{"id":298018,"date":"2019-02-07T15:03:28","date_gmt":"2019-02-07T13:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=298018"},"modified":"2019-02-07T15:03:28","modified_gmt":"2019-02-07T13:03:28","slug":"one-of-south-africas-biggest-renewable-energy-projects-a-r12-billion-solar-farm-is-now-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/energy\/298018\/one-of-south-africas-biggest-renewable-energy-projects-a-r12-billion-solar-farm-is-now-live\/","title":{"rendered":"One of South Africa\u2019s biggest renewable energy projects – a R12 billion solar farm – is now live"},"content":{"rendered":"

French energy and services group, ENGIE says that it has achieved commercial operation of a 100 MW solar plant in the Northern Cape – one of South Africa\u2019s largest renewable energy projects.<\/p>\n

The solar plant, which covers 4.5 square kilometres, with 384,000 mirrors, uses patented parabolic trough technology, with curved solar panels tracking the sun\u2019s movement, storing the energy in a molten salt storage system that will allow the plant to keep producing electricity 4.5 hours steadily in absence of solar radiation.<\/p>\n

The project secured R12 billion in financing when construction began in May 2016, creating around 1,200 jobs.<\/p>\n

Kathu will provide clean and reliable energy to 179,000 homes in the local community of the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, the Northern Cape and South Africa as a whole. In addition to this, it is estimated that the Kathu Solar Park will save six million tons of CO2 over 20 years.<\/p>\n

“The completion of Kathu shows our continued commitment to an economic and environmentally friendly development in South Africa. Kathu with its molten salt storage design offers a clean solution to overcome the intermittency of renewable energies,”\u00a0said Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE.<\/p>\n

“We are proud to contribute to the country’s renewable energy goals, and look forward to continuing the projects initiated with local communities making Kathu a genuine driver of regional economic development.”<\/p>\n

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Electrical engineer, and energy analyst, Chris Yelland, highlighted the scale of the project in a series of Tweets towards the end of last year.<\/p>\n

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Stunning pictures! The 100 MW Kathu concentrating solar power plant with 4,5 hour molten salt energy storage system was synchronised to the @Eskom_SA<\/a> grid on 18 Nov 2018. Construction on the CSP began in May 2016, and it is expected to be completed in early 2019. pic.twitter.com\/JqGLBgHs59<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Chris Yelland (@chrisyelland) November 27, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n