Namibia to install Africa’s first floating solar power panels on Lake Malawi

In Namibia, German firm Droege Energy, one of the independent power producers (IPPs) that have signed power purchase agreements with Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM), plans to install floating solar power panels on the Lake Malawi.

The information was disclosed at the signing ceremony Monday of 14 power purchase agreements (PPAs) involving ESCOM, Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA) and three other IPPs.

The plan will be the first of its kind in Africa and the project is expected to be completed within a year to generate 20 megawatts of power in the southern African nation.

Earlier this week, Namibia announced a policy framework to liberalize the energy sector for Independent Power Producers (IPP) in line with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) road map for cleaner energy in future.

According to Namibian Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, the country’s energy policy aims to encourage more investments by both local and foreign investors.

Namibia’s policy, conceived on the basis of a white paper on energy drafted few years ago, touches on issues relating to pricing, fair competition, licensing and implementation of projects, the official said.

As a reminder Namibia relies solely on the state-owned power utility, Nampower for its energy supplies despite the fact that the parastatal imports up to 60 percent power at peak periods from Zimbabwe and South Africa.