By Akanimo Sampson
Sungrow, a renewable Energy company is partnering JCM Power, InfraCo Africa, RINA and Innovate UK to construct Malawi’s first utility-scale solar-plus-storage project.
Located in the Dedza district of Malawi near the town of Golomoti, the 20MWac solar PV and 5MW/10MWh energy storage project is set to become a leading project in sub-Saharan Africa in showing the value of solar PV together with energy storage.
The project is expected to fully adopt Sungrow’s one-stop solar-plus-storage MV solution comprised of PV inverter, MV station, all-in-one Power Conversion System, battery container, and energy management system (EMS).
Sungrow’s PV and storage technologies will be deployed to improve the availability, reliability, and quality of the Malawi power supply through its capabilities in providing frequency regulation, voltage regulation, peak shaving, and reactive power support.
The Golomoti project will have all engineering, procurement and construction activities managed by JCM Power.
The inclusion of lithium-ion batteries behind the meter at this scale will be a first in sub-Saharan Africa.
The project is expected to enter operations at the end of 2021,
According to Shane Eglinton, Engineering Director of JCM Power, the project will demonstrate the pathway for clean, affordable and reliable energy for Malawi and to other developing nations.
“We are pleased to have selected Sungrow to supply solar inverters, transformer kiosks and a one-stop lithium-ion battery energy storage solution for this pioneering project”, he said.
Phyllis Yang, the head of Sungrow Southern Africa mentioned that the introduction of Sungrow’s latest outdoor Power Conversion System solutions to the African market will boost the region’s clean-power access and economic growth.
“We are extremely proud to be part of this iconic project”, she added.
