9 December 2011

South Africa’s first CPV plant inaugurated as COP17 solar flagship legacy project

Soitec of Bernin, France, which makes engineered substrates including silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers (as well as III-V epiwafers through its Picogiga International division), says that on 4 December President Dr Jacob G. Zuma officially inaugurated South Africa’s first 500kW concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) power plant, whichh uses Concentrix CPV systems made by subsidiary Soitec Solar GmbH in Freiburg, Germany.

Picture: South Africa’s President Dr Jacob G. Zuma (left) opening the CPV plant, with Soitec’s president & CEO André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé on the right.

As the solar flagship legacy project for the 17th annual Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)in Durban, South Africa from 28 November to 9 December, the inauguration ceremony was attended by nearly 200 guests including the COP17 president and Minister of International Relations & Cooperation, the Minister of Environmental Affairs, the Minister of Energy, the Minister of Economic Development as well as French, German and British governmental officials and their respective ambassadors.

The solar plant in Hazelmere (next to Durban), installed by Soitec and developed in partnership with the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and eThekwini Municipality, was constructed in just one month to showcase the country’s commitment to lowering its carbon footprint through the deployment of renewable energy during COP17. Group Five (an integrated construction services, materials and infrastructure investment group operating in Africa) was the construction partner for the project.

“This is South Africa’s first large-scale offering within the clean energy arena, but it is not the last,” said Zuma in his keynote address. “We e are ready to forge and support those partnerships that will enable us to embark on the journey to a low-carbon economy, while stimulating economic development and creating jobs,” he added.

“This project has already started contributing towards the Integrated Resource Plan 2010, which outlines 42% of renewable energy by 2030 and leaves a legacy for COP 17,” said Minister of Energy Ms Dipuo Peters in her speech. “This is an exciting development for South Africa and will be the forerunner of a range of renewable energy projects currently being developed in the country. This CPV is connected to the electricity distribution supply grid of the city to augment the power supply to the ICCC where the UNFCCC COP 17 is being hosted to reduce the carbon footprint of the event,” she added. “This clearly demonstrates the state of readiness in the municipal’s energy planning and installation of this 500kW as a first phase. It is even more encouraging to see that the Municipality is a buyer of this clean electricity.”

The 500kW solar plant consists of 32 two-axis tracking systems, delivering constant power output feeding into the area’s power-supply grid. The Fresnel lens used in the modules focuses sunlight concentrated by a factor of 500 on the solar cells beneath, yielding what is claimed to be world-leading module efficiency of close to 30%.

“We are committed to South Africa. No other company has taken a similar approach and we are ready to take the next step,” commented Soitec’s president & CEO André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé.

See related items:

Soitec selected as a preferred bidder under South Africa’s independent power producer program

Soitec powering UN climate-change conference with South Africa’s first CPV plant

Tags: Soitec CPV modules

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