MEDIA practitioners have been called upon to learn about and increase reportage on renewable energy to inform the public on energy alternatives.
During a media capacity building workshop held in Harare to equip the media with latest information on energy access, market intelligence and evolving trends, it was concluded that effective reporting on energy alternatives was critical to their adoption by the masses.
According to Al Maiorino of Public Strategy Group, Inc:“The public support of ‘clean’ energy is not as absolute as stakeholders may hope for.
“One of the reasons that may cause this gap between theory and practice is the fact that common knowledge of renewable energy production is rather limited.
“The majority of the public understands the dangers of environmental pollution and, thus, supports any initiatives to prevent or at least minimise it.
“The problem is that while most people comprehend what renewable energy means in theory, they know very little about the process involved in its production.
“They fear it as the ‘unknown’ and that stigma can act as a strong motivation to oppose a renewable energy development.”
Experts from organisations that include ZERO Regional Environment Organisation and Practical Action are driving the ‘Power for All’ media campaign.
It is promoting the adoption and distribution of renewable energy which is cited as key to achieving universal energy access faster, cheaper and in a more sustainable manner.
The media are expected to provide a platform to share information and provide tools to accelerate the growth of Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) market.
Speaking during the workshop, Shephard Zvigadza said renewable energy is a topical subject and there is need to present it in a manner that will result in the majority grasping and adopting it.
“There has been the realisation of ways to get quick access to energy with stand-alone solar systems,” Zvigadza said.
“The ‘Power for All’ campaign is the answer, hence the need to move to DRE systems to speed up energy access.”
Power for All campaign manager Chiedza Mazaiwana, said there was need to shift priority to renewable energy to achieve access by all.
“Power for All promotes accelerated deployment of energy renewables and there is need to shift priority from business-as-usual approach of grid extensions to stand-alone systems and other decentralised schemes,” she said.
“In a research, from October 2015 to June 2016, reporting on grid and off-grid showed that 92 percent reporting on on-grid while eight percent was on off-grid.
“A lot of the stories were negative.”
The media is critical to educating the people on the reality and feasibility of alternative sources of energy, said one Tendayi Marowa.
He said while Zimbabweans heavily relied on electricity, there was also Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) as an alternative.
“There is need to explore other energy alternatives and follow other countries like Denmark which has set a new world record for wind energy generation with nearly 40 percent of the country’s overall electricity consumption covered by wind power,” Marowa said.
“The announcement demonstrates that the Danish Government is on track to meet its 2020 target to source 50 percent of all energy consumption from renewable sources.”
Engineer Oswell Chakwanda said renewable energy was key to sustainable development.
“Getting more power to more people isn’t just a matter of convenience,” he said. “It’s necessary for both economic development and health.
“People without electricity often burn wood or dung for cooking, which are indoor sources of air pollution that kill more people every year than malaria and tuberculosis combined.
“Energy is central to sustainable development and is an enabler to health, education, agriculture and improving the Nation’s economy at large.”
For instance, said Chakwanda, switching from a kerosene lamp to a solar light saves at least 10 percent of a household’s income.
In South Africa alone, over 200 000 people are injured or lose property each year to kerosene-related fires.
In developed nations, solar is changing economics and influencing business operations and investment.
In consumption, a number of companies with large physical footprints and high power costs are installing commercial-scale rooftop solar systems, often at less than the current price of buying power from a utility.
The workshop showcased how DRE technologies and business models have enabled 25 million people living beyond electricity grids access clean energy for the first time.
The workshop also highlighted the social impact of DRE and how the market has emerged in East-Africa and how it might emerge in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, climate experts at the Third National Report Back workshop in Bulawayo for the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report have urged Zimbabweans to adopt climate smart agriculture so that the country can meet its green house gas emission reduction target.
Climate change management department director Washington Zhakata said: “The country needs to reduce its emissions in order to meet the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) target by 2030.”