Last year, South African engineering, procurement and construction company Lesedi Nuclear Services (LNS) established a 100% held subsidiary called Lesedi Renewables Africa (RA) to offer tailormade renewable solutions to clients.

Lesedi RA is technology agnostic and offers appropriate technologies, hybrid solutions incorporating a range of solar technology options, coupled with storage that meets clients’ individual requirements. These solutions are available under the embedded generation programme in South Africa.

Lesedi RA takes on development and engineering roles for projects in captive markets and for municipalities. It takes on overall risks and provides guarantees on performance and uses Green Card authorised installers.

A five step process is generally followed. Firstly, through contact, energy assessments are done by reviewing electricity tariffs and bills and measuring the consumption profile.

Secondly, through engineering, data is analysed by the Lesedi RA engineering team to determine the best design and correct combination of renewable energy technology. A proposal is generated providing the best expert solutions that provide reliable power, reduce costs, and minimise inconvenience on operational down time.

Thirdly, through a site visit, the final technical approval can be given.

“Once we agree on the solution and the commercial terms we will then we will send a final proposal, power purchase agreement, detailing the commitment to purchase electricity from us over the agreed upon period. “We will also need a land lease agreement for the piece of land where the equipment will be installed,” explains LNS business development executive Shane Pereira.

Finally, the installation of the solar system is done using an experienced Green Card authorised installation company for the installation and project management of the installation from beginning to end. “For operations and maintenance, we take on overall risk and provide guarantees on performance.”

Decentralised Power Solutions

Decentralised power solutions are a viable way of protecting a business against steep rising electricity costs and downtime.

Decentralised energy is energy that is generated off the main grid, and produced close to where it will be used. Decentralised energy generation involves using a variety of smaller power generation and storage units that can be grid connected to provide power supply.

“The current power system in South Africa is centralised where electricity is generated from large power plants that are located away from end-users, connected to a network of high-voltage transmission lines and distributed through the electric power grid,” explains Pereira.

The benefits of decentralised power solutions are: getting your own decentralised power generation capacity; decreasing the annual electricity bill by between 20% and 30%; only paying for what is used; and LNS will identify and develop a solution, invest, engineer, project manage and operate and maintain with no performance risk.

“With Lesedi being technology agnostic we can assess hybrid type systems including wind, solar, hydroelectric, bioenergy, as well as emergency power systems. “The solutions we provide to clients may range from as little as 50 kW to up to 100 MW. Lesedi RA can also supply capital required for clients meaning that we will fund the project.”

Solar Panels

Solar panels for businesses come with many benefits, Pereira says.

“The most direct benefit is that businesses can gain the opportunity to power its own business outside of the electrical grid. “That will save the business money, and if it generates extra power, it might even be able to get credit on its bill from the electric utility.”

Another benefit is that solar is an abundant power source. “The use of solar energy is the most readily accessible resource in South Africa. Most areas in South Africa average more than 2 500 hr/y of sunshine.

“Additionally, if you plan to sell your business premises down the line, having solar panels can be a major perk to buyers and can help increase your premise value. Since solar is a renewable resource, you can minimise your carbon footprint and you can gain independence from electrical grid failures. “Last year, South Africa experienced almost 860 hours of outages. Having control of your energy generation is a necessity,” notes Pereira.

Investing in renewables is not just about saving money. “Climate change is probably the single biggest threat that we have as a business and society, it will impact the company’s ability to source, process, transport and sell products, as well as affecting communities where it operates.”

Bankable offtake agreements with clients are also critically important and LNS is able to guide clients on such topics too. Lesedi RA is a leading provider of renewable energy solutions in South Africa and it looks forward to providing clients with embedded power solutions for years to come.