20 December 2022

Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has reported that adopting solar power in its operations has minimized the impact of the power cuts the country is currently experiencing.

The company uses Tesla Powerwall units, installed on its base station towers by Distributed Power Africa (DPA), a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies specializing in renewable energy.

The Tesla Powerwall is an energy storage unit with a usable storage capacity of 13.5kWh. Each unit has a 10-year warranty and is equipped with a mains-coupled battery, as well as an integrated inverter and charger for increased efficiency. Storage units allow energy from the grid or solar panels to be stored to power mobile phone towers in the event of load shedding, thereby maintaining services.

DPA began deploying its Tesla Powerwall storage units on the Econet network from 2019. They have proven useful in recent weeks in a context marked by a shortage of electrical energy in Zimbabwe, in particular due to the significant drop in production. This situation exposes Zimbabwean populations and businesses to load shedding of up to 18 hours a day.

“When we partnered with DPA, we were looking for an efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution. The Tesla Powerwall turned out to be all of that and more. Unlike diesel generators, the units cause no noise or environmental pollution and can last up to eight hours,” said Kezito Makuni, COO of Econet.