Photovoltaic plants in South Africa
These initiatives have enabled the resource-rich continent to supply utility-scale energy to the 600 million individuals who lack access to dependable power.
In recent years, South Africa has constructed a number of ambitious solar farms, adding to the country’s expanding renewable energy industry.
It had an installed capacity of over 1.5 gigawatts (GW), and this number is expected to increase to over 8GW during the next decade.
In the Northern Cape area alone, there are more than 100 independent power producers, with around 20 projects linked to the grid and a combined capacity of 900MW.
SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP 15 SOLRA PROJECTS AND POWER PLANTS
Numerous various projects are currently underway in South Africa, and the number is expected to increase in the near future.
Due to the country’s year-round sunlight, solar power technologies will play an essential part in South Africa’s transition to sustainable energy production.
To obtain a taste of Africa’s solar power, let’s examine 15 illuminating projects and their unique characteristics.
DE AAR PROJECT—175MW
The Northern Cape De Aar project is the biggest solar farm in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The maximum generating capacity of this solar photovoltaic (PV) installation is 175MW.
Its project site, which encompasses 473 hectares of a 2,674-hectare farm, has more than 500,000 modules that turn sunlight into electricity.
Annually, the plant produces enough energy to power 75,000 homes. The first phase of construction was completed in August of 2014.
The first phase of the plant produced 85.26 MW of power. Less than two years later, the second phase, which generated an additional 90MW of electricity, was finished. The project was finished in 28 months and cost a total of R4.8 billion.
KAXU SOLAR ONE – 100MW
KaXu Solar One is a 100MW solar power plant situated near Pofadder in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is South Africa’s first solar thermal electric generating plant to operate commercially.
Under a 20-year power purchase agreement, the public-private partnership (PPP) project, which was completed in March 2015, delivers sustainable energy to South Africa’s power supplier, Eskom. Abengoa controls 51% of the project, while the IDC and KaXu Community Trust own 29% and 20%, respectively.
The KaXu Solar One power station has the ability to serve 80,000 South African homes with clean, renewable electricity.
JASPER SOLAR ENERGY PROJECT – 96 MW
Another solar farm in the Northern Cape is the Jasper Solar Power Project. It is a 96MW facility with 325,000 solar panels that has been online since October 2014.
SolarReserve, an American company, constructed the project at a cost of ZAR2.3 billion.
The project produces 180 GWh of energy annually, which is sufficient to power 80,000 South African households, and offsets roughly 145,000 tons of CO2.
Like many of the other solar projects listed, Jasper has a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Eskom.
MULILO SONNEDIX PRIESKA PV – 75 MW
Mulilo Sonnedix Prieska PV—75MWCopperton, a former zinc mining town, is the location of the 2016-completed Mulilo Prieska PV solar complex in the Northern Cape area.
The project, which encompasses 125 hectares and consists of 275,000 solar panels linked by 990 kilometers of cable, has a 20-year lifetime and is capable of supplying energy to 40,000 houses.
On this project, global solar producer Sonnedix and South African company Mulilo Renewable Energy partnered.
Mulilo also has a project named Mulilo Prieska PV of same size. The 75MW solar farm was developed in collaboration with companies such as Total and Sunpower, who supplied engineering, procurement, and construction services.
XINA SOLAR ONE – 100 MW
Abengoa invested $880 million in the development of Xina Solar One, a 100-megawatt (MW) concentrated solar power (CSP) project in Pofadder, South Africa.
In September 2017, commercial operations commenced at the facility. The CSP facility employs parabolic trough technology and has the potential to store thermal energy for 5.5 hours.
The plant’s parabolic trough collector is the biggest commercial CSP facility ever constructed.
The project is anticipated to generate around 400 GWh of energy, enough to power 95,000 households, while lowering annual CO2 emissions by 348,000 tons.
DREUNBERG – 75 MW
The 75-megawatt Dreunberg Solar PV Park is a solar power project. It is located in the South African province of Eastern Cape. The project is currently under process.
It was produced in a single step. After completion of construction in December 2014, the project was commissioned.
Scatec was responsible for the development of the project. Scatec and STANLIB are the current owners of the project, with respective ownership holdings of 45 percent and 10.45 percent.
Dreunberg Solar PV Park is a 225-hectare solar project comprised of solar panels installed on the ground.
The project produces 156,000MWh of electricity and offers sufficient clean energy to power 38,000 dwellings, resulting in an annual CO2 reduction of 144,000t.
The overall project cost is $253.22 million.
KALKBULT SOLAR POWER PLANT – 75 MW
The Kalkbult solar power plant is a 75MW facility located in the Northern Cape area of South Africa. The plant was constructed in eight months, from January to September 2013, and was completed three months ahead of schedule.
It is owned by Scatec Solar, a Norwegian company that, like Solar Capital, has an arrangement with Eskom to buy electricity.
The Kalkbult complex, which consists of 312,504 solar modules distributed over 112 hectares, generates 150,000MWh of electricity annually, sufficient to power 35,000 South African dwellings.
0.6MV for New Solar Energy’s floating solar farm.
South African renewable energy business New Solar Energy has constructed Africa’s first floating solar farm near Franschhoek in the Western Cape.
