UN refugee agency to power most of its offices with PV
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has revealed plans to install solar systems in 18 offices by 2025, aiming to cut emissions and reduce reliance on diesel.
Juwi to build 340 MW of solar in South Africa this year
South Africa’s Juwi Renewable Energies has announced plans to build three large-scale solar plants with a combined capacity of 340 MW that will serve major players in South Africa’s mining, data centre and energy sectors.
South Africa adds 1.1 GW of solar in 2024
The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association predicts that deployment will accelerate as a strong pipeline of private and public utility-scale projects offsets the decline in installations from 2023 levels.
South Africa picks bidders for 1.76 GW of solar, battery projects
The South African government has named preferred bidders for 16 renewable energy projects, totaling ZAR 44.2 billion ($2.4 billion) in investments, to drive solar and battery development.
Transformer explosion at South African coal power leaves nine injured
An explosion at an Eskom coal-fired power plant injured nine employees last week. The utility believes a rupture of a high-pressure steam steel pipe caused the incident and has said the event will not affect the suspension of load shedding.
South African battery storage procurement draws 33 bids
The list of preferred bidders for the third window of South Africa’s Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producers Procurement Program (BESIPPPP) will be announced in February 2025.
South Africa deploys 961 MW of solar in January-October period
The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has shared forecasts with pv magazine projecting strong growth for the nation’s solar sector, despite a decline in deployment compared to last year. Utility-scale public sector plants are scheduled to come online next year for the first time since 2019.
South African rail operator launches solar tender
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has opened an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) tender for solar installations at its sites across the country. The deadline for expressions of interest is Jan. 21, 2025.
Eskom tenders 72 MW of solar at coal power plant
Eskom is seeking a contractor to provide turnkey design, engineering, operation and maintenance services for a solar project at the Komati Power Station, South Africa.
New algorithm may help mitigate unequal power curtailment
Developed by researchers in South Africa, the proposed technique is based on the water cycle algorithm (WCA), a population-based metaheuristic optimization algorithm that is inspired by the water cycle process in nature and how streams and rivers flow into the sea.
