Electrical contractor Brand Engineering South Africa (SA) is diversifying and expanding into the electrical engineer-ing industry by including renewable-energy projects in its portfolio, including 14 projects that are moving ahead as part of the Department of Energy’s (DoE’s) first Request for Proposal (RFP) for new generation capacity under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

Brand Engineering group MD Herman Kriel says the RFP was aligned with Government’s Integrated Resource Plan 2010, which provides for the procurement of 3 725 MW of renewable energy from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) by 2016. He adds that 3 200 MW of this capacity is to be provided by solar and wind power and it is these areas on which Brand Engineering is focusing.

The company was initially awarded five procurement and construction contracts to carry out electrical and automation installations for photovoltaic (PV) solar energy, as well as three separate grid-connection projects.

These projects, won by IPPs in the first round of the DoE’s REIPPPP, are situated in the Northern Cape and in the North West. The intense solar radiation and the availability of land and water, as well as the proximity to transmission lines and substations, make the geographic location of the Northern Cape and surrounding areas ideal for PV projects.

The projects include the 6.8 MWp plant at Rustmo1, in Rustenburg, in the North West, which began in February and has since been completed and connected to State-owned power company Eskom’s electricity grid through a new 22/88 kW substation.

Construction of the 10 MWp plant projects at Konkoonsies, in Pofadder, and in Aries in Kenhardt, both in the Northern Cape, began in April and will be completed this month. This includes new 33 kW and 22 kW switchyards, which were built for and handed over to Eskom.

The 22 MWp plant at Herbert and the 11 MWp plant at Greefspan, both in Douglas, in the Northern Cape, are expected to be completed in January next year.

Brand Engineering is the electrical contractor for the IPPs to carry out the supply, installation and commissioning of the alternating current, direct current, medium-voltage and com- munications systems for solar farm collector systems, as well as the high-voltage substations and grid connectivity, which include overhead lines, for the PV and wind projects.

“Quality control is integral to the entire procedure and Brand Engineering con- tinuously verifies installation standards and regulations. We also visited key players and completed installations in Germany and France, to gain firsthand experience in renewable solar power,” comments Kriel.

Preferred bidders for the second round of the REIPPPP were announced in May 2012 and Brand Engineering was awarded another two 10 MWp PV contracts at the Aurora and Vredendal solar plants, in the Western Cape, where construction has started.

In the second round of the REIPPP, the company was also appointed to carry out three procurement and construction wind power projects, in the Eastern Cape, further diversifying the company’s skills and services.

Kriel notes that the value of all the solar power electrical subcontracts is more than R200-million.

Wind Power
The wind farms in the Eastern Cape for which Brand Engineering, together with its black economic-empowerment company Besamandla Eastern Cape, has been appointed will comprise numerous wind turbines, which will be connected to the grid and a 132 kV power transmission network. Each turbine is about 112 m high and one blade is 45 m long.

“The turbines convert kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy, providing plentiful renewable energy. Wind power has the benefit of generating energy 24 hours a day, which helps overcome intermittency challenges and improves security of supply,” Kriel states.

Work has begun on the 62 MW Grassridge wind farm, north-east of Port Elizabeth, and the project is expected to be completed in January 2015.

Further, Brand Engineering is undertaking the detailed design and procurement of the 22 MW Chaba wind farm, in the Great Kei municipality, east of Komga, and the 25 MW Waainek wind farm, west of Grahamstown, both in the Eastern Cape, which will be completed in June 2015 and in September 2015 respectively.

Solar Rooftop Development
Brand Engineering, together with its black economic-empowerment company, Besamandla Western Cape, is also under-taking solar rooftop development to further strengthen its role in transitioning to the renewable-energy industry in South Africa.

“Solar rooftops have tremendous long- term potential and it is expected that this concept will make huge inroads into the market in the next ten to twenty years. As is the case with renewable-energy IPP projects, this leading-edge rooftop initiative can contribute dramatically to energy savings and green-energy generation in South Africa,” states Kriel.

The concept is similar to the PV solar energy projects, but the panels will be located on rooftops in highly populated industrial, commercial and business locations.

Besamandla has completed the first solar rooftop, at Black River Park, in Observatory, Cape Town.

It is expected to be the biggest rooftop development in Southern Africa. The 1 200 kW solar roof top system will cover an area of 8 000 m2 and will generate about 1.9 GWh a year.

Phase 1 of the installation of the project was completed in August, and a total of 2 875 panels have been installed, with 2 050 more to be laid in Phase 2, which is expected to be completed in 2014.

Besamandla is in the process of concluding the contracts for various other rooftop develop- ments in South Africa.

“Brand Engineering is totally committed to renewable energy in South Africa. It is proud to have diversified and expanded, and to be able to contribute significantly to the wide variety of renewable-energy initiatives, helping to ensure a bright new sustainable energy future for the country,” Kriel states.