Airports in Zimbabwe could soon operate exclusively on solar power.

The Zimbabwean government has announced plans to install solar panels at all its airports in response to intermittent power failures and the continued drought throughout the country that has affected hydropower supply, the state-owned Herald reports.

According to Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi, power supply at airports should always be guaranteed. ‘The basic idea is that airports are a key national installation and we have to have a situation where there is assurance that there won’t be any power outage there,’ he says, adding that blackouts could have a severe impact on safety. ‘Going solar is also consistent with government efforts to remove as many consumers as possible from the grid and serve the country’s foreign currency substantially.’

The government said earlier this year that it was promoting the use of alternative energy by removing the import duty on all solar products and mandated that all new construction in the country should include solar-energy systems.

24 September 2019
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