German photovoltaic (PV) mounting systems manufacturer Renusol has established a presence in South Africa’s promising solar market
The company supplies its innovative solutions for mounting photovoltaic modules on roofs to South African wholesaler Lumax Energy, which sells Renusol’s entire product portfolio.
Frans-Willem Vermaak, business development manager at wholesaler Lumax Energy, said, “The solar market in South Africa is continuously growing. On top of the estimated 100MW of roof-top and agricultural photovoltaic output that have already been installed in the country, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research predicts a significant rise in new installations in the future – 500MW per year is possible – if the government provides even greater support for solar power generation, for example by enhancing regulation, introducing tax incentives or a feed-in tariff in all provinces. The Western Cape is currently the only province with a feed-in tariff scheme.”
By 2030, South Africa’s energy requirements could double to around 90 gigawatts (GW), of which approximately 22.5 GW could be covered by solar power generated from roof and commercial installations, according to estimations made by the South African Department of Energy in its current Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity.
Vermaak said, “Homeowners and businesses have already begun to invest in solar power, however, as we have not only a lot of sun here, but also many surface areas that are suitable for the generation of solar power. Many people also want to end their dependence on power outages, which are fairly common in South Africa. Power shortages sometimes disconnect entire suburbs from the power grid for several hours.”
Testing the mounting systems market
Lumax Energy procures the remaining PV components from Trina Solar, ABB and Schneider Electric. The company tested various PV mounting systems manufacturers before selecting Renusol as its exclusive supplier.
Vermaak said, “We were impressed by the extremely high quality and exceptional innovation of Renusol’s mounting solutions. That’s why we only offer Renusol mounting systems to our customers.”
Sven Künzel, managing director at Renusol, added, “We are delighted to have won Lumax Energy as a sales partner for South Africa. Lumax Energy offers its customers an excellent service. Its team has extensive experience in the PV industry and also provides project planning support. Renusol is expanding its international sales, and South Africa is the first step. We already have plans to enter several other interesting markets around the globe.”
