Cassava Technologies’ solar subsidiary, Distributed Power Africa (DPA) is set to build a 2.5MW solar installation after agreeing on a 25-year lease with Varun Beverages. The solar plant will be situated at Varun’s Pepsi Bottling factory in Harare and will reportedly produce 4.1GW of electricity annually.
“We are pleased to partner with DPA on this milestone project. Implementing this solar-powered solution will effectively reduce our energy costs, enable us to manage consistent power supply and further pass the benefit of affordable Pepsi Products to Zimbabwe consumers. We are expecting a saving of approximately 2,500 tons of carbon emissions annually,”
Vijay Bahl, Chief Executive Officer of Varun Beverages Zimbabwe
This deal, for DPA, follows an agreement with Kenya’s Devki Group to install a 4.1MW solar installation earlier this month. The Cassava Technologies firm is seriously pushing for energy independence on the continent to combat the shortfall by power utilities to meet demand.
Read – Econet’s solar firm DPA to build the biggest rooftop solar project in Kenya
ZESA should be celebrating this deal because DPA and Varun are making the 2.5MW solar plant grid-tied. That means any excess power generated will be pumped back into the national grid for everyone to use.
That being said, it won’t solve the massive power deficit Zimbabwe is enduring…
Also read
- Local fintech Uhuru to test with a bank under RBZ Fintech Sandbox – Uhuru Innovative Solutions will test with a local bank under the umbrella of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s (RBZ) Fintech Sandbox. The local fintech firm becomes the latest to join the sandbox which seeks to bring startups in payments, credit, investment and more, closer to the regulator and traditional financial institutions.
- Azanza: interns bootstrapping a health startup & the US$50K funding – we reported on Azanza Health, a local health startup that was selected by the Bill and Melinda Gates-backed Investing in Innovation (i3) Africa program. We got in touch with the team at Azanza and were able to have a conversation with the CEO, Dr Tinotenda Micheal Simemeza who shared more about the health startup.
- Akayi makes its first investment in the Zim startup ecosystem – Startup ecosystem enabler Ayaki has announced its first equity investment in Zimbabwe. If you have never heard of the organisation, Akayi has been bringing together startup founders and aspiring entrepreneurs to share knowledge and experiences to help further the local business scene.
