The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
INNOVATORS are coming up with solutions key to solving some the country’s notable challenges in power generation and water reticulation.
President Mnangagwa has been emphasizing the importance of innovation hubs as an important vehicle for finding solutions to the country’s pressing problems as well as the attainment of the country’s economic blue-print National Development Strategy 1.
Various innovators at the recent National University of Science and Technology (Nust) Research and Innovation Expo 2021, said they were heeding President Mnangagwa’s call for education to produce products that can be used to solve everyday problems.
Mr Prosper Chikomo, a postgraduate student, said he was working on a five megawatt (MW) solar plant project which would cater for electricity challenges at the Nust campus. He said the start-up would meet the university campus solar needs first and and then be developed to cater for a wider populace in the surrounding communities.
“Continuous power cuts have been the order of the day and these affect students’ studies on campus. Currently I am working on a distributed power plant which will see each building using rooftop solar to generate energy from a 5MW ground-mounted solar plant that will cost about US$5 million,” he said.
He said once the start-up is working, it would allow for additional energy penetration. Mr Chikomo said the start-up will go further to cater for solar carports, street lights, bus shelters and solar phone charger/system for every student on campus.
A Form Four pupil at Founders High School, Craig Mathuthu presented a prototype of a solar star battery.
“The project I am working on is of a solar star battery that can generate electricity which can be used in a household. The battery can collect sunlight energy from any angle and can also generate power even on a day when there is no sunlight. The energy store in the battery can be used for a number of days.”
He said his prototype was a battery meant to provide an alternative renewable energy and specially designed to ensure high longevity and make the battery a reliable storage solution. He said once fully funded the battery could be designed for remarkable performance and supplied in factory charged conditions.
To address the water challenges, another innovator, a former applied chemist student at Nust, Mr Fortune Donga, said he had developed a biomass fueled water pump.
“Biomass is a plant or animal material used as a fuel to produce energy. This innovation instantly converts biomass into fuel gas mixture for an engine and need for conventional petrol/ diesel is overridden. The engine of the prototype displayed can pump over 60 000 litres in an hour,” he said.
Mr Donga said his prototype was designed in such a way that the engine powered that way could be used for a generator, farm equipment (tractor) or mining equipment.
He said the biomass energy was free, environmentally friendly and in line with the 2030 national renewable energy policy.
“I have managed to also develop a biomass powered gold processing plant prototype. It’s powered by wood and other biomass stuff, to crush gold ore and separate it, it’s an all-in-one unit, features a crusher, water pump and a separator all working in harmony. Not even a drop of diesel or petrol is required,” he said.
