Canadian Solar and ET Energy partner on 132MW of PV in South Africa

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Credit: Canadian Solar

Silicon Module Super League member (SMSL) Canadian Solar has established a joint venture with Chinese firm ET Energy to perform EPC services and supply modules to 132MW of solar projects in South Africa for Africa-based IPP BioTherm Energy.

The projects, Aggeneys (46MW) and Konkoonsies II (86MW), are located in northwest South Africa and cover an area of 387 hectares. The two solar power plants are expected to be grid-connected by the end of 2019 and early 2020, respectively, with construction expected to start in September this year.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The projects will use more than 400,000 of Canadian Solar's CS6U-P 1500V high voltage modules, installed on single-axis solar tracking systems, with a total of 34 central inverters.

This will be the first time that Canadian Solar delivers modules to large-scale projects in Africa's high voltage market, said Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar.

The projects were awarded as part of Round IV of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

Dennis She, president and CEO of ET Energy, said: “In partnership with Canadian Solar, BioTherm Energy, and other market leaders in South Africa, we have met all the requirements of the REIPPPP. With our South African subsidiary founded in 2016, and years of experience in project operation and EPC management, ET Energy will offer professional EPC and O&M services to utility-scale PV plants in Sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa.”

In its latest Integrated Resource Plan for power sector spending, South Africa's government dropped plans for up to 9.6GW of additional nuclear power by 2030 in favour of more renewables. By 2030, solar will increase to 5,670MW, wind and natural gas are set to increase by 8.1GW of capacity, while 2.5GW will come from hydropower, and coal will add another 1GW.

Fund manager African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) recently acquired majority stakes in nine new solar and wind power plants in South Africa, totaling 800MW.

Read Next

September 5, 2025
US solar tracker manufacturer Array Technologies has announced that two of its tracking systems are compatible with 2,000V solar systems.
August 21, 2025
Canadian Solar shipped 7.9GW of modules in the second quarter of this year, a 14% quarter-on-quarter increase.
August 19, 2025
Scatec has reported stable financial results in the second quarter of 2025, with revenue holding steady at NOK2.3 billion (US$220 million).
August 14, 2025
South Africa’s state-owned energy utility, Eskom, has issued a request for proposals for 291MW of solar capacity.
July 23, 2025
Norwegian IPP Scatec has been selected for an 846MW solar cluster in the latest REIPPPP tender from South Africa.
June 26, 2025
JUWI Renewable Energies, a subsidiary of German construction group JUWI, has signed a 220MW solar module supply agreement with JA Solar.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines