Melloussa wind farm in Morocco.
After a long tender process, involving sixteen bidders, Nareva Holding has been awarded the development rights for the Tarfaya wind farm in Morocco. The wind farm is to have 200 MW of installed capacity. The final choice for the awarded company was made from the two remaining companies in the tender – Nareva and GDF Suez.
Concentrix Solar (part of Soitec) announced the inauguration of the company's first solar power project in South Africa, the 60 kW facility at the Aquila Private Game Reserve, Western Cape. Even though this project is a micro generation facility, it represents the official entry of Concentrix Solar into the South African solar energy market (even though the company has been there since 2008) in terms of installed capacity, and is prelude to a much bigger project.
The company is planning a 50 MW solar power plant in the Western Cape, harnessing the country's abundant solar energy potential in that region. Concentrix Solar uses CPV technology (concentrator photovoltaics), using double-axis tracking, providing maximum output throughout the duration of daily sunlight.
[source: Concentrix Solar]
The Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Energy announced plans to build a 100 MW solar power plant in the country. The investment involved with this project is estimated at about USD 700 million, and the time frame for the completion has been set to be sometime between 2012 and 2017. Egypt has high hopes to establish itself as one of the leading developers of utility-scale solar power plants. Additionally, the country has set a clean energy goal of achieving 20% renewables by 2020.
The new project will be located at Kom Ombo, near the existing Aswan High Dam. Financing for the project will come from various source, international institutions, including the African Development Fund, and the World Bank. More funding will come from UN's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) which is a program designed for providing carbon offsetting for energy generation throughout the world. The technology to be used will be concentrated solar power (CSP), most likely using parabolic trough installations. CSP is the most effective solar energy harnessing technology for regions with extreme exposure to sunlight, such as North Africa.
Egypt is in the process of completing its first solar power plant, the 20 MW El-Korayamat, located just south of the capital Cairo. The new 100 MW power plant will be the second, and also largest solar power project in the country, but also in the surrounding parts of the region.
In order to achieve the 20% by 2020 goal, the Egyptian government will need to find a way to install at least 1 GW of solar, and an estimated 7.2 GW of wind energy capacity in the country. There are wind energy projects already under way in the country, such as the Zafarana with a planned total of 545 MW of capacity, with more planned for the future, but all this capacity together is still far from the 8 GW needed. Additionally, the country is a significant participant in the DESERTEC initiative, which is a very large scale solar power generation integration project, to cover the whole MENA region, from Morocco to the United Arab Emirates.
[via: BusinessGreen]
At the recently held 32nd Assilah International Cultural Festival in Morocco, an event was dedicated to addressing the current state and the future of renewable energy in the countries of Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA). Hosting the conference, UAE based Masdar has underlined the importance of renweable energy as the technology of the future for MENA countries. Called "Renewable Energy – A Leap Towards Human Development", the conference gathered speakers and guests from around the world. Many regard the successful conference as a milestone for MENA, as the region is embarking on major RE developments in the future (most significant of which is DESERTEC).
Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) is getting stronger with the day. Their latest member (Associated Partner is Concentrix Solar, which is a leading supplier of Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) systems.
With this announcement, Concentrix Solar is paving the way to utility-scale CPV projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The Dii was launched in July 2009 to provide a framework for investments to supply the MENA region and Europe with power produced using solar and wind energy sources.
CPV systems produce power with very high efficiency and output in hot, arid locations, thereby achieving a low levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Since they track the sun, they provide a consistent electricity production profile throughout the day. CPV power plants can be commissioned in phases, producing electricity as soon as the first systems are connected to the grid. These advantages, combined with their minimal space and water requirements, make CPV systems of particular interest for an ambitious, long-range project like Desertec.
[source: Concentrix Solar]
Vestas announced the opening of an office to cover the emerging and growing wind energy market in southern Africa. The office is to be a support hub for operations in this area of the world. At the same time, the company just commissioned a wind turbine into operation at Coega, South Africa, at the World Cup city of Port Elizabeth. The unit in question is the V90-1.8 MW wind turbines, which will generate some of the power to be used for supplying part of the power needs for the World Cup, in particular for supplying electricity to the Nelson Mandela Bay football stadium. The Coega turbine is a project developed by the Belgian energy developer Electrawinds.
Although Vestas has been active in the southern Africa region for years now, the new office headqueartered in Johannesburg represents the company's strong commitment to the region's wind energy future.
[source: Vestas]
Alstom announced last week that the company has won its first wind energy development contract in the North-African country of Morocco. The project is a 100 MW wind farm to be built in Akhfenir, Morocco. It is to be commissioned in 2011, and will feature 61 Alstom ECO 74 wind turbines, which will result in more than 100 MW of installed power generating capacity. The consumers of the produced electricity will be private industrial customers in the country, mostly through the Energipro scheme.
Alstom will be responsible for delivering, installing and operating the wind farm during the first five years of the wind farm's operation.
Alstom has been present in Morocco for some time now, mostly through thermal power projects, but also through renewable enrgy projects. The country has set a high RE goal – 42% renewable energy capacity by 2020.
So far, Morocco has mostly invested in hydropower, of which Alstom has contributed to about 800 MW of capacity.
[source: Alstom]
Bilfinger Berger and Nur Energie have joined Desertec — the industrial initiative which we already covered for few times in the past — as Associated Partners.
Bilfinger Berger's competence lays in the installation and maintenance of both solar power plants and wind turbines, currently ensuring the efficient operation of solar thermal power plants in Spain and North Africa. The company is also responsible for the construction and maintenance of wind turbines in Europe and North America.
As for Nur Energie, it is a solar project developer with operations in France, Italy, Greece and Tunisia. At the moment, they are in the advanced stages of developing a CSP project in Greece, as well as France's largest building-integrated PV project on the roofs of the Port of Marseille.
As Associated Partners, both companies will focus on contributing its expertise and experience their respective fields, while also taking new business in the Maghreb region.
[source: Bilfinger Berger, Nur Energie]
The World Bank has approved a USD 3.75 billion loan to South Africa, for financing energy projects in the country on the southern tip of the African continent.
The projects which will receive funding from the loan are the Medupi power plant in Lephalale, and concentrated solar power and wind energy projects, to be supported by Eskom. The loan is part of a multi-year investment program, which represents a foundation of the expansion of electricity generation capacity in South Africa.
[source: ESKOM]
Tseai Energy's team is traveling to Sierra Leone to lay the foundation for its first pilot program. The company installs small-scale agricultural processing plants that take advantage of local crops, employ local farmers and make commercial products in underdeveloped communities. Biomass digesters are added to the plants, converting leftover agricultural waste into biogas, which is then used to produce electricity for locally built schools.
The first plant is planned to be opened in the town of Mile 18 in Sierra Leone. It will process palm fruit, which is abundant in the region, into palm oil. All of the waste generated will be converted into biogas for generating electricity.
As part of its activities in Sierra Leone, Tseai Energy's team plans to meet with local farmers, Schools for Salone NGO, nearby health clinic, Njala University, building contractors as well as the country's ministries of Education, Youth and Sports; and Agriculture and Food Safety.
[source: Tseai Energy]
