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In Zimbabwe’s major towns and cities, small shops selling solar panels, solar batteries, power inverters, and other solar energy products are mushrooming in almost every available space. Outside these small, dingy establishments, owners and their ragtag protégés aggressively tout their products and accost potential customers—who might not realize they’re being scammed.
The demand for solar products is growing amid widespread power outages due to climate change-fueled droughts. Fake solar panels can be as cheap as the real thing, and this is a problem. Con artists and unscrupulous businesses profit from the market to the detriment of their victims.
Zimbabwe has been plagued by severe droughts for more than a decade. This has hampered power generation at the country’s major power stations. Kariba Dam hydroelectric power station. The water levels at Kariba Dam dropped to 30 percent during the worst of the 2018-2020 drought. Up to 70% of the country’s electricity requirements came from hydropower. Now, Zimbabwe is paying the price for relying heavily on one source of electricity: Severe droughts have demolished the country’s energy supply thereby plunging towns and cities into unrelenting darkness.
Rolling power outages have become the norm. Some residential areas are even without electricity. Up to 18 hoursA day. These outages have forced many people to seek alternative sources of energy, with many opting for rooftop solar panels—which makes sense. Zimbabwe’s long Hours of sunshineMake solar energy a feasible and practical option. Today, more than 40% of all households have rooftop solar panels and solar water heating.
But it comes with a price. The market for substandard and even better solar energy has flourished due to the boom in demand. Fake solar products. These products are often cheap and originate mainly from China. And many unsuspecting Zimbabweans have fallen prey to bad actors who are taking advantage of their customers’ ignorance, since many in Zimbabwe cannot distinguish between genuine and fake panels.
A shop in Mutare, Zimbabwe, sells solar panels.
Andrew Mambondiyani
“A solar panel is a solar panel, right? Are they different?” Tinos Chiroto, a resident of Mutare, Zimbabwe, told The Daily Beast with a chuckle. Chiroto was looking for solar panels at bargain prices in downtown Mutare when he was unaware of the counterfeit products on the market. After being made aware of the scam, he said he would “now be careful and only consider reputable shops.” Even that comes with its own set of challenges for customers.
“Those so-called reputable shops are very expensive and I might not afford the two solar panels I’m looking for,” Chiroto added.
Chiroto claimed that he bought a small solar panel from one of the downtown stores a year ago, but that it was not performing as expected. At first, he thought that the solar panel’s poor performance was because of its small size, but now he suspects it has “more to do with the quality of the product.”
Despite the risks that customers like Chiroto take when they shop for solar panels, Tawanda ChitiyoDirector of the clean energy startup from Zimbabwe, Tawanda Energy LtdAccording to The Daily Beast, there were currently no effective measures in use to regulate the sale of solar products. The Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) is the regulatory body that facilitates the development and use of national standards to protect consumer welfare. The SAZ has a Certification of products, which “makes it possible for goods produced under an approved system of supervision and control to be licensed as complying with the appropriate standard and to bear the association certification mark.” However, in practice, it is severely lacking.
“The SAZ currently monitors quality control through the VoluntaryCertification scheme, but very few, if any, of the suppliers [of solar products] are willing to go through the process of quality checking of their products,” Chitiyo explained.
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On top of this, identifying counterfeit solar products isn’t easy, Chitiyo said some of the fake solar products look exactly like the real ones and some are imitations of known brands on the market. “The problem is serious, judging by the number of complaints we get from customers who are not satisfied,” he said. “Hence the need for importers and suppliers to conform to a stipulated minimum quality standard.”
Chitiyo believes that the government should immediately set up a mechanism to address these problems. solar testing laboratoryThe laboratory was initially announced in 2016, in order to combat fake products entering the Zimbabwean marketplace. The laboratory would test and verify various solar equipment, including inverters, solar panels, controllers, and batteries, for domestic and industrial use. It has not yet been launched.
Another ineffective effort to protect consumers was made by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Energy and Power Development, in consultation with Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA). The Electricity (Solar Photovoltaic Systems) Regulations were proposed2020. It would also prohibit individuals and businesses from importing, manufacturing, selling, or installing solar photovoltaic systems or components without a valid ZERA license. A manufacturer or importer, of components or consumer devices, will have to ensure that their products comply with the relevant Zimbabwe standard.
This law, like the one for solar testing laboratories, has not yet been enacted. When The Daily Beast reached out for a comment on why it hasn’t been created, ZERA did not respond to the request.
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ZERA also displays a website. Liste of recommendedThere are many solar companies in the country. Despite the recommendations, ZERA’s website states: “ZERA cannot accept any liability whatsoever to any person or company for any financial loss or any damages arising from the use of this information.” This leaves consumers still at the mercy of unscrupulous dealers of fake solar products. Exacerbating the issue is the fact that many people aren’t even aware of the existence of ZERA, let alone the authority’s list of recommended solar companies.
Chitiyo said that customers should always shop at retailers that offer a valid guarantee on their products. A valid solar provider should offer a warranty of between 25-30 years to customers.
“They [consumers] should stick to some international retailers who do not fake guarantees or misrepresent their products,” Chitiyo said. “A customer should not look for a bargain too much.”
Zimbabwean economist and former legislator Eddie CrossAccording to, consumers should only buy solar products from reputable companies.[A consumer should] demand a guarantee and ensure that installation is done by a decent contractor with a reputation,” he said.
In Zimbabwe, there is no national quality control of imported solar products. This means that many people fall prey too unscrupulous businesses selling fake goods. Fake solar products will continue to hamper efforts by residents to transition from the unreliable national grid into cleaner, renewable solar energy unless the government takes swift action with the proper legislation.
The Daily Beast has more information.
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