Authors :
Chisi Christopher J
Volume/Issue :
Volume 9 - 2024, Issue 4 - April
Google Scholar :
https://tinyurl.com/msfax9ku
Scribd :
https://tinyurl.com/jvrum4sw
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/IJISRT24APR2202
Abstract :
In 2015, the Zambian government embarked
on a proactive endeavor to enhance the accessibility of
economical maize meal through the inception of the
Solar Powered Milling Plants (SMPs) Project. The
Chinese Government and the Government of the
Republic of Zambia jointly provided co-financing,
supporting this audacious initiative with a significant
financial commitment of US$200 million. However, there
have been no documented results on the technical and
economic performance of the solar milling plants.
To this effect, this study aimed to establish the
technical and economic performance of the milling
plants installed by the Zambia Cooperative Federation.
To achieve this, the study sought to: (1) establish the
technical operational characteristics of the installed
SMPS; (2) establish the factors that influenced the sitting
of the plants; (3) determine the economic benefits of the
SMPs; and (4) benchmark the technical operating
conditions of the installed SMPs. The study employed a
mixed methods approach, where benchmarking
observations and semi-structured questionnaires were
used as data collection instruments. The sample size of
the study was 168, comprising cooperative leaders, solar
milling plant operators, and community members from
the 12 sites in Masaiti, Chikankata, Solwezi, and Kapiri
Mposhi districts where the milling plants were installed.
The field observations and questionnaires that were
used for the study showed that all twelve sites in the
Solwezi, Masaiti, Kapiri Mposhi, and Chikankata
Districts needed the same amount of power to run, which
was between 7.5 kW and 9.0 kW. However, only Site 3 in
Solwezi and Sites 4 and 5 in Masaiti Districts strictly
followed the standard operation time of 8 hours.
The study has also shown that the two main factors
that influenced the placement of the solar milling plants
were proximity to the main roads of the communities
and the availability of land near the Food Reserve
Agency(FRA) shades. With regards to economic benefits,
the generated results showed that the installed milling
plants brought about employment creation as two
operators were employed for each of the 12 sites.
However, the revenues generated by the solar milling
plants were not economically viable for loan repayment.
The study recommended that predictive and
corrective maintenance, in addition to project
management training for cooperatives and operators, be
carried out to improve the technical and economic
performance of the solar milling plants.
Keywords :
Solar Power, Economic Performance, Solar Milling Plants, Project Management, Benchmarking.
In 2015, the Zambian government embarked
on a proactive endeavor to enhance the accessibility of
economical maize meal through the inception of the
Solar Powered Milling Plants (SMPs) Project. The
Chinese Government and the Government of the
Republic of Zambia jointly provided co-financing,
supporting this audacious initiative with a significant
financial commitment of US$200 million. However, there
have been no documented results on the technical and
economic performance of the solar milling plants.
To this effect, this study aimed to establish the
technical and economic performance of the milling
plants installed by the Zambia Cooperative Federation.
To achieve this, the study sought to: (1) establish the
technical operational characteristics of the installed
SMPS; (2) establish the factors that influenced the sitting
of the plants; (3) determine the economic benefits of the
SMPs; and (4) benchmark the technical operating
conditions of the installed SMPs. The study employed a
mixed methods approach, where benchmarking
observations and semi-structured questionnaires were
used as data collection instruments. The sample size of
the study was 168, comprising cooperative leaders, solar
milling plant operators, and community members from
the 12 sites in Masaiti, Chikankata, Solwezi, and Kapiri
Mposhi districts where the milling plants were installed.
The field observations and questionnaires that were
used for the study showed that all twelve sites in the
Solwezi, Masaiti, Kapiri Mposhi, and Chikankata
Districts needed the same amount of power to run, which
was between 7.5 kW and 9.0 kW. However, only Site 3 in
Solwezi and Sites 4 and 5 in Masaiti Districts strictly
followed the standard operation time of 8 hours.
The study has also shown that the two main factors
that influenced the placement of the solar milling plants
were proximity to the main roads of the communities
and the availability of land near the Food Reserve
Agency(FRA) shades. With regards to economic benefits,
the generated results showed that the installed milling
plants brought about employment creation as two
operators were employed for each of the 12 sites.
However, the revenues generated by the solar milling
plants were not economically viable for loan repayment.
The study recommended that predictive and
corrective maintenance, in addition to project
management training for cooperatives and operators, be
carried out to improve the technical and economic
performance of the solar milling plants.
Keywords :
Solar Power, Economic Performance, Solar Milling Plants, Project Management, Benchmarking.
