Scatec Solar Release solar power solution on show at South Africa pilot plant

According to Mining News Pro - The installation, located in the Stellenbosch University Renewable Energy Center, hosts three of Cambridge Energy Partners’ Nomad redeployable solar generators, and boasts around 45 kW (peak) of DC power feeding into a nearby farm operation, Scatec Solar said.

The plant is a pilot for Release, a power solution that offers industrials reliable, clean and cost-efficient containerised solar power through flexible leasing agreements, according to Scatec. It offers companies such as miners flexible leasing agreements of pre-assembled solar and battery equipment, from 1-20 MW capacity.

The plant is fully operational with communication and control systems integrated with the Scatec Solar global Control and Monitoring Center in Cape Town, the company said. The installation will serve as a testing and training site, and as a demonstration site for partners, it added.

Release is owned and managed by Scatec Solar, a leading Norwegian solar power producer that develops, builds, owns and operates solar power plants and has a total of 1.9 GW in operation and under construction on four continents.

Cambridge Energy Partners’ Nomad trackers are prefabricated and movable solar generators that use single-axis solar tracking to maximise solar yield. The trackers can be installed in modular 15 kW units, reducing installation costs for large scale projects in challenging locations.

In mining, CEP’s Nomad solar trackers have already found their way into Newmont’s Akyem gold mine in Ghana, where four are helping power a 120 kW solar plant at the operation.