Solar plants a ray of hope amid SA’s power gloom

THE drive to increase solar energy is taking shape so rapidly that by 2030 more than three million South African households may be making their pot of coffee using green energy.

And in the process, the country is fast gaining bragging rights for having the most solar farms in Africa.

The solar farms form part of an ambitious project to keep the lights on by feeding the national grid with renewable energy.

From the sun-drenched Karoo and Limpopo to the windy shores of the Eastern Cape, wind, solar and mini-hydro plants are mushrooming.

In all, 47 projects have been awarded 20-year contracts under a R100-billion Department of Energy programme.

Since the 2011 launch of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, four solar parks have been built in the Northern Cape. Construction of another six is under way.

There are also farms being built in the Free State, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Once completed, 33 solar plants will power close to a million homes.

Gareth Warner, the managing director at solar installation and design company Solarcentury Africa, said in just two years South Africa had earned a spot on the world’s list of top 10 countries on this front, alongside Germany, China, the US and the UK.

‘‘With a further few GW [gigawatt; 1GW powers more than 400 000 homes] of solar parks in the pipeline, the market is set to flourish.”

He said South Africa had the ideal climate for solar plants.

‘‘Most areas in the country average more than 2 500 hours of sunshine per year, among the highest in the world.”

South Africa’s first plant went on line in September last year. Developed by Norwegian energy provider and local partners, the Scatec Kalkbult plant near Petrusville in the Northern Cape will power 33 000 homes by September this year.

“The Kalkbult Plant is exceeding expectations and targets,” said Scatec South Africa CEO Raymond Carlsen. “It is operating as planned: smoothly, noiselessly, peacefully and with no other input than the sun’s irradiation.”

Eskom has signed contracts worth R3.3-billion for the supply of solar power.

The projects have also generated 20 000 jobs for skilled and unskilled workers.

Two of these farms are outside the Klein Karoo town of De Aar in the Northern Cape.

The town’s local economic development officer, Victor Mkosana, said construction of the two plants about 10km from town and another two about 30km away had revitalised employment in the town.

‘‘Now people have to stand in line at the ATMs on pay day. The bank actually runs out of money because so many people are queuing up to get paid.”