Namibia: Government Lights Up on Solar Energy

Solar-powered water heaters will soon be installed in all Government and parastatal buildings to save electricity, Mines and Energy Minister Erkki Nghimtina announced yesterday.

A 20-year off-grid electrification plan for remote areas with mainly solar power – to cost around N$136,7 million – will also be implemented.
Opening a conference on renewable energies, Nghimtina said Cabinet made the landmark decisions in June this year.

The solar water heaters would have to be manufactured in Namibia to boost the technology locally and to increase employment.

“These decisions need multi-sectoral ownership and cannot be the Ministry’s baby alone,” Nghimtina added.

At yesterday’s event the second phase of the UN-funded Namrep (Namibian Renewable Energy Barrier Removal) project was also launched.

The UN Development Programme will inject N$70 million into Namrep over the next three years.

The project started in 2004 with the Ministry of Mines and Energy and promotes alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power, the training of solar energy technicians, and developing small loan schemes to enable people to buy solar lighting systems and solar water heaters.

According to Joseph Iita, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, only one third of the Namibian population has access to electricity – 230 000 households are not connected.

AllAfrica