SolarReserve announced on 11 November 2014 that the 96 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) Jasper solar power project was completed and fully operational.<\/p>\n
The Sishen Solar Energy Facility came online in December 2014, with an estimated 216GWh per year of electricity generation.<\/p>\n
In January the Department of Energy announced the construction of two new CSP plants, which will be built in the Northern Cape.<\/p>\n
The Kathu Solar Park and Redstone Solar Thermal Power project<\/strong><\/a>, both of which will have 100MW capacity, are part of the government\u2019s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).<\/p>\n These solar power plants complement other large solar installations, including the Kalkbult Solar Park, Lesedi Solar Park, and Letsatsi Solar Park.<\/p>\n MyBroadband looked at some of South Africa\u2019s existing and planned solar power plants.<\/p>\n The 75 megawatt\u00a0Kalkbult solar photovolataic power station<\/strong><\/a> started to provide the grid with electricity in November 2013.<\/p>\n The power station is located near Petrusville in the Northern Cape, and is producing 150,000MWh per annum. This is enough to power 35,000 homes.<\/p>\n Scatec Solar was awarded the Kalkbult project in December 2011, and it was completed in September 2013. It was\u00a0connected to the grid three months earlier than planned.<\/p>\n Letsatsi Solar Park \u2013 75MW<\/strong><\/p>\n The Letsatsi Solar Power Project<\/strong><\/a> near Bloemfontein was completed in May 2014 and is fully operational.<\/p>\n The project is playing its part in helping South Africa meet its renewable energy targets, in addition to stimulating long-term economic development and creating new jobs.<\/p>\n Jasper solar power project \u2013 96MW<\/strong><\/p>\n In November 2014 SolarReserve announced that the 96 megawatt photovoltaic Jasper solar power project<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was fully operational.<\/p>\n Jasper is located in South Africa\u2019s Northern Cape in a solar park that also includes the 75MW Lesedi solar power project.<\/p>\n With over 325,000 PV modules, the Jasper project is delivering 180,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually for South African residents.<\/p>\n Kathu Solar PV facility \u2013 75MW<\/strong><\/p>\n The 75MW Kathu Solar PV facility<\/strong><\/a>, based in the Northern Cape, commenced commercial operations in November 2014.<\/p>\n The project is expected to deliver 179GWh of clean energy into the grid annually, equivalent to the electricity requirements of 68,000 low-income households.<\/p>\n Sishen Solar Energy Facility \u2013 94MW<\/strong><\/p>\n The Sishen Solar Energy Facility<\/strong><\/a> came online in December 2014, with an estimated electricity generation of 216GWh per year.<\/p>\n The solar plant has 319,600 photovoltaic modules, with a peak capacity of 94.3 megawatts (MWp) \u2013 74 nominal MW.<\/p>\n Redstone CSP\u00a0plant \u2013 100MW (announced)<\/strong><\/p>\n The planned 100MW Redstone concentrated solar thermal power plant<\/strong><\/a>, which forms part of the South African REIPPPP, will be the biggest plant of its kind in South Africa.<\/p>\n The first of its kind on the continent, the Redstone Solar Thermal Power Project features SolarReserve\u2019s molten salt energy storage technology in a tower configuration with the capability to support South Africa\u2019s demand for energy when it\u2019s needed most \u2013 day and night.<\/p>\n The 100MW project with 12 hours of full-load energy storage will be able to deliver electricity to more than 200,000 South African homes during peak demand periods, even well after the sun has set.<\/p>\n The biggest benefit of the CSP plant is that it produces electricity without harmful emissions or hazardous materials, and without any fuel cost for the 30+ year life of the project.<\/p>\n The Redstone Solar Thermal Power project is scheduled to commence operations in early 2018.<\/p>\n The Kathu Solar Park<\/strong><\/a> project is a 100MW CSP project with parabolic trough technology.<\/p>\n The solar park project will be equipped with a molten salt storage system that allows 4.5 hours of thermal energy storage. It is situated in the Northern Cape Province, 600km south-west of Pretoria.<\/p>\n SA to get two new major solar plants<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Jasper solar project vs Eskom\u2019s Medupi coal power station<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nKalkbult solar power station \u2013 75MW<\/h3>\n
![\"Kalkbult-solar-park\"](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Kalkbult-solar-park.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Jasper-solar-power-project\"](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Jasper-solar-power-project.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Kathu-Solar-Power-Plant\"](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Kathu-Solar-Power-Plant.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Redstone-Solar-Thermal-Power-Project\"](\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Redstone-Solar-Thermal-Power-Project.jpg\")
<\/a>Kathu Solar Park \u2013 100MW (announced)<\/strong><\/p>\nMore on solar in SA<\/h3>\n