Local infrastructure solutions group, Akhani, and South African energy management services company Energy Cybernetics, have joined forces to identify renewable energy and energy efficiency opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Akhani Group, a B-BBEE level 1 company, provides turnkey solutions of support infrastructure for the mining, oil, gas, energy sector and related industries and is based in South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania. The Group consist of Mine Procurement Solutions and Vhaselwa Engineering & Management Consulting.

Energy Cybernetics is an energy services company with a 16 year track record in the industrial, commercial and mining sectors. Energy Cybernetics delivers services to clients in Southern Africa and Australia. The supply and availability of reliable and cost-effective energy to sites in remote locations is an important business driver for any mining operation. In many African countries, lagging infrastructure development means that many sites have to rely on diesel fuel as the primary source of energy. The cost of electricity generated from the combustion of diesel fuel is very high in comparison with other sources of energy. One alternative and viable source of energy to such sites is electricity generated by solar Photo-Voltaic technology.

Energy Cybernetics’ recent venture into the PV market by establishing its renewable energy arm SUNCybernetics, with the backing of international knowledge transfer and skills development, places the company in a position to supply turnkey PV plants of the magnitude required in applications such as mining.
Combining Akhani and Energy Cybernetics’ strengths will allow the identification and development of opportunities where solar PV can substantially reduce the overall cost of energy of a site. An initial target is to reduce the monthly energy cost of such sites by between 15 and 20%. By implementing energy efficiency projects in conjunction with the supply of solar PV generated electricity, monthly energy cost savings become possible.