's electrification.
She said that she once admired her friends in urban areas, who were able to deal with computers without challenges.
Progress said that with the power supply in her school, computers can now be used, and information and communication technology (ICT) will become exciting, unlike in the past when she and other students only used it to learn theories.
As a mother-to-be, Devote Chilumba shed tears of joy after seeing the maternity ward and the entire Kabamba Rural Health Center being powered on.
Ms. Chilumba is very happy that local women can now give birth in wards with electricity.
She said that even at night, health workers will be able to help patients in need of surgery.
Ms. Chilumba said that before the completion of the mini-grid project, health workers used candles and lights to take care of patients in need of surgery at night.
She said the situation is not easy for patients and health workers.
Ms. Chilumba, the mother of one child, said that with the power supply, she no longer worried about delivering children from the medical center because the power supply strengthened her confidence.
She said that electricity will improve the quality of medical services at Kabamba Health Center.
Without a reliable power supply, many important hospital tools, such as electric lights, vaccine storage, medical equipment, etc., will become ineffective and unusable.
Other public institutions, such as schools, are also affected in the provision of services, especially in the field of operating computers and science laboratories, which are critical to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects promoted by the government among female students .
It is for this reason that the government has identified decentralized micro-grid systems as a cost-effective and economically viable option for increasing electricity supply in rural communities.
Energy Minister Peter Kapala stated that the New Dawn government hopes to increase the electricity supply in rural areas from the current 8% to 51% by 2030.
Mr. Kapala commissioned a 45 kilowatt (kW) Kabamba solar mini grid in the Kabamba Emirate. The installation cost of the grid is US$100,000. Mr. Kapala said that the main challenge of increasing power supply and connecting rural areas to the national grid is low population density .
He said this makes electrification expensive.
"As you might know, Zambia's electricity supply is still very low, 34% nationwide, and only 8% of the rural population has access to electricity," he said.
The Minister of Energy stated that the Kabamba micro-solar project demonstrates that the government is committed to increasing access to electricity services and improving the livelihoods of people in rural communities.
He said that the project will provide empirical evidence of the economic, social and environmental feasibility of a micro-grid, using a prepaid metering system to provide services to consumers to ensure sustainability and ensure effective operation.
However, Mr. Capala stated that the initial plan for electrification of the Kabamba area was to build a 200-kilowatt small hydropower station at Chipota Falls, which could not be started due to limited financial resources.
He said that if small hydroelectric power plants are built, according to market surveys conducted, approximately 15,000 consumers will be able to benefit from the plan.
The Minister of Energy stated that the government will not relax, but will continue to mobilize resources to ensure the development of the Chipota Falls micro-hydropower project and to ensure the expansion of connectivity to more households in the Emirates.
"With this development, the provision of education and healthcare services will be effectively provided, and economic activities will be strengthened," he said.
The government wants to ensure that schoolchildren can study at night and provide medical care to their mothers, especially those involving obstetrics, both during the day and at night.
Mr. Capala said that he reminded the residents of the Kabamba emirate to pay attention to the policy direction of decentralizing financial resources to the local community.
“The availability of the microgrid and the energy generated from it, together with the resources managed by the local government, will help accelerate the socio-economic development of the Kabamba Chief and Serenge Region,” he said.
The micro-solar grid will provide electricity for Kabamba primary and secondary schools, workers’ homes, local courts, rural health centers and their workers’ homes.
The Minister of Central Province, Credo Nanjiwa, expressed his belief that the power supply will accelerate the development of the Kabamba Chief Village and contribute to the development of the Serenje region and the country as a whole.
Mr. Nanjiwa said that the project set the tone for accelerating the development of similar projects, mainly for poor communities in the Central Province and the entire country.
"My office is ready to cooperate with the Ministry of Energy to implement similar projects in the province," he said.
Clement Sasa, Acting Chief Executive Officer of REA, stated that the agency is committed to increasing rural electrification with appropriate technologies for all, including microgrids, grid expansion, hydropower and other available technologies to ensure Improve the lives of people in rural communities.
Mr. Sasa expressed optimism that the Kabamba Mini Project will greatly help improve the livelihoods of the people in the area.
He said that the mission of the REA is to increase the power infrastructure in rural areas in all 10 provinces.
"With this development, the provision of education and health care services can be effectively provided, and economic activities can be strengthened. School children can now study at night and can now provide our breastfeeding mothers with all-night maternal health care," he said. Said.
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Zesco's managing director Victor Mundende said that with the government's new policy direction aimed at increasing power supply to rural communities through off-grid solutions, the utility company has positioned itself to play a catalytic role in implementing the policy.
In the speech delivered by Zesco director generation Fidelis Mubiana, Mr. Mundende said that Zesco has the knowledge, skills, tools, software and experience required to conduct feasibility studies and project preparation for off-grid solar projects.
Chief Kabamba said that he is very satisfied with this micro-solar project.
The traditional leader stated that his community will no longer live in the dark as before.
The chief said that his subjects used to go to Serenje to shave and braid, but it is over now.
"We are now at the same level as the people who live in Lusaka. We are no longer in the dark and I am optimistic that this development will stimulate social and economic development," he said.
Traditional leaders are optimistic that electricity supply will promote the development of local businesses, increase currency circulation in the community, and improve the lives of local people.
He urged the Secretary of the District Board of Education (DEBS) to recall teachers who were absent from school due to lack of electricity.
It is believed that in the near future, Kabamba Mini-Solar Grid will become the first hybrid technology project that uses solar and hydropower technology after the development of the Chipota Falls 200 kW small hydropower project, which also belongs to the chief operating officer. Kabamba area.
For a long time, hydropower projects have been in a prominent position.
Read the original article in the Zambia Times.
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