By Elvis Dumba
Kadoma- Hospitality company Rainbow Tourism Group which has been affected by the electricity challenges in the country just like many other companies has taken the green route by installing a 300 kilovolt-ampere (kVA)
solar plant worth US$500 000 at the Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre.
The climate change initiative will aid the hotel to significantly reduce its hotel’s energy bill.
Douglas Hoto ,Rainbow Tourism Group Chairperson said the roll-out of the energy sustainability project was underpinned by a desire to meet the business profitability ambition while safeguarding, preserving and protecting the economy, environment and society.
“The system comprises a 100kV battery system to provide energy during times of power cuts as well as a 200kVA grid tie system directly feeding into the national grid,” he said.
RTG is feeding energy into the national grid through the net metering system, launched in 2020, which allows people who produce private renewable energy to transfer their excess generation to the national grid in return for electricity credits they can use when they do not have sufficient renewable supply.
This was introduced to reduce Zimbabwe’s
electricity import bill due to foreign currency challenges. The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority would pay for the electricity supplied in the form of discounts on future bills.
RTG chief executive Tendai Madziwanyika said the group’s sustainability practices were based on the notion of being a responsible company that creates value through excellence and sustainable business practices.
“Our sustainability approach helps us to ‘Green our Hotels’ by enabling us to identify risks and opportunities passed by climate change, electricity, water, waste and our own staff and taking relevant action to reduce our impact on the environment,” said Madziwanyika.
The country has been experiencing massive power cuts since last year when Zimbabwe depleted its water allocation at Lake Kariba. This has also been attributed to the obsolete equipment used to generate the electricity.
Power cuts affected the productivity of most businesses which, in turn, had an adverse impact on the overall financial year performances.
Affordable and clean energy is goal 7 in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, since energy is a major contributor to climate change, accounting for 73% of human-caused greenhouse gases.