The plant generates 60 kilowatts of renewable energy and minimizes evaporation from an adjacent farm’s dam, allowing for the cultivation of additional land.
This study investigated some of the most serious sustainability issues in agriculture and the economy and sought solutions.
The solution reduces the farm’s dependency on the electrical grid by supplying clean, cost-effective energy while also reducing evaporation and preserving water.
Consequently, the firm will save money over time, creating a corporation that is not only environmentally sustainable, but also financially sustainable.
ILANGA-1 CSP PLANT – 100 MW
In November of 2018, SENER, Emvelo, and Cobra completed completion and testing of the 100MW Ilanga-1 CSP facility.
South Africa’s Northern Cape region is home to the facility, which is owned by Karoshoek Solar One (RF) Proprietary.
In the Ilanga-1 CSP plant, there are 266 SENERtrough loops. The plant’s molten salt storage mechanism stores thermal energy for five hours, enabling it to produce heat in the absence of solar radiation.
Over the next 20 years, it is anticipated that the solar power plant would provide clean energy to about 100,000 South African households while lowering CO2 emissions by 90,000 tons.
75 MW FOR LESEDI SOLAR PV PROJECT
The 75 MW Lesedi Solar PV facility is situated near Kimberly in the Northern Cape region of South Africa.
The project produces around 150,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy and supports almost all of the region’s roughly 65,000 population.
The project, which involves the construction of 277,632 PV solar panels, is essential to the nation’s 2030 objective of creating 8,400 MW of solar PV energy.
LETSATSI SOLAR PLANT – 75 MW
In conjunction with the Lesedi PV plant, the South African Department of Energy (DOE) launched the project as part of the renewable energy independent power producer procurement process.
Letsatsi is a 75MW solar photovoltaic power plant located near Kimberly in the Northern Cape area of South Africa.
The Letsatsi plant started construction in February 2013, and it is anticipated that commercial operations would commence in the middle of 2014.
It will produce 100 to 250 construction employment and 10 to 30 permanent operations and maintenance jobs during its 25-year lifespan.
KATHU SOLAR PARK – 100 MW
Kathu is South Africa’s biggest solar farm, with a capacity of 100 MW. The building of the plant started in May 2016, and it commenced commercial operation in January 2019, with a 30-year operating lifespan.
The park is estimated to cost $811 million (ZAR12 billion) and will cut CO2 emissions by six million tons over the next two decades.
It will produce enough electricity to power 179,000 South African households during peak demand times.
By developing a program to safeguard endangered and fragile plant species, it has enhanced its environmental credibility.
As part of the operation, 3,345 plants were saved and relocated to a safer area for growth.
TOM BURKE PV PLANT – 60 MW
In August 2016, the Tom Burke solar power plant, which has a capacity of 66 MW and is situated in the Limpopo region of South Africa, achieved early generation and commercial operation.
Tom Burke is a 202-hectare solar farm that can generate 122 GWh per year while preventing the emission of about 111,000 tons of CO2 into the environment.
After attaining COD, the facility started the operations and maintenance (O&M) phase, producing 350 to 360MWh per day on average.
This quantity of energy is adequate to power everyday around 200 000 rural homes.
PALEISHEUWEL – 82.5 MW
In the arid area north of Cape Town that borders the Namibian desert lies one of the largest solar generating installations on the African continent.
The 240-hectare Paleisheuwel Solar Park was constructed by Enel Green Power-TerniEnergia. In addition, it features 611 000 solar panels capable of generating 153 gigawatts of power each year, which is then delivered to over 48,000 local households.
When paired with the Tom Burke PV project, it will be able to provide over 40% of the nation’s energy demands. South Africa is mineral-rich but has modest hydrocarbon reserves.
Until recently, electricity was obtained almost solely from coal-fired power plants and the country’s only nuclear power plant, although output barely met local demand.
The architecture of the solar power system at Paleisheuwel Solar Park fits the standards for green energy generation.
SISHEN – 4 MW
The Sishen facility in South Africa is the biggest solar plant owned by ACCIONA in the world. With an estimated yearly output of 216 GWh, it is the facility that generates the most energy in Africa. This makes it the most productive solar plant in Africa, providing enough energy to power 100,000 South African homes.
With 319,600 photovoltaic panels and a peak capacity of 94.2 megawatts (74 MV nominal), the solar modules of Sishen would span 327 kilometers in a straight line.
THE ADVANTAGES OF MEGA SOLAR ENERGY PLANTS
In addition to creating clean, sustainable energy, solar power plants contribute to job creation and economic growth in the region.
They created millions of man-hours and the number of on-site construction jobs during construction.
Multiple permanent and operational jobs are generated, as well as a number of indirect and induced jobs.
These power plants set aside a portion of their overall project revenue to encourage local business growth and socioeconomic development.
Conclusions
In South Africa, the aforementioned 15 solar power projects are now active. While some energy firms are still in the planning phases, the most important takeaway is that they are starting to grasp the many benefits of solar electricity.
The expansion of solar farms in South Africa demonstrates that the nation is well on its way to become a leader in green energy. Solar technology has never been more cost-effective and efficient!