Solar investments cushion Econet from power cuts

TELECOMS giant, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, says the adoption of solar on its operations has minimised the impact of the crippling power cuts being experienced across the country and the region.
Tesla’s Powerwall units, installed at Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s base station towers by Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a renewable energy business of Cassava Technologies, are helping Zimbabwe’s largest mobile telecommunications operator reduce the impact of the country’s power shortages, said the company in a latest media brief.

Telecoms operators

A significant drop in electricity generation from Zimbabwe’s two main power stations, Kariba and Hwange, has led to load shedding of up to 18 hours per day.
This has severely disrupted the operations of most businesses, forcing them to turn to diesel backup power, which is both expensive and unfriendly to the environment.

“The Tesla Powerwall is a power storage unit with 13,5kWh of usable storage capacity. Each unit comes with a 10-year warranty, and is equipped with an AC-coupled battery, plus an integrated inverter and charger for increased efficiency,” said the company.

“DPA has installed hundreds of the units at base station towers across Zimbabwe to date. The units store energy from the grid or solar panels, which in turn powers cell towers when there is load shedding, keeping services running.”

Welcoming the difference brought by the Tesla Powerwall units, Econet chief operating officer, Mr Kezito Makuni, said: “When we partnered with DPA, we were looking for a solution that is efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective. The Tesla Powerwall has proven to be all these and more.
“Unlike diesel generators, the units do not cause noise or environmental pollution and can last for up to eight hours.”

The Econet installations were part of DPA’s broader deployment of Tesla Powerwalls within the region, one of the fastest rollouts of Tesla Powerwalls in Africa.

Mr Kezito Makuni

DPA chief executive officer in Zimbabwe, Mr Divyajeet Mahajan, said: “The current power situation has been a major test for the robustness of the Tesla Powerwall. We are happy that the units have passed with flying colours on all scores.
“This success encourages us to accelerate the rollout of these units to more clients in Zimbabwe and across the region, at a time when they need them the most.”

The Tesla Powerwall units have not only supplied alternative power to the cell towers, but they have also passed another key test — security.

Distributive Power Africa (DPA) Chief Executive Officer in Zimbabwe, Mr. Divyajeet Mahajan.

The risk of cell tower battery theft has increased significantly because of power shortages.
However, Econet said since the rollout of the Tesla Powerwalls at Econet base stations in 2019, there have been reduced thefts, proving why the Tesla Powerwall is a more secure alternative for businesses.-chronicle.co.zw