GEORGE NEWS - The biggest private solar plant to be installed in George to date will be wheeling 9MW at peak into George Municipality's grid when completed. Installation of the R100m Gwayang Private Solar Wheeling Plant is to start soon following the sod-turning on Monday afternoon.
Solar Energy Africa (SEA), the company that has concluded the wheeling contract with the municipality, will be putting up 13 496 solar panels, each delivering 615W.
The plant is located on a farm belonging to Hark Properties (Pty) Ltd near George Airport, next to the R102 (portion 139 of Gwayang No 208).
The project will provide electricity to the city's largest electricity consumers.
Western Cape Infrastructure Minister Tertuis Simmers and George Mayor Jackie von Brandis turned the soil for the project.
Von Brandis said this is a groundbreaking project for George as it is the first private independent power producer to conclude a contract with the municipality, and for a 9MW plant at that. The municipality has done some of its own solar installations, but not at this scale.
According to SEA managing director Jessica van de Merwe, the plant will deliver 10% of the municipality's power bought from Eskom. It will provide businesses and industries with a more affordable and reliable alternative that is also green and doesn't come with the hassle of setting up their own on-site solar installations. A number of heavy-power clients have already signed up to obtain their supply through SEA.
Provincial support
Simmers said in light of the electricity supply problems in the country, the Western Cape Government (WCG) supports efforts to be less dependent on Eskom.
He referred to the Riversdale project where the construction of a 10MW plant was launched in January to make the town and its surrounding areas more energy resilient.
He stressed the importance of partnerships with the private sector for infrastructure expansion, especially considering the massive influx of people into the Western Cape. By 2032, the population of the province is expected to cross the 10 million mark - and many of these are coming to George.
The layout of the solar plant.
Solar Energy Africa
SEA is a South African company with offices in Stellenbosch, Irene and George. Van de Merwe said they selected George for the installation because the municipality has an existing wheeling agreement, which makes implementation feasible.
"George holds special significance for SEA, given its strong local support. Impact studies indicate a viable and beneficial outcome."
The plant construction will be executed in three phases, according to SEA principal engineer Shaune Bouwer.
"Given the complexity of the project, which includes civil works, underground cabling, and ground-mount structures, the estimated construction timeline for the first phase is about four to six months."
The equipment includes 4,48MW transformers and 25 inverters and the solar panels will cover an area of 7ha. Phase 2 will be solar PV expansion to potentially 15MW, and phase 3 will entail potential battery energy storage.
Bouwer said equipment is sourced from tried and tested manufacturers and it will be a reliable, low-maintenance system. Sungrow will supply the inverters and JA Solar the PV panels.
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