It's uplifting to see that the South African government is embracing the use of renewable energy to contribute towards and supplement the country's electricity supply. In a R150-billion project, the government will partner with Eskom and the Clinton Climate Change Initiative (CCI) as well as private investors to bring the world's largest solar park to Upington in the Northern Cape.
WHAT IS A SOLAR PARK?
A solar park is a whole area (in this instance thousands of hectares) made up of clusters of solar plants, which will generate multiple gigawatts (or thousands of megawatts) of electricity from the sun. There will be two methods of electricity generation - both solar photovoltaic and concentrating photovoltaic. Solar photovoltaic electricity generation directly converts the sun's rays into electricity without the need for electricity storage. Concentrating photovoltaic, on the other hand, can be stored because this method of power generation captures the UV rays as heat and the resulting steam is used to power turbines, which create electricity. Both methods will feed electricity to South Africa's national grid and supplement the existing non-renewable energy plants.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
Aside from the direct benefits of an additional source of electricity being supplied to the national grid, the nine-year building plan for the solar park will create thousands of jobs and also provide a lucrative investment opportunity for both local and international private-sector investors. The solar park will also help to develop local industry in Upington, all the while supplying a much cleaner and far more secure power supply to the national grid.
WHY IS THE PARK BEING BUILT IN THE NORTHERN CAPE?
Ira Magaziner, the technical advisor for the Clinton Climate Change Initiative says that the Northern Cape Province in South Africa was identified as the ideal location for the world's largest solar park because the levels of solar radiation are better there than anywhere else in the world. That coupled with the large segments of flat, unpopulated land owned by the government and available for use, as well as the reliable water supply from the Orange River make Upington the ideal spot for the solar park. The sun can be accessed for 12 months of the year and there are no geological risks like earthquakes, or meteorological risks like tornados and hurricanes. Magaziner also points towards the affordable labour costs in South Africa compared to those in the deserts in the United States, as a motivating factor to build here rather than there.
While the backing of an international initiative shows confidence in South Africa, it will be critical to manage the solar park in an effective and transparent way; to ensure there are no causes for claims in construction (such as time delays and fund mismanagement) as well as no reason for labour disputes. The eyes of the world will be on South Africa and we want them to like what they see.
