Engie connects solar mini-grid in Benin
The mini-grid, expected to connect over 1,500 residents to electricity, is part of the company’s wider plans to install over 20 mini-grids in Benin, which will serve more than 30,000 people across 20 rural localities collectively, through a total 1.2 MW capacity.
German developer sells 240 MW project in South Africa
PNE AG, a Germany-based developer, has sold a 240 MW photovoltaic project in South Africa’s Free State province to energy company NOA Group.
Chad opens tender for solar-diesel hybrid projects with battery storage
The authorities in Chad have launched a tender for solar-diesel hybrid projects with battery storage, featuring a combined 4 MW of solar capacity and 2 MWh of daily storage.
South African data center specialist to build 12 MW of solar
Africa Data Centres’ new solar farm in South Africa’s Free State will begin as a 12 MW array. It will initially service its Cape Town site, before extending to supply power to the company’s facilities in Johannesburg.
Ivory Coast planning 678 MW of solar
The Ivory Coast’s Ministry of Mines, Oil, and Energy has unveiled plans to build 12 solar plants with a total capacity of 678 MW.
Tender opens for solar, storage in Togo
The World Bank’s Regional Emergency Solar Power Intervention Project is funding a tender for solar and storage in Togo, with a bid deadline of June 4.
Ivory Coast inaugurates 37.5 MW solar plant
The authorities in the Ivory Coast have completed a 37.5 MW solar plant, with a second development phase now underway to increase its capacity to 80 MW.
Optimization technique to extract unknown PV system parameters from manufacturers’ datasheets
Developed by an international research team, the proposed methodology can reportedly be used with all kinds of solar panels and under different environment conditions. It relies uniquely on the specifications of the modules’ datasheet, temperature and insolation intensity.
Vehicle-integrated photovoltaic system for medical support
A spinoff of Germany’s Fraunhofer Gesellschaft has developed a compact vehicle-integrated PV system integrated with medical support equipment to provide off-grid, off-road mobile healthcare in rural communities. The PV modules with integrated energy management system supply all the electricity required for maintaining a cold chain for vaccines, medicines and samples.
South Africa launches 616 MW/2,464 MWh battery storage tender
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) of South Africa has opened the third bid window for its Battery Energy Storage IPP Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP), which is procuring a total of 1,744 MW of four-hour battery storage systems. It has also announced the final winner from the first window.
