South AfricaThe largest wheel project to date has been put into use in Lichtenburg, Northwest province. Under the terms of the agreement, SOLA Group will supply more than 200 MW of renewable energy to Tronox Mineral Sands through the Eskom transmission network.
Wheeling transmits electrical energy through a utility’s transmission or distribution system between different service areas. The power will come from two solar power plants recently completed by SOLA near Lichtenburg, which will generate 126 MW and 130 MW respectively.
The two installations contain more than 390,000 bifacial solar panels on single-axis trackers, covering a total area of 430 hectares and generating 593,721 MWh of energy per year – enough to serve approximately 80,000 households.
They are two of the first major solar projects to be built outside the Northern Cape province, long considered the best location in South Africa for solar projects.
“The SOLA project is not only a breakthrough for the private energy market, but has also played a crucial role in improving the livelihoods of the local community,” said Mpho Motho, Managing Director of Tronox South Africa and KSA. “During the construction of the solar power stations, more than 700 members of the local community were employed.”
Ian Burger, technical director at SOLA, added that the company has delivered the only operational sustainable utility-scale wheel plants in South Africa to date, totaling 268 MW, with a further 325 MW under construction.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Popular content
