Touwsrivier CPV Solar Project
| Touwsrivier CPV Solar Project | |
|---|---|
 Location of the Touwsrivier CPV Solar Project in South Africa | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Location | Touwsrivier, Western Cape |
| Coordinates | 33°24′38″S 19°55′35″E / 33.41056°S 19.92639°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | December 2014 |
| Construction cost | R1 billion (~US$100 millions)[1] |
| Owner | Soitec |
| Operator | Soitec |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Concentrator photovoltaics |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1500 trackers |
| Nameplate capacity | 44.19 MWp |
| Annual net output | GWh |
Touwsrivier CPV Solar Project is located 6 km outside the town of Touwsrivier in the Western Cape of South Africa.
The plant
The plant was built on 190 hectares[2] and completed in December 2014. The facility consists of 1500 Soitec CX-S530-II CPV systems divided into 60 sections, each section having a central inverter.[2] Power produced by the plant is fed into the national grid owned by Eskom under a 20 year power purchase agreement.[1] It was built next to a pre-existing 60 kW CPV micro-plant on the neighbouring Aquila private game reserve.[2]
Ownership and funding
The plant is majority owned and built by Soitec which raised US$100 million (R1 billion) to construct the plant[3] on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Thirty-five percent of the plant is owned by local renewable energy firm Pele Green Energy with the community of Touws River owning five percent of the plant.[4]
Local community
Like other similar solar projects in South Africa a profit sharing and investment agreement exists with the local community whereby a share of the profits from the plant are invested in improving the town of Touws River. This includes the construction of a hydroponics farm employing 30 people and upgrades to the town's primary school. [5]
See also
- List of power stations in South Africa
- Solar power
- Environmental impact of solar power
- Sustainable energy
References
- ^ a b "Projects: Touwsrivier". cpvconsortium.org. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ a b c d "Visit of Soitec's Touwsrivier Project". Consulat Général de France au Cap. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- ^ "Concentrated solar plant to deliver 22MW". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
{{cite web}}: Text "IOL Business Report" ignored (help) - ^ Scholtz, Christoff (29 January 2018). "A solar project in Touwsrivier is powering ahead". Global African Network. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
{{cite web}}: Text "Global Africa Network" ignored (help) - ^ "Touwsriver school to use solar power after being taken off the power grid". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
{{cite web}}: Text "The Star" ignored (help)
