Amazon's first solar farm in South Africa now operational

Jan

Jan

Who's the Boss?
Staff member
Joined
May 24, 2010
Messages
13,720
Reaction score
11,482
Location
The Rabbit Hole
Amazon launches first solar power station in South Africa

Amazon Web Services has announced its first solar project in South Africa is now operational and is feeding electricity into the national grid.

The 10MW solar farm is located in the Northern Cape and supplies renewable energy to AWS data centres.
 
AWS Energy director Nat Sahlstrom said the company was honoured to work with the Department of Minerals and Energy, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), and Eskom to help deliver a “new model for renewable energy generation”.
Click to expand...
Eskom must be very upset that they could not buy the solar panels from their mates at inflated prices :(
 
AWS Energy director Nat Sahlstrom said the company was honoured to work with the Department of Minerals and Energy, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), and Eskom to help deliver a “new model for renewable energy generation”.
Click to expand...
Very diplomatically put :p
 
dualmeister said:
Eskom must be very upset that they could not buy the solar panels from their mates at inflated prices :(
Click to expand...

The BEE oinkers already got there first:
The SOLA Group will be responsible for developing the project in South Africa and will build, own and operate the 10MW solar facility. The project will be majority black owned, with Mahlako a Phahla Investments, a black women-owned and operated energy and infrastructure investment holding company, owning 45%.
Click to expand...
https://www.herholdts.co.za/northern-cape-solar-farm-to-power-amazons-south-african-data-centres/

https://www.mahlako.co.za/wp/
 
Good luck getting the power down to Cape Town. I hope they are building their own transmission lines as well because the ones leaving the Northern Cape are a wee bitty overstretched.
 
The 10MW solar farm is located in the Northern Cape and supplies renewable energy to AWS data centres.
Click to expand...

Run that by me again? AWS DC's built in the Northern Cape? They running their own transmission lines to the DC's from the Northern Cape?
 
Peon said:
Run that by me again? AWS DC's built in the Northern Cape? They running their own transmission lines to the DC's from the Northern Cape?
Click to expand...
Solar farm -> electricity meter -> Eskom Grid -> magic of electrical engineering -> Cape Town -> Amazon DC electricity meter -> Amazon DC.

They are using the Eskom grid as the plumbing. They push energy in with the solar plant in the NC and pull some energy out in Cape Town. Subtract the feed-in meter reading from the consumption meter receding and pay the difference.

Is only the solar power going to Amazon? No.
Is Amazon actually using nuclear, wind, coal or someone else’s solar? Absolutely. That’s a feature of the grid.
 
mypetcow said:
Solar farm -> electricity meter -> Eskom Grid -> magic of electrical engineering -> Cape Town -> Amazon DC electricity meter -> Amazon DC.

They are using the Eskom grid as the plumbing. They push energy in with the solar plant in the NC and pull some energy out in Cape Town. Subtract the feed-in meter reading from the consumption meter receding and pay the difference.

Is only the solar power going to Amazon? No.
Is Amazon actually using nuclear, wind, coal or someone else’s solar? Absolutely. That’s a feature of the grid.
Click to expand...
See, thats what I thought. The article however gave the impression it was a direct connection, to me at least.
 
Will this actually connect to the grid, I doubt we have the brains In SA to make this work.

Cause if Eskom could be used as plumbing then there is no excuse for not allowing private power plants.
 
Thor said:
Will this actually connect to the grid, I doubt we have the brains In SA to make this work.

Cause if Eskom could be used as plumbing then there is no excuse for not allowing private power plants.
Click to expand...

Several solar IPP plants have already been awarded as part of the same emergency programme as the power ships. Construction due to start in Q1 2022 for at least one large plant I know of, but a losing bidder court case could hold things up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter