JA Solar is involved in numerous PV projects across Africa. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

JA Solar, a global manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic (PV) products, partnered with Crossboundary Energy and New Southern Energy for a significant PV project in Kenya

The project was developed and financed by Crossboundary Energy, which specialises in providing customised, fully financed renewable energy solutions, while New Southern Energy, an EPC company known for its expertise in delivering sustainable energy projects, handled the implementation of the project. The end user is Maisha Packaging Company Limited, a prominent packaging company based in Kenya.

JA Solar supplied high-efficiency PB modules to the project, ensuring optimal energy and reliability. Distributed by Nabico Enterprises, the modules are designed to perform exceptionally well in various environmental conditions, making them an ideal solution for the Kenyan climate.

Hadyr Adebayo Koumakpai, general manager Africa of JA Solar, explained, "We were excited to support Maisha Packaging Company Limited, Crossboundary Energy, and New Southern Energy in their efforts to promote renewable energy in Kenya. This project aligned with our mission to provide clean and sustainable energy solutions globally. We were proud to contribute to Kenya's growing renewable energy landscape."

This initiative was part of JA Solar's efforts in Africa, where the company has been involved in numerous PV projects and continues to strengthen its presence in the region, providing cutting-edge PV technology to meet the energy needs of diverse industries.

Infinity Power is a joint venture between Infinity and Masdar. (Image source: Infinity Power)

Masdar and Infinity Power have signed a power purchase agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) to deliver a long-term supply of renewable energy

The energy will be supplied by an onshore wind farm that will be located in Ras Ghareb, Egypt. When constructed, it is expected to have a capacity of 200MW and produce 810,000MWh per year.

“We are excited to announce the construction of the Ras Ghareb wind farm, a project that symbolises Infinity Power's steadfast commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions,” remarked Mohamed Ismail Mansour, chairman of Infinity Power. “This initiative not only expands our footprint in Egypt but also signifies another big stride in bolstering our local impact in the renewables sector, creating valuable jobs. We remain committed to elevating our contributions to a cleaner, greener future.”

A signing ceremony was held at the Egyptian Cabinet in Al-Alamein city and was witnessed by senior stakeholders around the project as well as Government officials including Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

“Through Infinity Power, a Masdar Infinity company, we will deliver 200MW of clean energy to the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), producing over 800,000MWh and offsetting more than 403,000 tonnes of emissions annually,” commented Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar. “This marks another milestone in our journey to unlocking Africa’s clean energy potential, and further advancing the clean energy transition.”

Limitless ambition

The latest announcement is yet another addition to Infinity Power’s growing, impressive portfolio. The organisation is targeting 10GW of operational renewable energy in Africa by 2030 in a view to providing electricity to 12 million homes. In pursuit of this, the company has marked a number of milestones this year including making a 1GW energy commitment in Sierra Leone and signing a land access agreement for a 10GW wind farm in Egypt.

Nayer Fouad, CEO of Infinity Power, surmised, “The addition of the Ras Ghareb wind farm to our growing roster reinforces our commitment to positioning Africa as a leader in sustainable energy. This is one of the many steps we will take as we pursue our ambition to develop renewable energy projects in every part of the nation.”

Be sure to look out for our interview with Ahmed Mulla, deputy CEO of Infinity Power, in the September issue of African Review, coming soon.

The hybrid power plant supplies the electricity required to operate the mine and also to the nearby town of Fort Dauphin. (Image source: Wärtsilä)

Wärtsilä, a company at the forefront of the energy transition, has expanded its existing operations and maintenance (O&M) agreement with QUIT Madagascar (QMM) to include a decarbonisation agreement

Currently, the existing O&M agreement covers QMM’s 24MW engine power plant at the ilmenite mineral sands mine at Fort Dauphin in the country. With the signing of the new agreement, Wärtsilä will seek to optimise all assets in the microgrid, including renewable energy usage, in a bid to reduce emissions and capture cost savings.

Specifically, it includes optimised dispatch of the plant’s six Wärtsilä 32 engines and QMM’s battery energy storage and renewable assets with Wärtsilä’s GEMS Digital Energy platform. The GEMS software uses machine learning technology to optimise multiple energy generation assets and ensure maximum utilisation of renewable energy.

Taking energy optimisation to new levels

“The O&M Agreement with Wärtsilä has been in place since 2008 and we have been pleased with Wärtsilä’s performance,” remarked Jean-Francois Richer, director integrated operational services at QMM, part of the Rio Tinto group. “The reliability and efficiency of the power plant are critical to our operations, and we are therefore excited to extend this agreement. The renewed agreement allows us take advantage of Wärtsilä’s competence in power system optimisation and use renewables in the most efficient way, supporting Rio Tinto’s decarbonisation objectives and sustainable mining vision.”

Christoffer Ek, director of decarbonisation services at Wärtsilä Energy, added, “Our Decarbonisation Agreement is taking energy optimisation to a new level by enabling cost savings, a reduced environmental footprint, and higher efficiency. What is more, the partnership is outcome-based with mutual incentives. This is the way forward in making decarbonised operations a viable reality.”

Wärtsilä has demonstrated its efforts to realise the energy transition by pioneering the world’s first large-scale hydrogen-ready engine power plant. Click here to learn more.

Africa is expected to overtake Europe in geothermal capacity by 2030.

Financial and commercial advisory service provider Greencrowd Partnership LLP has explored the potential of geothermal energy in southern Africa as Kalahari GeoEnergy Limited’s Bweengwa River project continues to progress

In a report titled ‘Geothermal in Zambia: Energy Beyond Power’, Greencrowd made reference to the three key challenges facing the southern African country today – an overreliance on hydropower generation (which fuels 85% of its electricity); low levels of energy access (31% of the population has access); and an unmet energy deficit (estimated at approximately 500MW).

The first of these challenges is one exacerbated by the climate emergency; severe droughts have a disastrous effect on the country’s ability to generate hydropower for instance. The resulting loadshedding (exemplified in March this year when low water levels in the Kafue and Zambezi basins led to power utility ZESCO to commence eight-hour daily loadshedding) brings even greater hardship on the population. Indeed, the Greencrowd research pointed to the knock-on effect on jobs and livelihoods, with more than half of the Zambian population thought to be living below the poverty line.

That is not to say the situation is hopeless. The paper outlined the severity of situation before referencing the brightening broader financial situation of the country (which recently signed an in-principle agreement with international bondholders and is working to restructure its debt) and the enactment of energy policy and regulatory framework that is highly conducive to investment in the energy sector.

More hope can be found in the near-limitless potential of geothermal power. Offering clean, reliable and stable baseload power and the ability to efficiently heat and cool homes, factories and other facilities (such as data centres) the Greencrowd research suggested it could be ‘the answer’ to the country’s energy challenges, and one that is unaffected by external weather forces.

“Geothermal is the only fully renewable resource. Producing zero carbon, with a geographic footprint a fraction of the size of a solar field, geothermal energy provides constant, consistent baseload power, regardless of external factors such as water level (hydro), wind speed and direction (wind energy), or duration and intensity of sunlight (solar),” said Peter Vivian-Neal, founder and CEO of Kalahari, in the report.

Discover the full piece outlining the geothermal potential and the progress made on the Bweenga River Geothermal Project by clicking here.