16-03-2012, 02:57 PM
Energy Scenario Of Zimbabwe
Energy Scenario Of Zimbabwe.pptx (Size: 1.84 MB / Downloads: 59)
Energy Consumption by Source
is the total amount of primary energy consumed from the usage of a specified fuel. Primary energy includes losses from
transportation, friction, heat loss and other inefficiencies. Specifically, consumption equals indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus
exports and international marine bunkers. The IEA calls this value Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES).
Fuel wood is the most important domestic fuel in the country.
It is the major source of energy for cooking, lighting and heating for over 80% of the population mainly in the rural and peri-urban areas.
Coal is the most abundant source of primary energy found in Zimbabwe apart from fuel wood.
Zimbabwe has 30 billion tonnes of probable bituminous coal reserves in 21 deposits of which in situ reserves are estimated at between 10 and 20 billion.
Proven reserves can last for 107 years and total reserves for over 200years at the present production rate of about 5million tonnes per annum.
Biomass Reserve for Zimbabwe
The energy supply options for Zimbabwe have a mixture of hydroelectricity coal and renewable.
After the development and refurbishment of some coal fired thermal power plants in the past years the thrust is now on developing hydroelectric power plants as well.
Rural Zimbabwe as well as the low-income urban households are highly dependent on fuelwood.
Fuelwood is legally not a commercial fuel as the collection and sale of fuelwood
requires a license form the government.
Biogas
Biogas digesters dotted around the country have been installed by three organizations that are
the Department of Energy, Silveira House and Biomass Users Network (BUN).
Two types of digesters are being promoted in the country namely the Chinese and the Carmetec ( Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation and Rural Technology in Tanzania) but the former is the most popular.
The units are located at schools, rural homes and selected industries. All these small digesters use livestock dung especially cow dung as the feed.
Briquetting and gasification
Although the country has a lot of sawmill dust from timber estates in the Eastern highlands
there are not known operational briquetting schemes.
Two attempts have so far failed to take
off the ground.
In 1992 a local NGO, BUN acquired a 26kW plant situated at Forestry
Commission (a parastatal).
The concept of this project was to address the disposal problem of
the sawdust.
The plant however did not address the problem as it could only briquette 2% of
the sawdust. The briquettes produced were solid cylindrical, which were not popular with the locals.