Ngonye sun-tracking solar plant in Zambia a pioneer in sub-Saharan Africa
Renewable energy multinational Enel Green Power’s (EGP’s) Ngonye solar plant, in the Lusaka South Multi Facility Economic Zone, is using tracking systems that feature solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to track the movement of the sun throughout the day, capturing sunlight and converting the energy into electricity.
EGP highlights that this is the only site in sub-Saharan Africa to use tracking technology from Convert Italia, with the choice to use this made when designated land from the solar farm was not large enough to accommodate the planned infrastructure.
The tracking of the sun is achieved using a global positioning system (GPS) connected to an electronic tracker control board (ETCB). The integrated GPS device acquires both date and time.
This information, along with astronomical clock algorithms, is sufficient to identify and properly track the sun's position, EGP notes.
Each single-axis tracker automatically tracks the sun's East to West movement during the day. A single ETCB controls a maximum of ten structures with a PV energy capacity of about 97.5 kW.
The primary benefit of the tracking system is that it improves plant efficiency by increasing energy output as it lengthens the plant’s peak generation period above similar-sized fixed axis plants, Enel acclaims.
Commissioned in 2019, the Ngonye plant is a joint venture between EGP and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). The operation has the capacity to supply 34 MW of energy to Zesco, the national electricity utility, under an existing 25-year power purchase agreement.
EGP Zambia’s Kachinga-Wankunda Phiri says the plant is one of only two large-scale, grid-connected renewable energy facilities operating in the country.
“To date, there has only been one procurement round in Zambia leading to projects achieving commercial operations – The Scaling Solar Program – which was managed by the IDC in partnership with the International Finance Corporation,” he notes.
Owing to Zambia’s lack of a long-term procurement programme for renewables, EGP Zambia is focused on growing its commercial and industrial pipeline.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
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?
Receive 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)
➕
Recieve 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
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation