Huawei Digital Power assists Industrial Park in Mpumalanga – Hypertext

While loadshedding in South Africa is under some control, the reasons that many homeowners and businesses invested in solar systems remained – independence.

Here, in Mpumalanga, the Highveld Industrial Park in eMalahleni is continuing with its renewable energy expansion efforts, having recently completed the Shumbasolve Phase 2 solar project with the help of Huawei Digital Power.

Late last month, MPower Energy, the energy platform of property investment company Moolman Group and Fledge Capital, officially launched the project on 28th October. 

The Phase 2 installation runs is leveraging Huawei’s SUN2000-330KTL inverters and the company’s LUNA2000-4.5MWH-2H1 liquid-cooled Smart String battery energy storage system (BESS). The pair assists in yielding a storage capacity of 4.475 MWh.

Combined with the solar generation capacity added in this phase, the expansion now brings Shumbasolve’s total installed solar capacity to approximately 9.95 MWp.

Moving forward, the new plant is expected to produce around 9.98 GWh of clean electricity annually, as well as avoiding approximately 6 000 tonnes of CO^₂ emissions each year. Added to this, the battery stores surplus solar energy generated at midday and discharges it when demand is highest, which is said to reduce the park’s reliance on grid electricity at those times. 

“To make our economy grow, we need to have cheaper electricity and I think the only way that we are going to achieve that is by building these large-scale renewable energy plants in South Africa,” enthused JZ Moolman, director of Private Equity at Moolman Group, and CEO of MPower, during the Phase 2 official launch.

Moolman went on to note that MPower, together with partner SolarAfrica, have also secured a 300-hectare site at the park, where it plans to build a further 184MW solar PV plant, alongside 210MWh of battery storage.

As such, in future, the park will serve as a critical element to renewable energy in the region.

“Industrial sites need power they can plan around. Our Smart String storage captures the solar energy the park doesn’t use and makes it available when the park needs it most. That gives Highveld more certainty over its energy costs and its supply,” noted Darius Mare, head of Key Accounts at Huawei Digital Power South Africa.

“We’re proud to work with MPower and its partners on Phase 2. With spare-part warehouses and service teams here in South Africa, we can support the plant for the long term,” he added.

With power independence still an important consideration for many businesses across the country, we expect to see more of these kinds of projects get off the ground. Precisely how many we will see over the coming years, remains to be seen, but it is looking to be an attractive investment for businesses that require sustainable solutions too.

“Solar and battery storage is becoming increasingly important as South African businesses look for ways to manage rising electricity costs. Huawei Digital Power works with project developers and businesses, supporting their use of renewable energy through its solar and battery storage solutions,” Huawei Digital Power concluded.

[Image – Provided]