The 4.5 MW InnoSun Omburu Solar Park is a photovoltaic (PV) power plant located two hours northwest of Namibia’s city of Windhoek. Construction on the solar plant commenced on August 18, 2014, and it was completed after six months. Namibia’s NamPower utility signed its first-ever Power Purchase Agreement with the project’s developer, InnoSun Energy to supply power to the region.
InnoSun Energy built the Omburu Solar Park on 16 hectares of arid land using TSMC CIGS thin-film modules and string inverters. The developer installed 33,418 thin-film solar modules for the project along with 100 Delta string inverters. It’s expected to generate up to 13,500 MW hours of clean and reliable electricity per annum.
The InnoSun Omburu Solar Park also utilizes a 1-axis tracking system that adjusts the solar module position based on the sun’s position. Therefore, it maximizes energy output over the course of the day and increases output by up to 25%, when compared to a fixed-tilt system.
Reported in 2014
First ever solar power park, InnoSun Omburu Solar Park, to be constructed in Namibia at US$10m
Namibia is set to construct the first-ever solar power park beginning early next year, in order to add 4.5MW of electricity to the national power grid. It will be called Omburu Solar Park.
The solar power project, which is under the ownership of InnoSun a French Investor will be constructed at a cost of US $10.79m and will be located 5 kilometers South of Omaruru. This will also mark the first renewable energy project to be carried out by an Independent Power Producer (IPP) in the country.
InnoSun and the Development Bank of Namibia signed a US$7.55m loan for the solar park power project.
The Omburu Solar Park will be set up on 15ha of land and will have 30, 000 solar panels. These solar panels will be able to reposition themselves in the direction of the sun at any time of the day, thanks to the self-adjusting tracker mountings.
According to the Minister of Mines and Energy in Namibia Isak Katali, the country has enough renewable energy which has to be tapped into further.
He also indicated that Namibia needs to be independent on its own energy sources and stop depending on other countries for help, and said investors played an important role in ensuring energy security.
The MD of NamPower Pulinus Shalimba noted that there is a dependency on each other for power supply among the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This resulted in power shortages due to economic and population growth, thus affecting all countries. It was therefore important that each country take care of its needs.
Namibia’s dependence was heavily on the Eskom of South Africa. The country has also launched other power projects such as the Kudu gas power plant, whose output is to be added to the Namibian and South African electricity grid.
