COMPLIMENTS of the season dear readers! I trust that you are having a blissful time.
This week, I have reproduced a piece written by Eric Mweetwa, a follower of this column, who wanted to contribute some views on the electricity challenges that Zambia is experiencing.
Eric is a pioneer for improved youth welfare and the views in his write-up were put together along with other young people from his group.
Eric wrote: Zambia is blessed with rivers, falls, swamps, good climate and weather pattern.
Of course, the weather pattern is changing year by year and we are slowly adjusting and adapting.
Zesco has been providing the country with electricity for some decades and this is an appreciable service which requires a lot of resources to deliver.
But looking at the current state of our country and the load shedding being experienced, the energy sector is in urgent need of diversification.
What do I mean by saying diversification?
Hydro-power stations
We need to look at increasing the number of hydro-power stations by expanding the existing ones and constructing others to beef up such sources of energy.
Solar energy is yet another option among the natural sources of electricity.
It is cheap, pollution free, and easy to set up and use.
A few countries currently using solar energy in Africa include South Africa, Kenya and Morocco.
Morocco has actually set up the largest solar energy plant in the world.
Wind energy or wind power is extracted from air flow using wind turbines or sails to produce mechanical or electrical energy.
Wind energy uses turbines which are devices that convert kinetic energy from wind into electrical power.
The few uses of wind energy are wind mills, which are used for their mechanical power, wind pumps for water pumping, and sail to propel ships in various countries.
Wind power is currently the fastest-growing source of electricity production in the world with a single wind turbine able to power 500 households.
This is yet another natural, pollution-free and available option of generating energy.
Geothermal energy can be just another alternative energy source as it is completely clean and renewable.
It has been in use for several years and it is totally renewable as earth will continue to produce heat as long as we are all here.
If these resources were tapped and were utilised effectively, they could provide a solution to the world and Zambia’s persisting power problems.
Zambia would be much more stable energy-wise if these sources of power were explored.
Our county needs to adopt new methods which, even though expensive, may be worthy in as far as meeting electricity demand is concerned.
If Zambia is to avoid load shedding, it has to diversify its energy sources to those that are more environmentally friendly which do not affect the climate.
If we can have more sources of generating electricity, we will surely beat load shedding and benefit greatly.
This, however, is not a day’s job and it will require time, greater effort, resources and serious planning to be implemented.
Thank you Eric for your contribution. My encouragement to the general public is to continue bringing up such positive solutions for authorities to consider as they mint strategies to overcome these challenges.
Government alone cannot resolve the hurdles that the country is going through, hence the need for public input for some of the solutions that can be explored for the country.
After all, it is the democratic right of every citizen to contribute solutions to issues negatively affecting the country.
Well dear readers, this is where it all ends until next year.
Send comments and contributions to jameskunda91@gmail.com or 0973182006