Going solo with solar
The relentless hammering that South Africans endured during the
recent phase of stage 4 load shedding has local businesses eyeing
solar photovoltaic (PV) installations as a potential way to safeguard
business continuity in the face of Eskom’s power supply issues.
Unfortunately, solar on its own doesn’t protect against load-shedding
without the inclusion of substantial battery storage and few business
owners are in a position to fund the capital expenditure required
just yet. But what if there were no other options and going off the
grid with solar was already an absolute necessity? An innovative new
urban complex on the outskirts of Johannesburg’s CBD will soon
have solar energy as its primary source of power – and the lessons
learned there may prove invaluable.
Victoria Yards is an urban development in Lorentzville, a suburb
that is currently undergoing community-centred rejuvenation by
developers who are recognising its potential as an inner-city ‘oasis’.
Originally a cluster of derelict industrial buildings, Victoria Yards
has been developed into a sustainable complex that houses an
eclectic mix of designers, artists and restaurants. The developers
include Group 44, the team behind the trendy (and very popular)
44 Stanley development in Milpark.
Victoria Yards has thus been forced to run a diesel generator
as its sole source of power, at huge expense, for an extended
period. In response, Group 44 has called in SolarSaver, an
innovative solar solutions group backed by the Pembani-Remgro
Infrastructure Fund.
“We were very excited to be given the opportunity to work with
Victoria Yards as it is such a unique property. In response to their
challenges, we have designed a solar-battery hybrid system that
will cover all of the site’s core electricity requirements,” says Stuart
Batchelor, technical director at SolarSaver. “The system will not
only provide Victoria Yards with a stable electricity supply, but
will also extend the development’s eco-friendly footprint, a green
effort that already includes community vegetable gardens, recycling
plants and organic composting heaps,” he adds.
Currently, solar energy works well for many businesses via a
grid-tied solution that focuses on daytime power generation, in an
effort to reduce monthly electricity costs. But Victoria Yards has
no connection to the grid, so a grid-tied solution is not feasible.
“Our comprehensive solution includes 414 solar modules and a
100kW battery inverter tied to 200kWh of battery storage. This
system will be capable of taking the site completely off the grid,
providing Victoria Yards with silent and sustainable electricity on a
24/7 basis,” explains Batchelor. b
Reliable power supply, however, has been a struggle for the
Victoria Yards development from the outset. The history of the
site, with numerous different stands, vandalised systems, and a
historic dispute with the Council over the “estimated” value of
arrears supply has made it difficult for the development to secure a
reliable grid connection from City Power. This was in addition to
load shedding and system failures in the area.
44 AFRICAN MINING JULY - AUGUST 2019
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