Scatec, a Norwegian-based renewable energy company has said that it plans to generate an additional 150 megawatts of electricity which will be fed into the South African power grid through its hybrid solar and battery plants in the Northern Cape.
According to Sinetech, a local solar systems importer, hybrid solar systems run on solar, or power derived from current supply systems, with battery backup for power outages or periods of little or no sun. All excess power generated by the solar panels can be returned to the grid.
The company aims to install one million individual solar photovoltaic (PV) panels across 1100 hectares of the Northern Cape flatlands.
Scatec Sub-Saharan Africa General Manager, Jan Fourie, said that the R15.3 billion project is set to be one of the most ambitious of its kind in the world.
The company will make use of the latest in lithium-ion battery technology which will allow for a previously unprecedented level of output control and dispatchability.
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“Innovations in battery storage technology have allowed renewable energy plants to output completely stable, consistent, dispatchable power. The advent of these large-scale long-duration storage solutions, propelled by innovations in lithium-ion and other technologies, is finally dispelling the misconception that renewables’ output is intermittent, or that solar power is only available when the sun shines,” Fourie told the media.
“These considerations are crucial as South Africa’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPP) guidelines stipulate that the new energy must be available at total capacity from 05h30 to 21h00 every day, and dispatchable at the request of grid operators whenever a market demand may arise”, he said.
Fourie explained that the hybrid solution allows Scatec to provide power day or night when South Africa’s grid comes under strain and faces potential load shedding.
“PV capacity is over-installed, and the vast excess of energy produced during the sunlight hours is stored in the battery packs, and released as needed, especially during the mornings and evenings when demand peaks, and grid operators request power. The storage units also safeguard against prolonged periods of overcast weather and seasonal swings,” concluded Fourie.
The 2019 South African Energy Report compiled by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said that the South African energy supply is dominated by coal which constituted 69% of the primary energy supply in 2016, followed by crude oil with 14% and renewables with 11%.
Nuclear contributed 3% while natural gas contributed 3% to the total primary supply during the same period.