The demand for electricity as an energy source is constantly increasing in Zimbabwe. This demand poses opportunities in terms of exploring ways of producing electricity and employment creation. Zimbabwe Christian Development Council is participating in national development by mobilization finance through a crowdfunding exercise to fund the Solar farming project so as to improve the electricity supply. Recourses mobilized will be used in infrastructural development in the form of constructing a solar power plant which feeds into the national grid. There is a need for everyone to participate in economic development in order to have a share of the cake, those who participate will have their contributions converted to shares and they will double benefit from dividends and electricity. It is important to pull our small amounts together for investing in new clean sources of energy such as solar to make electricity available to people.

Our intention as Zimbabwe Christian Development Council is to establish a 10 Mega Watt solar farm. Our preferred places to set up the Solar Farm are Chiredzi, Gwanda, Mt. Darwin and Norton, however, we will accept any recommendations on other places that may be possible for this investment. We intend to use the latest solar technologies for the farm. There is a need to raise a capital investment of USD$ 12 million through crowdfunding to achieve this goal. The solar farm will feed into the main national grid with the guidance of responsible authorities. The 10MW project is expected to expand with time to 100MW so as to generate more electricity.

In order to achieve a capacity of 10MW, a total of 30 000 to 35 000 solar panels will be installed. The solar power plant is likely to sit on 25 hectares of land. The power to be produced, which will eventually feed into the national grid, is capable of powering up to 2 500 homes. On average Zimbabwe has 12 to 13 hours of sunlight, with an average of 7 to 8 peak sun hours daily. Here we are talking about more than five million kWh of solar energy annually. We have the chance to utilize this inexhaustible source of energy in the form of electricity. The solar panels will efficiently produce electricity for a period of 25 years before they can be replaced. Proper maintenance and care will be key to the efficient utilization of the power plant.

How will the project achieve sustainability?--> Once the project starts producing electricity we expect it to exist for the longest time possible. Maintenance costs should cater for the replacement of these solar panels and other vital gadgets as they become obsolete. We plan to have the solar farm revamped as and when the time requires it to do so. The investment has to go a long way in providing the Nation of Zimbabwe with a renewable source of energy, be expandable to 100MW or beyond and construct even more solar farms around Zimbabwe.

Investing in such clean sources of energy will help in dealing with climate change issues and the move to cap global carbon emissions. The culmination of these international efforts is the achievement of a new international climate agreement at the COP15 climate change conference held in Copenhagen in December 2009. Following on from the World Solar Summit in Harare and the launch of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005 - encompassing all forms of renewable energy, including solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, biomass, wind, hydro, tidal, wave, ocean thermal and geothermal - UNESCO provided the international community with an instrument for the promotion of renewable forms of energy. Demand for energy is expected to triple in the next thirty years with alternative energy anticipated to cover the gap. Solar energy is emerging as an investment opportunity globally and its use is projected to grow by 40 per cent for the next five years. Zimbabwe, just like most African countries, receives many hours of bright sunshine during the course of the year making it possible to make as much electricity as possible.