ABB bets on solar-diesel microgrid for site in S Africa

Industrial group ABB Ltd (VTX:ABBN) will install an integrated solar-diesel microgrid at a site in Johannesburg, South Africa, which houses its main office in the country and certain manufacturing plants.

The company said Thursday the system will combine 750 kW of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) capacity and a 1-MWA/380 kW battery-based PowerStore grid stabiliser. These will be added to the existing back-up diesel generators at the Longmeadow premises.

The microgrid will provide power back-up to the site. The system will maximise the use of solar energy and ensure uninterrupted power supply for the factories even in the event of a power outage.

ABB said there are “thousands of facilities” across South Africa and the continent that could turn to microgrid technologies to address challenges such as power shortages, fossil fuel price volatility and environmental concerns, while taking advantage of the availability of renewable energy sources.

In South Africa, for one, demand is greater than supply, causing disruptions. It is expected that power use will jump to almost 1,600 TWh by 2040, four times what it was in 2010.

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