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SOLAR ENERGY ZIMBABWE
PROJECT TITLE

Establishment of an infrastructure for manufacturing and marketing solar hot water systems and improving the advisory service in Zimbabwe
Objectives and results of the first two phases of the Austrian Solar Project

  • Poverty alleviation by creating and saving jobs in the solar industry

  • Substitution of imported solar components

  • Expanding the market for solar products by offering subsidies

  • Improve living standard and hygienic conditions by providing heated water
How it started

The first SunDrum solar water heaters were installed in 1997 under Domestic Solar Heating P/L and were 80 percent “Made in Zimbabwe”. Everything except solar paint, copper foil and glass was manufactured locally. The collector boxes and storage tanks were made from durable fibre-cement the weight of which limited the capacities to 150 litres though. Soon the fibre-cement tanks were replaced by the plastic containers so that the tank sizes could grow to 1200 litres. To set up such relatively large installations it was also necessary to change from the serpentine to the register-type collectors. Members of AEE INTEC have been assisting the development of the novel design with know-how, equipment and money since 1996. In 1998 the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs started to provide funds through AEE INTEC for training of local plumbing firms in manufacturing and installing SunDrum solar water heaters. The manager of Domestic Solar Heating became project officer and his employees were promoted to instructors.
Manufacture and installation

During the first five years of phases one and two nearly 400 installations of system sizes between 50 and 1200 litres could be accomplished. Five companies were selected and shown how to build collectors, tanks and stands and how to install the complete systems on roofs, on the ground or on platforms.
Subsidising domestic and institutional solar hot water systems
The firms were given tools and enough material for free to build and install five systems. The instructors who supervised the production of the solar components and assisted the trainee-companies in setting up the solar water heaters were provided for free by the Austrian project for a period of up to six months. Having passed the training phase the installing companies were paid out a reward per successfully installed and commissioned solar system. Each installation had to be passed by the local representative who submitted reports to the respective installing companies and to the project funders. At this point, some companies decided to pull out again or were shown the door, because they did not agree with the quality criteria as demanded by the project. The payments of the gratuity were made conditional on good workmanship and on correctly installed units.
Marketing The plumbing companies could fully concentrate on material acquisition, production and installation as the customers were found for them by the local project office and by sub-contracted advertisers. The advertising of the subsidised SunDrum systems was done through flyers, commercials in the print media and exhibitions at various fairs and shows. The lists of interested customers were made available to all manufacturers and installers involved in the Austrian project. They had to compete for the orders by the customers.
Training seminars

Around ten seminars on how to design and plan the size of solar waters were held between 1998 and 2003. More than 200 lecturers, teachers, trainees, students, building contractors, plumbers and people in search of new business opportunities took part in the theory lessons and in excursions to medium-size and large-scale installations put up by local companies.
Extended support The first project phase was followed by a second one which was to give continued assistance to three solar firms in order to help them see through the difficult economic years ahead. At the end of these five years of assistance the new firms were expected to survive on their own but the accelerating economic decline ruined the hopes. All but one new company went out of business. In order to help this one and some other established solar companies to survive the inflationary environment the Austrian programme was extended into a third phase which at the same time aims to support essential health, educational and social services to cope with the exploding running costs.
PROJECT TITLE

Conservation of the Business Capacity for Solar Water Heater Manufacturing and Installation in Zimbabwe
Objectives of the third phase of the Austrian Solar Project

  • Facilitate contacts between experienced solar companies and users of heated water

  • Enable institutions and house owners to acquire a solar hot water system by offering them subsidies

  • Link boarding schools, hospitals and homes to individuals and organisations who are willing to give financial support to long-term investments like solar water heating

  • Get people in Southern Africa off their electricity addiction and hook them to plentiful solar energy.
Economic slump After a period of rapid growth in the eighties and nineties, the number of installations of solar water heating systems in both the institutional and residential sector dropped to almost zero. All but a few manufacturers or installers of solar hot water systems went out of business as the house owners lost their money to the inflation and some donors withdrew their support to the institutions. Solar industry in Zimbabwe has to a large extent been donor-driven and will in future even be more dependent on outside funding as wide sectors of the economy work below 20 percent capacity and 80 percent of the able population is out of work. Until 2000 the capital injected by aid organisations and private benefactors generated enough orders to keep four manufacturers of complete systems busy. The hyperinflation and the exodus of many aid organisations led to a slump in orders which nearly wiped out the solar industry in Zimbabwe.
Struggling hospitals, schools and homes Due to lack of tax revenues and the flight of qualified staff the public health and social welfare services are collapsing. The life expectancy of women has dropped to 34 years and the AIDS pandemic has left many adults and children totally reliant on private charities. These charity organisations struggle to provide food, cloths and accommodation for the old, sick and the orphaned. School fees have reached astronomic figures and, therefore, the children’s homes and orphanages have little money left for paying the electricity bill. No matter how much the managers endeavour to raise funds in many cases the homes and hospitals can not afford to offer warm water. At many institutions the electric water heating system is idle, because the electricity supply is down for long periods.
Globalisation Globalisation has also reached the solar industry in Southern Africa and small manufacturing companies can no longer compete price- and quality-wise. Imported collectors and solar tanks are readily available, less expensive and of superior quality to the few local products still on offer. Consequently, local solar companies specialise in marketing and installing the solar products now. Even though no components with the SunDrum-trademark are being manufactured and installed anymore the SunDrum-logo has become synonymous with the Austrian endeavour to sustain and promote solar water heating in Zimbabwe.
Consolidating the achievements of the previous phases A survey done in the first six months of 2007, showed that nearly 10 percent of the households in Harare were using solar heated water. This is a great achievement of the various solar programmes under way for many years. In the ten years since the Austrian Solar Project has been on, several plumbing firms have been trained in manufacturing, installing and maintaining solar hot water systems and more than 400 hundred solar hot water systems were built and installed by local companies in this period. In order to prevent these achievements from being obliterated the project was extended by another three years. The Austrian subsidies to the institutions and private house-owners evidently reanimated the demand which in turn brought back one manufacturer into production and and kept one installer busy full-time. However, a major goal is to see more manufacturers back in business, and more orders for the installers.
Facilitate installations in the domestic sector despite the adverse economic environment Most European countries offer substantial subsidies to the residential sector and have, by doing this, helped to bring about a solar industry which has one of the highest growth rates in the building sector. Following this successful example the Austrian Solar Project introduced the subsidy idea to Zimbabwe and due to the positive experience gained in the previous project phases the residential sector continues to receive extended assistance. The many positive examples of solar systems co-funded by a foreign state institution and house owners are presented as motivation and encouragement to Zimbabweans living outside the country to invest into solar water heating systems for their families. A high percentage of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora is expected to retire to its home country.
Assist the institutional sector in maintaining and improving hygienic standards and in reducing their running costs A market “SURVEY ON THE DEMAND OF SOLAR WATER HEATERS IN THE INSTITUTIONAL SECTOR” was carried out in the first six months of 2006. The outcome of the survey can be summarised as follows:

  • About 20 percent of the institutions can pride themselves on using solar water heaters even though not all units are in working condition.

  • The solar water heating systems were either donated to the institutions or paid with institution-generated funds.

  • A large majority regards the increased use of solar water heaters as wise but cannot afford the investment.

  • Amongst the few disadvantages of solar water heating systems the high forward payment needed for the initial purchase is considered the most serious drawback.

  • Most of the institutions use electric geysers for water heating which in many cases are useless in times of lengthy power failures.

  • Maintenance of water heating systems only practised at a few places.

  • Knowledge about how solar systems work is quite wide spread in the country but grasp is rarely followed by implementation.

  • People value highest that “Solar energy is inexhaustible” and that “The sun does not send a bill”.

  • The respondents are indifferent to the claim that “SWHs use clean energy” and don’t believe that “SWHs pay back quickly”.

  • The main source of information are the print and electronic media, followed by public conversation and advice provided by traders and manufacturers of solar components.

  • It has become apparent during the interviews that some respondents have unrealistically high expectations of solar water heaters.

  • Others have a very bad opinion due to their own or third party experience with low-efficiency and cheap installations.
Advertising the solar option in general and the Austrian subsidy scheme in particular Many preconceptions scare off people from investing money into a solar hot water system. Electric geysers have become common appliances in almost every household and, even though cheap and reliable supply of electricity is a thing of the past in Southern Africa, solar is not yet the first choice when it comes to purchasing a water heating system. As has been learnt in the industrialized world, the best advertisements are approving reports of satisfied users and their recommendations to friends and neighbours. These good words combined with the opportunity to receive a subsidy make it easier to take the step towards a not-so-common water heating technology. People hear about solar water heating and the Austrian subsidy through e-mail bulletin boards, at exhibitions and through the word of mouth which has become the most effective tool for hooking new customers.
Advisory service to customers and installers Applicants for the domestic and institutional subsidy receive all advice needed to choose the most suitable solar hot water system and to select a reliable installer. When everything is discussed between the customer and the local project office and as soon as an agreement has been signed concerning the payment for the installation costs the local project co-ordinator hands the institutional and residential customers over to the installers. The installers are then invited to submit their own quotations to the customers and it is up to the customers to choose the installer they prefer. From the moment of application for the subsidy until commissioning of the installed system, the customer as well as the installer can always consult the local project office, if things are not moving according to expectations.

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