ZERA Probes Private Solar Boom as Grid Defection Rises

The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) will conduct a survey to quantify the surge in private solar generation, NewsDay reported, as households and businesses increasingly bypass the unreliable national grid. The move acknowledges the rapid adoption of solar photovoltaic systems driven by chronic power outages and falling technology costs amid persistent load-shedding. While officials welcome private investment, the shift threatens the revenue base of the state-owned power utility ZESA, already struggling with debt and aging infrastructure. The growing defection of paying customers could undermine ZESA's ability to maintain and upgrade the grid, creating a vicious cycle of declining service and further solar adoption. Without a tariff overhaul and a new business model, accelerating solar adoption could trigger a utility death spiral, leaving the poorest customers to shoulder the grid's fixed costs and deepening energy inequality.