On the solar energy tip, other users are looking beyond lights and geysers. An example of that is the solar stove we came across in Harare. It’s being sold by a local trader, Solomon Marimo, who says he identified this type of solar stove in South Africa and has been trying to create a local…
Local internet provider ZOL has made its WiFi hotspots free again, with some Ts and Cs of course. However, this shows how the model for WiFi rollout can be tinkered […]
The Rural Electrification Agency is offering free quotations and education for aspiring biogas and solar users. This is part of an effort to lower the burden on the national power grid.
With the consistent shortage in ZESA electricity, I am seriously wondering why solar laptops are not a popular idea. Wouldn’t a solar powered laptop solve the battery problem for a lot of people?
This is the latest post in our series on building a solar power solution for the home. So for the past couple of weeks or so we have looked […]
This is the latest article in the series “Solar Power for Dummies.” As we said in the previous article, the components we have looked at so far are good enough […]
If you’re reading this from Zimbabwe, you’re probably as frustrated as all of us about the erratic supply of power within cities. Yours, ours, is the smaller problem. In the […]
This is part 5 in our series focused on solar power as an alternative to ZESA, and a DIY approach to setting it up. We have already looked at the […]
If you ask anyone with a Solar Power system what the most vulnerable part of their system is, you will no doubt be told it’s the batteries. Batteries are perhaps […]
Now that we have calculated our power needs and know exactly the Wattage rating of the Solar system we need it is time to build it; or if you decide […]
Now that we have gotten the introduction stuff out of the way its time for you to get acquainted with some of the basics of electricity in general and solar […]
I am well aware my esteemed colleague has already written a guide on solar power. This guide is different, penned with dummies in mind by a man who is also, when […]
Remember the $15 Huawei dumb phone that was actually $8? Well, it gets even better – now there’s a $15 ZTE dumb phone that’s actually $0. Whoever thought a day […]
Introduction Scenario: You are working from home and you promised the client the document will be sent to him before, 6 p.m. You were chasing this client for months now […]
Remember Econet’s Green Kiosk chargers? A Swaziland based company has just launched a solution along those lines, with the only difference that theirs is just the charging solution and it can be conveniently carried around easily.
Yesterday we attended the launch by Econet of a new solar charger/lantern/radio combo product called the Power Lantern SW015. The product is an improvement of the lantern that was on the market which, according to Econet Services CEO, Darlington Mandivenga, the company sold 400,000 of.
We attended the Econet Solar Green Kiosk launch today which we posted about earlier. The launch took place at the Econet HQ in Harare. The mayor of Harare, Muchadeyi Masunda, […]
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe will today launch what the company calls the Green Kiosk; basically a kiosk that sells Econet mobile phone accessories, airtime, EcoCash mobile money services, and allows Econet […]
Econet Wireless recently announced Zimbabwe as the first commercial site for its highly acclaimed solar powered ‘Home Power Station’ (HPS), this according to a report on the mobile phone company’s […]
Last month, we attended the Econet Energy launch in Harare. At the event Econet gave out some solar powered ZTE-G S316 mobile phones to everyone attending. For us it was a convenient opportunity to review the solar powered mobile phones and provide our general opinion on them.
Telecom Center (Phone & Internet Center) Think of a telecom center as a setup with phone, e-mail and internet services. This model is pretty common in urban setups. And this model could be used for remote centers and even some urban centers whose electricity supply is more often off than on. As such the telecom…
Solar Powered Wireless Access This is a viable avenue of implementing rural telephony in a bid to redress the knowledge and information gap between the urban and rural populations, amongst other things. There’s no need to explain and expand the clear relationship that exists between information technology and development of a country. Access to information…
Recently the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) made an announcement that it had committed US$24 million from the Universal Services Fund (USF) for implementing eight projects in the rural areas. No specifics as to which telecoms operators had been tasked to carry out the rural network outreach programs. Also no specific areas…
It’s quite interesting to read news that Zimbabwe’s second largest mobile operator (by number of subscribers) is now using solar energy to power its base stations. Net*One boasts the widest network coverge in Zimbabwe and keeping its large inventory of base stations powered has probably been a challenge, hence the green solution.
The Shona have a saying that goes ‘chakanaka chakanaka…’ which seeks to convey that a good thing is a good thing, regardless of who did it or their motivations. I […]
Chaos begets chaos. You need only observe the way Zimbos drive, especially Hararians. You would be forgiven for thinking the red light means ‘stop’. No, to most Zimbos it’s just […]
Last month, Qualcomm, known mostly for making chips for smartphones, announced a list of 10 African startups that have made it into its Qualcomm Make in Africa incubation program. You […]
In a country choked by high internet costs and limited options, Zimbabweans are turning to remarkable ingenuity. Facing arrest and equipment seizure for using Starlink, tech-savvy individuals have devised a […]