GABORONE - Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources says he is aware that solar panels in most government establishment across the country including Shoshong constituency are dysfunctional.

Mr Ponatshego Kedikilwe said in most cases, the panels are dysfunctional due to poor workmanship during installations and lack of proper maintenance there after.

However, Minister Kedikilwe stated that a detailed assessment of the condition of solar panels across Botswana is already underway and currently, the assessment of condition and status of solar panels installed in and around Gaborone has started.

He said so far, the assessment has covered the Botswana Defence Force barracks (Mogoditshane and Glen Valley), University of Botswana and will be extended to other parts of the country. The project shall be completed by 2012. Recommendations to address the dysfunctional systems will be communicated to institutions as and when the assessment is completed, stated Mr Kedikilwe.

He said it is anticipated that at the end of the assessment, mitigation measures such as capacity building through training and rehabilitation of the systems will be undertaken.

Furthermore, Mr Kedikilwe said his ministry is implementing a Renewable Energy- Based Rural Project (RE Botswana), which consists of implementing three delivery models with different technology packages of solar home systems, rechargeable lanterns and battery charging stations, formulation of policy support and institutional framework to create a conducive environment for integration and provision of off-grid electricity services within the existing rural grid electrification programme.

Other components include awareness-raising and changing of perceptions among the general public, decision makers and rural consumers on the potential role of solar technology in meeting basic energy needs as well as strengthening private and public sectors through training financial engineering, development of appropriate financing mechanisms for the solar systems, stated Mr Kedikilwe.

The RE Botswana project, according to Mr Kedikilwe, is targeting to install 1 373 systems by end of October 2010 and a pilot project has been launched in Lentsweletau, Kgope, Medie and Dikgatlhong, stated Mr Kedikilwe.

He said so far, 23 solar home systems have been installed in four villages for the pilot project, which started in September this year and is due for completion February next year.

The RE Botswana project will be run by Botswana Power Corporation (BPC Lesedi), a joint venture between BPC and a private company on a 50/50 basis.

Another initiative that the ministry is undertaking is investigating the possibilities of introducing a Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariff (REFIT) as an incentive to promote increased use of solar energy or technologies to produce electricity to feed into the BPC grid, stated Mr Kedikilwe.

Mr Kedikilwe was answering a question from Shoshong MP, Mr Phillip Makgalemele, who had asked the minister whether he was aware that solar panels in most government establishments across the country including most parts of Shoshong constituency were dysfunctional.

He also wanted to know whether the minister would not consider undertaking a detailed assessment of the situation before society loses confidence in solar energy. BOPA