Promoting solar parks

The Trekkopje Solar Project in the Erongo region was recently completed its construction and assumed operation in August.

The project was spearheaded by Enertronica Group and cost N$137-million to build and this exlcludes development costs. Enertronica is a multinational industrial company that specialises in renewable energy.

Bank Windhoek recently came on board to finance the development of the of the 5.78 mW solar plant. The site was chosen for its potential to supply power for industrial, farming and storage purposes without posing a threat to the environment and its community.

According to the developers the project has lifespan of 25 years, which is anticipated to be even longer after it is revamped. The plant is dedicated to feeding into the NamPower grid. Enertronica has also committed themselves to building three smaller solar plants to serve thei schools in the community. Once completed, an average of five people will be permanently employed at the plant.

“The project has a combined output of 5, 78 Megawatts. But we expect it to be a bit higher because of the high performance of the technology adopted for this specific plant. This is the first plant where Enertronica Group’s patented trackers are mounted on the structures which means the modules will follow the sun during the day optimizing the already high irradiation,” said Dr Maurizio Decinti, lead consultant to the project.

“Getting to know Bank Windhoek during this process has been an exciting experience. Together we have laid the foundation for a long lasting relationship and hope to get more opportunities to implement similar transactions of this nature in the country,” said Maurizio.

He said that renewable energy is the future.

“We recognise that optimising renewable energy opportunities is critical for the development of Namibia and as such, we fully embraced the opportunity to finance these projects,” said Lukas Nanyemba, executive officer for corporate and institutional banking at Bank Windhoek.