- Solar PV plant to deliver 1.8MW of power.
- Power system to deliver electricity to the grid.
A South African Municipality, Ekurhuleni, has given the green light for the grid connection of a mega solar PV plant and battery energy storage system in the country. The solar PV and lithium-based battery energy storage system will be one of the largest microgrids in South Africa upon completion.
The solar PV plant is sized to deliver 1.8MW, and the battery storage capacity of 2.9MWh will be directed for consumption among consumer and industrial customers. It will also help stabilise the local electricity grid since it is connected to the grid. The system, designed and built by SOLA Group for PepsiCo sub-Saharan Africa, will help meet PepsiCo’s energy needs while also reducing carbon emissions at PepsiCo’s distribution centre in Johannesburg.
Umesh Himraj, PepsiCo SSA Engineering Sustainability Lead, stated that “This approach and investment into renewable energy form part of our PepsiCo positive journey – an end-to-end strategic transformation with sustainability at the centre of how the company will create growth and value.”
SOLA Group’s CEO, Dom Wills, also stated that the company has engineered and constructed the off-grid system to meet almost all of PepsiCo’s energy requirements from renewable energy sources. “The solution we devised uses the roof space at PepsiCo’s facility to house solar modules that generate enough solar electricity to run the plant entirely and store excess power in the battery,” he explained.