https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

US company eyes African PV market

First Solar regional director for Sub-Sahara Africa Johan Cilliers discusses the company's strategy to provide solar photovoltaic systems to African electricity utilities Recorded: 11.06.13 Camerawork: Nicholas Boyd Video Editor: Shane Williams

11th June 2013

By: Natalie Greve

Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

  

Font size: - +

Nasdaq-listed solar photovoltaic (PV) group First Solar on Tuesday said that it was engaging with several sub-Saharan African governments around the benefits of installing utility-scale PV systems to diversify their energy mix and accelerate energy security.

While it is mainly targeting South African utility Eskom, First Solar regional director for sub-Saharan Africa Johan Cilliers said it was also focusing on a number of countries in East and West Africa.

“Africa is quickly catching up to the rest of the world in terms of renewable energy,” he commented at a media briefing in Johannesburg.

The implementation of renewable-energy feed-in tariffs in some countries and the establishment of supportive regulations indicated the evolution of institutional attitudes towards diversified energy sources, Cilliers said.

The company was currently advancing a pilot pre-paid solar PV project in Kenya, which it hoped would demonstrate the feasibility of a prepaid energy user system in isolated areas without access to the national grid.

However, First Solar’s primary focus remained on developing utility-scale PV systems, or those with a production capacity of over 650 MW, which ensured economies of scale and reduced upfront development costs.

According to First Solar technical sales manager Nick Strevel, the company’s PV systems were quickly approaching cost competitiveness with fossil-fuelled peaking generators.

“We can generate energy at a levelised cost of electricity in sunnier regions of the world that is competitive with prices for energy delivered at peak times and from diesel generator sets,” he said.

“Additionally, our PV systems – which are long-life assets, extending 25 years and beyond – represent long-term economic viability as operations and maintenance costs are relatively low and hold virtually no risk attributed to commodity pricing over their life span.”

If the externalities associated with fossil fuel generation, such as health and environmental impacts, are taken into account, Strevel believed that diversifying an energy mix through long-term PV-based generation strategies also yielded considerable economic benefits beyond the system cost.

The company stated that its PV modules ultimately produced more electricity in real-world conditions and delivered a higher energy yield than traditional crystalline silicon PV technologies, owing to the low temperature coefficient of its modular technology.

“PV has routinely proven to be the most effective technology at scaling to meet growing energy demand. It can be added to the grid quickly as portions of a PV power plant are completed, and can be built modularly to expand capacity as needed,” said Strevel.

“Accompanied by lower transaction costs and shorter development timelines, this also allows investors to see quicker financial returns,” he added.

The company said that solar PV energy generation alone would not solve the increasing energy needs of sub-Saharan Africa, but that its inclusion in a diversified energy mix was vital.

“While many will say that we should only focus on solar-generated power, it will be the combination of several technologies that ensure energy security,” commented Cilliers.

First Solar constructed the world’s largest operational solar PV power station – the 290 MW Agua Caliente project, in Arizona, in the US – and has two 550 MW solar PV power plants currently under construction elsewhere in the world.

Edited by Mariaan Webb
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East

Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Booyco Electronics
Booyco Electronics

Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.382 0.442s - 175pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now