The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a grant to SolarReserve to advance their “Urban Solar Farms” initiative in South Africa; a pioneering study into large metropolitan municipalities that will provide a framework for large commercial and industrial electricity consumers with significant power requirements to cost-effectively deploy renewable energy in urban areas.

The grant supports development of initially 50 megawatts and ultimately 200 megawatts of solar farms, each ranging in size from 5 to 30 megawatts of PV installation with 10 megawatts of battery storage. The projects will be privately owned and operated and will provide power to end users either directly or through wheeling arrangements with municipal distribution companies. The projects, primarily ground-mounted in order to solve the problem of restricted roof space, will be constructed in metropolitan areas where there is a high demand for daily energy consumption.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

• Location: Gauteng Province, South Africa
• Technology: Photovoltaic (PV)
• Size: Initially 50 MW and ultimately 200 MW of solar farms in total, each ranging in size from 5 to 30 megawatts
• Electricity Production: Collectively, more than 90 000 megawatt-hours annually
• Homes Powered: 40,000 homes

KEY PROJECT BENEFITS

• Provides a framework for large commercial and industrial electricity consumers with significant power requirements to cost-effectively deploy renewable energy in urban areas
• Helps ensure a reliable, clean power supply for customers with substantial energy needs
• Incorporates the integration of solar power with energy storage to support peak energy demand requirements, as well as grid stability and help defer utility substation and network upgrades
• Represents a unique approach to involving the private sector in expanding South Africa’s generation capacity, while stimulating job growth and small business development
• Promotes community upliftment with improved health and safety in the vicinity of the Urban Solar Farms, as a result of the conversion of brownfield defunct, vacant land to land of commercial value

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

• Creates jobs and develops skills, with 800 direct, indirect and induced jobs per 50 megawatts, and over 10 permanent operational jobs per installation
• Reduces maximum demand charges and penalties, since battery power will be exported onto the distribution network during peak energy demand times
• Supports growth by offering a low cost, greener energy alternative that provides local business with cost savings for future business development
• Promotes the development of secondary industries with procurement from local manufacturers and suppliers
• Creates a wheeling tariff structure, which provides municipalities with reliable energy and future revenues, and will impact the way municipalities accommodate private power generation within their distribution borders