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Solar Lanterns: A Solution to Drought-Induced Power Outages in Zambia?


The Problem


Since mid-January 2024, Zambia has been experiencing a devastating drought that has been affecting 9.8 million people (nearly half the country’s population).


This extreme dry spell, caused by the El Nino weather pattern, has affected most of the central and southern half of the country and has resulted in 1 million hectares of maize being destroyed. This equates to almost half of the country’s maize crop and has lead to country-wide food shortages, with 6.6 million Zambians having no food security.


As well as impacting on crop yield and the food supply chain, this lack of rainfall has also impacted on Zambia's power infrastructure. Zambia's primary source of power generation is hydropower and it is projected that the drought will lead to a power deficit of 430 Megawatts.


https://www.ecowatch.com/solar/what-is-a-mega-watt

“Africa has contributed very little to climate change. Our CO2 emissions are almost negligible. And yet the consequences Africa is suffering are so severe,”

Collins Nzovu | Minister of Green Economy and Environment of Zambia



Lake Kariba


Lake Kariba, is a 280 kilometre-long man-made lake that forms part of the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was formed back in the 1950s as part of the Kariba dam project, and it's two hydroelectric centres Kariba north power station on the Zambian side and Kariba south power station on the Zimbabwean side, provide the majority of the electricity for these two nations.


We will be travelling along the northern shores of Lake Kariba in the later stages of our expedition. In April the Zambezi River Authority, which owns and manages Lake Kariba, announced that water in the lake had dropped to just 13.52% of its capacity.



Load Shedding


Zambia’s installed electricity generation capacity currently stands at 3,777 megawatts (MW), however only 900 MW are being generated from the country’s major dams.


Since May, Zambia has been running a program of load-shedding to address the 750 MW deficit, however this means that households must endure 12 hours of power cuts every day, in six-hour blocks.

The President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, has also requested that all government institutions begin shifting to solar energy to relieve pressure on the national grid.



Harnessing Solar Energy


When we first started planning the expedition 8-12 months ago, we were focused on the idea of revisiting David Livingstone's journeys and being modern day "digital missionaries" through working alongside the Virtual Doctors.



The idea of "spreading light" through solar lanterns has evolved organically as part of the expedition's identity and since we first started these discussions, the need for solar lighting and power to ensure clinics can remain operational has increased drastically.


Alongside our partner Solight Design we will be supplying the clinics we visit with solar lighting and charging capabilities as part of our expedition legacy.




As highlighted in this article, there is a huge need for alternative energy solutions within Zambia, and we are delighted to be able to play a small part and pave the way for sustainable tech for good.




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