Foto: By Antonio Jones (Langebaan Project)

Recently in the news, if you missed it, the Solar project that was completed at Robben Island. The article was shared by SAPVIA.

Canadian Solar is the proud supplier of 0.5 MW of Solar PV Modules to the iconic project site on Robben Island. SOLA Future Energy the EPC partner of the Department of Tourism, has designed and constructed a solar energy microgrid for Robben Island using (CS6U-M-340 W) Canadian Solar Modules on site. Today the official inauguration has been taking place on Robben Island with Dr. Shawn Qu (Chairman, President and CEO Canadian Solar) invited as guest by SOLA Future Energy and the Department of Tourism of South Africa.

The solar PV farm consists of 1960 Canadian Solar (CS6U-M-340 W) mono-crystalline modules with a total of 666.4 kW power supply. Robben Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has an energy usage profile that comprises residential needs, desalination, harbour and offices; in total, the island uses almost 2M kWh of electricity annually. Commissioned by the Department of Tourism and Sola Future, Canadian Solar supplied the modules to this project, which overall will produce almost 1M kWh of electricity annually, significantly reducing costs of buying diesel and transporting it to the island.

“The microgrid on Robben Island is the largest combined solar and lithium-ion storage microgrid system in South Africa,” said Dom Wills, CEO of SOLA Future Energy, who were responsible for the design and construction of the project. “For Robben Island, we have chosen our partners carefully as we wanted to ensure highest quality, safety and sustainability. For this very reason, Canadian Solar as module supplier was the natural fit, making a difference in lighting up Africa and Robben Island together. With this PV installation, a reduction of the Island’s carbon emission by at least 820 tons are achieved.

Canadian Solar and Sola Future Energy share the same vision, that Africa’s future relies on affordable, clean, reliable and accessible energy. Besides financial savings, Robben Island’s transformation is symbolic: it shows that an affordable and clean energy future is possible for off grid communities.