Power Loss in Zimbabwe Costs Millions
Many factors are contributing to the South African country of Zimbabwe loosing utility power and driving them into the dark ages. Fight utility power outages with backup power.
Zimbabwe Plunges into Darkness
Zimbabwe is located in southern Africa. It is a landlocked country that has a population of roughly 16 million people. Foreign currency shortages, aged equipment breaking often and repeatedly, debt, and water levels at the Kariba power station have placed the country in an energy crisis.
Zimbabwe uses about 1800 megawatts or electricity and produces about 917 megawatts. The remaining amount must be imported from Mozambique and South Africa. Eskom exports power to Zimbabwe. They were exporting 450 megawatts and now have cut that amount to 50 megawatts of power resulting from lack of payment.
The US dollar was introduced into currency in the country to provide manufacturers with the incentives for export markets. The constant power blackouts have reduced these capabilities. Businesses report that power is only available from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am. Those which are required to operate during the day are forced to use backup generators. The fuel supply must match consumption demands, or this avenue is closed.
The power blackout is costing businesses millions, and some are shutting down until power is restored, while others are thinking of shutting the doors for good. This means many employees are either laid off or lose their jobs completely. Investors do not want to invest in companies that do not have a constant power supply. The government recently paid Eskom $10 million (US dollars) to help begin talks of power restoration. For more information on Zimbabwe power, go to
Power blackouts force Zim firms to shut down publication by the Zimbabwe Independent.
This country produces approximately 50% of its power needs. The remaining electricity must be imported. A major supplier cut its supply by approximately 90%. Industries that do not have backup generators have shut the doors. The electrical infrastructure is old and failing. For a business to survive in these conditions, they must have a backup power supply. Not every country has the financial problems resulting in the reduction of needed imported power that Zimbabwe has. This is yet another instance of a lengthy utility power outage that affects everyone in a negative fashion.
Power Loss Happens Everywhere
Wind farms, solar farms, and hydroelectric generation plants require a huge initial investment and require long construction time. Diesel engine powered generators can be acquired at a fraction of the cost and the setup time is minimal compared to other green power sources.
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Every industrial complex, business, and residence is subject to a power loss. The length of the outage depends on the damage to the electrical infrastructure. Puerto Rico's damage during hurricane season has left it without any functioning infrastructure and created the need for backup generators.
The question is not if utility power fails, but rather when it fails and how long will it be out. Hospitals, data centers, and correctional facilities are a few that are mandated to have backup power for operation. Other industries are required to have emergency power for safety-related items such as elevators and emergency egress lighting.
All generators, including emergency and backup, must be maintained. This requires completion of manufacturer required tasks and inspections. Starting the generator at intervals is a common task. However, this does not test the generator under load conditions.
Conducting a generator load test places the generator under varying amounts of load during pre-determined test time. Maintenance and testing reduce associated running failures. Generator Source is a sister company that provides, maintenance, testing, troubleshooting, and repair services to all makes of generators. We also offer lease and lease-to-own packages for temporary or long-term power needs.
Contact Us for more information.
Diesel Blog Team
| 7/25/2019 9:40:02 AM
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