NATHAN GUMA
KENYAN biogas digester manufacturing company Sistema.bio has partnered with local company Lanforce Energy and other partners to install more than 2 000 biodigesters in Zimbabwe over a period of four years as part of its expansion project into West and southern Africa.
This comes when Zimbabwe has been reeling from power shortages, with the country relying on hydro and coal for power generation.
Zimbabwe has also failed to meet its five-year deadline to promote rural electrification by 2023.
The country is currently experiencing punishing power blackouts, with most residential areas going for several hours without electricity.
The country also has potential to generate biogas, with a study by eMkambo, an organisation involved in agricultural research and documentation at Harare’s Mbare Musika fruit market, estimating that at least 28 000 kilogrammes of tomatoes go to waste every week.
This could easily be converted to clean energy. In a statement to The NewsHawks, Sistema. bio — the largest biodigester manufacturer — said it has partnered with local implementation partners to build bio-digesters, which it says will help address clean and modern cooking in the country.
“In Zimbabwe, Sistema.bio’s expansion has been enabled through implementation partners Lanforce Energy, aiming to install over 2 500 biodigesters in the country within four years,” reads the statement.
“This initiative is also done in collaboration with the Modern Clean Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA) and underscores Sistema.bio’s commitment to addressing energy challenges, promoting environmental sustainability and supporting access to affordable, clean and modern cooking solutions in Africa.”
Sistema.bio director Madrin Maina said the company’s expansion would help create clean and climate-smart energy solutions across the continent.
“We have the technology, experience, and business models to dramatically accelerate clean and reliable energy access across Africa.
Sistema.bio’s bio-digester technology represents a climate-smart energy solution for smallholder farmers that is rapidly scalable, can be tailored to local conditions and has the potential to empower millions of people in communities across Africa,” she said in the statement.
“Through our recent collaborations and partnerships with Africa’s leading green energy organisations, we are now positioned as the leading bio-digester company within the African continent.”
The company is also building more biodigesters in the southern African region, with its footprint now in Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.
“Sistema.bio has operations in 31 countries with its African footprint initially in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and with the expansion now in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Sistema. bio has installed more than 12 000 biodigesters, providing clean and reliable energy access to over 100 000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa,” it reads.
“Engie Access, Africa’s leading off-grid energy services company has partnered with Sistema.bio to introduce biogas digesters in Zambia and Mozambique. The partnership, which also includes the support of Modern Clean Cooking Facility for Africa (MCFA), aims to reach over 10 000 smallholder farmers in the two countries to give them access to clean cooking biogas solutions, enhancing energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region.”
Engie Energy Access is the leading mini-grid and off-grid PAYGo solar energy company in Africa that has empowered over 12 million Africans via smart integration of mini-grids.
In West Africa, Sistema.bio Africa has partnered with Farmerline in Ghana and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation in Nigeria.
The first biodigesters in Nigeria were successfully installed in July 2024, marking the beginning of a transformative journey towards sustainable agriculture and renewable energy adoption in the West Africa region.
The future is also becoming bleak for Zimbabwe’s long-term power prospects — based on coal — as the world is drifting away from the energy source due to its contribution to the climate crisis.
Researchers say coal combustion still accounts for 40% of global CO2 emissions from energy use, hence the need to stop using it – unless with carbon capture and storage technology.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, has large coal deposits which it is banking on to maximise power generation.
The country’s proven reserves are equivalent to 163.3 times its annual consumption. It consumes 3 388 555 tonnes of coal per year, ranking 53rd in the world for consumption, accounting for about 0.3% of the world’s total consumption of 1 139 471 430 tonnes.
Zimbabwe consumes 241 516 cubic feet of coal per capita every year or 662 cubic feet per capita per day.
This means it has about 163 years of coal left (at current consumption levels and excluding unproven reserves).
China, Zimbabwe’s largest energy financier, last year announced its commitment to reduce funding for coal-fired projects outside its mainland, which has worsened Zimbabwe’s situation.
President Xi Jinping’s United Nations General Assembly announcement last year has been projected to affect at least 54 gigawatts — which involve Zimbabwe’s projects of proposed China-backed coal plants.
Biogas is projected to ramp up energy supply, particularly in rural areas.
