Zambezi River Authority Considers Building Floating Solar Plant at Kariba Dam, Zimbabwe

Zambezi River Authority, which operates Kariba Dam in Zimbabwe, is looking to employ floating solar panels to generate power after plummeting water levels deepened power outages in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Munyaradzi Munodawafa, CEO of the Zambezi River Authority, said that it would add photovoltaic capacity to the surface of the Kariba Dam  on Zambezi river, would supplement  more than 2,100 megawatts of hydropower capacity.

A similar proposal is being considered for the nearby Batoka Gorge, where another hydro project is being developed, he informed. “There are lots of areas that can provide solar,” Munodawafa said.

The floating solar panels have gained popularity in recent years, according to the International Energy Agency. The installations avoid competing for land, boost yields because of the cooling effect of water, and have the potential to reduce the evaporation of water bodies. The large-scale projects have been planned for reservoirs in India and Singapore.

A prolonged drought has cut output at Kariba and resulted in Zambia and Zimbabwe’s state power utilities being unable to meet electricity demand. Overuse of the dam compounded the problem at the start of the year, when reservoir levels fell to less than 1% of usable storage. While inflows have been picking up since January, the station is also susceptible to the effects of climate change. The CEO further informed that rainfall patterns have become a concern, evidenced by the lack of inflows to the dam from the Gwayi River in Zimbabwe.

The Zambian and Zimbabwean utilities are yet to make a decision on the use of the floating solar panels and determine how much such a project would cost, Munodawafa said.

The CEO of the Zambezi River Authority revealed that there is another proposal being mulled for a 2,400 MW Bakota Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station. This will also be located on the Zambezi River.