With its heavy reliance on dirty coal-fired power stations, South Africa’s CO2 emissions are among the highest in the world, yet its abundance of sun gives the country world-leading potential for clean, affordable and efficient renewable energy.
A new 100MW concentrated solar power (CSP) station in Karoshoek near Upington will soon help wean South Africa off its current carbon-intensive diet.
In terms of its global commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions, South Africa is under pressure to halt its dependence on coal-fired power and reduce its national carbon footprint. Even the greenest buildings in South Africa have a sizeable carbon footprint as they usually rely largely on coal-fired power from Eskom for electricity. This fact will remain until South Africa builds up a critical mass of utility-sized renewable energy plants to provide carbon-free energy to the electricity gride
The Northern Cape has some of the best solar resources in the world and presents a stellar opportunity to lower carbon dependency. The Ilanga CSP 1 project, located in Karoshoek about 20km east of Upington, will provide solar-generated thermal electricity both day and night. The 100MW utility is the first phase of a significantly larger envisaged solar park complex. The power station’s thermal storage capacity is five hours, enabling it to yield more than 320GW per year. The project also has a social component, which aims to benefit the surrounding communities.
Pancho Ndebele, founder of Emvelo, the black-owned green resources company that developed the R11billion Ilanga CSP1 project, believes it will help to kick-start the renewable energy industry in the region.
The mega solar park complex, which is an award-winning integrated infrastructure development project located in the Dawid Kruiper municipality, has a planned total footprint of 6000ha. Karoshoek is located in the heart of this 5GW Northern Cape solar corridor that has been identified in the provincial growth and development strategy.
The Emvelo team is participating in the execution of the project as both client and contractor. The facility, which is currently in its construction phase, will be up and running by November 2018.
Solar fields forever
CSP technology uses specially designed mirrors to focus the sun’s light energy. Unlike conventional solar PV, which converts light energy directly into electrical power, CSP uses heat energy to drive a turbine with steam, which in turn generates electrical power.
Ilanga CSP 1 consists of a field with rows of parabolic troughs around six-metres high and several metres long.
The troughs rotate to track the movement of the sun and reflect its heat on to fluid-filled tubes that run through the length of the mirrors. The tubes store the heat.
