South Africa plans to construct two solar power projects totaling 132 MWp. This is after Canadian Solar Inc. one of the world’s largest solar power companies signed a joint venture with ET Energy, a global clean energy developer and operator.
The two firms are set to provide Engineering, Procurement and Construction (“EPC”) services for the mega solar power projects for BioTherm Energy, an independent African power producer.
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The projects namely Aggeneys (46 MWp) and Konkoonsies II (86 MWp), are located in northwest South Africa and cover an immense area of 387 hectares. They are Round IV projects of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
The two solar power plants
The two solar power plants are expected to be grid-connected by the end of 2019 and early 2020, respectively. Over 400,000 Canadian Solar’s 1500V high voltage modules, CS6U-P, will be installed on single-axis solar tracking systems, with a total of 34 central inverters for the two solar projects. Construction of the projects is expected to start in September 2018.
“In partnership with Canadian Solar, BioTherm Energy, and other market leaders in South Africa, we have met all the requirements of the REIPPPP. With our South African subsidiary founded in 2016, and years of experience in project operation and EPC management, ET Energy will offer professional EPC and O&M services to utility scale PV plants in Sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa,” said Dennis She, President and CEO of ET Energy.
First large-scale applications
Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar, commented and said that these projects are the first large-scale applications of their products in Africa’s high voltage market.
Canadian Solar is one of the world’s largest and foremost solar power companies. As a leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic modules and provider of solar energy solutions, Canadian Solar has a geographically diversified pipeline of utility-scale power projects in various stages of development.
