Mmokolodi to �host� first PV solar station

Gothataone Moeng | Thursday June 12, 2014 06:00

Situated 10 kilometres south of Gaborone, Mokolodi has been chosen as the site for the PV solar station whose success researchers hope will influence the creation of policies promoting use of solar.  

It will also promote other renewable energy sources to provide electricity, particularly for rural dwellers often neglected by traditional electricity providers.

To start with, the Mmokolodi PV station, expected to start at just 20KW, will power the Mmokolodi Kgotla and the village chief’s residence.  The station is the result of a research project jointly undertaken by the University of Botswana’s Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)’s The Energy Centre (TEC) with technical support from the University of Flensburg (Germany). 

The research project has been funded by the African Union Research grant to the tune of €934,056.60 (P11,199,338).

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting at UB on Tuesday project coordinator Emmanuel Anto said the objectives of the project are to demonstrate the potential of distributed solar PV systems to provide electricity for rural communities. 

He said the Mmokolodi project will also be used to investigate engineering challenges and determine the economic viability with an eye towards replicating the project in other rural communities in both Botswana and Ghana. 

UB’s Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Otlogetswe Totolo called for the creation of a policy framework that delivers secure, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy systems.

“Energy security involves the effective management of primary energy supply, the reliability of energy infrastructure and the ability of energy providers to meet current and future demand. 

Accessibility and affordability of energy supply promotes equity across population irrespective of location. Environmental sustainability encompasses the achievement of supply and demand side energy efficiencies and the development of energy supply from renewable and low carbon sources,” he said.

Totolo said the use of renewable energy resources, such as solar energy, in the generation of electricity has many advantages as renewable resources are indigenous, inexhaustible, have low running costs and are the only types of energy currently available that respond to the challenge of sustainable development.

For his part, Kgosi Rasetlhoane of Mmokolodi said he was grateful to the team in charge of the project for choosing his village for their research, but said he would be even more grateful upon its successful delivery.