Nkayi genius does it again
Staff reporter
Fortune Mswati Donga who has previously made waves by inventing utility prototypes for mining and agricultural purposes has now produced a biomass gasifier specimen that converts energy from waste material into electricity.
The aim of this project, which he is billed to present to the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) this month, is to ease the strain on the national power grid through the use of cheap and locally available organic waste.
“The prototype electricity generation system as tested has capacity to generate between 10kW to 1000kW per unit. It converts energy from any organic material to heat that turns turbines which generate electricity.
The Issues tackled here are that, according to a publication from multiple media sources including the IDBZ website on the energy situation in Zimbabwe, the country has an electricity supply capacity of 1 049 Mega Watts ( MW) against peak demand of 2 200 MW. Some publications reveal that the country spends up to USD $20 million every month on electricity imports and yet load shedding is still very much in the picture. This prototype is meant to ease this load by creating an alternative source of electricity that can be used in both small scale and large scale operations,” said Donga.
Donga is in his final year of Master of Philosophy in Applied Chemistry and has been recently attached as a Technical Assistant at NUST where he is gaining experience and knowledge in the practical field of his career. He hopes to find support to expand his idea into a large scale plant that can reduce the strain on the national electricity grid through the use of alternative energy while also reducing waste and pollution.
His brother, Perfect Donga, who has been helping him said his sibling has a lot of potential to do better if he can be supported financially and with exposure.
“He (Fortune) has a lot of ideas and has shown the intelligence and a rare passion for invention,” said Perfect.
So far, this is the third published prototype by Donga in the last few years. He has gained recognition from NUST which saw him present his work to the Vice President of Zimbabwe, Constantino Chiwenga during the 2021 Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
