Energy America inks 540MW Module supply contract in South Africa

Energy America, USA based Solar Module manufacturer has sealed a 540MW Module supply contract in South Africa.

Under the contract, the firm will supply two utility-scale solar power projects of 220 MWp, 320 MWp each in size in South Africa’s Northwest Province. These two solar power projects cover an area of approximately 630ha. Once in operation, they are estimated to generate approximately 880 GWh of clean, renewable electricity every year, equivalent to powering 70,000 households and reducing 995 tons CO2 emissions each year. They will be operated by African Utilities.

READ:US $49.9M approved for Dekemhare Solar Power Plant project in Eritrea

Energy crisis in South Africa

Energy America will deliver a total of 1,038,461 units ZLK-520 MONO-Perc modules. The ZLK-520 are bifacial modules based on 210mm wafers and have a power output of up to 520W and an efficiency of up to 22.3%. The ZLK modules are a perfect fit for utility-scale projects, with great savings on the mounting structure and cable at system level and reduce BoS (Balance of System) and LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) costs compared to modules with smaller wafer size. The ZLK-520 modules are also compatible with most inverters and trackers.

The energy crisis in South Africa has prompted continued calls for government action, and officials in January said an energy action plan announced last year is starting to be implemented. The plan was laid out by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa a year ago, and designed with a long-term goal of securing a reliable supply of electricity for the country. The country’s central bank recently said the energy situation is costing South Africa US $51M each day there is power rationing, with 250 days of blackouts expected this year—representing a nearly US $13bn hit to the economy.