Kalkbult plant supplies electricity to Eskom

The 75-megawatt (MW) Kalkbult solar photovoltaic (PV) plant near Petrusville in the Northern Cape will generate 135-million kilowatt hours a year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 33,000 households. It has been fully commissioned in ten months, with construction commencing in late November 2012 and electricity delivery to the grid starting on 27 September 2013.

Combating climate change

The plant is among 47 solar, wind and mini-hydro projects awarded 20-year contracts to generate electricity under government's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Total investment is estimated at R74bn, which will climb above the R100bn mark following government's recent acceptance of 17 new bids.

Introduced by the Department of Energy three years ago, the REIPPPP supports South Africa's international commitments to combat climate change by reducing its near-total dependence on coal-based electricity and its high greenhouse gas emissions. The Kalkbult plant will avoid annual greenhouse gas emissions of 115,000 tons that would have been emitted by a fossil-fuelled plant, such as a coal-fired power station.

Living standards

"Access to energy is a prerequisite for increased standard of living. The only way we will be able to provide energy in a sustainable way to an increasing global population is by utilising renewable energy sources," said Dr Alf Bjorseth, chairman and founder of Scatec Solar. "South Africa is showing the way, and we are looking forward to develop more solar projects with our partners here. I am convinced that the Kalkbult plant will benefit South Africa, both regionally and nationally."

The Kalkbult plant covers 105ha of a working sheep farm and includes 312,000 solar panels mounted on 156km of substructure linked to inverters, transformers and a high voltage sub-station.

Upgrading the project

"The fact that renewable energy can work in harmony with the environment and without disrupting surrounding activities is often overlooked," said Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Norway-based Scatec Solar. "After 20 years, we can upgrade the project with the latest technology and continue operations for many years or we can dismantle it and leave the environment in its original natural state."

Two other projects being developed by Scatec Solar and South African partners will improve on the Kalkbult plant's electricity generation performance, which is based on solar panels mounted at a fixed angle to the sun. A 40MW plant near Hanover, also in the Northern Cape, and a 75MW plant near Burgersdorp in the Eastern Cape will have panels mounted on single axes, enabling them to track the sun and optimise electricity generation. Carlsen says the new plants, scheduled for commissioning during 2014, will be able to generate about 20% more electricity than fixed-panel plants.