Solar-energy park planned for the South

PLANS to set up a solar-energy park near Tses village in the South are moving ahead.

At a community briefing session at Tses this week, solar panel manufacturer Solaire Direct Southern Africa, in partnership with Ivory Coast-based Pride Petroleum company, introduced plans to develop the solar-energy park near Tses. Solaire Direct Southern Africa MD Ryan Hammond said electricity generated by the planned solar station would be redirected into the national power grid.Hammond said the prospects of setting up the park at Tses looked promising because of the amount of sunshine in the area and its electricity network infrastructure.He could not give details of the expected megawatt output and exact location of the site, saying this could only be determined when official talks start with NamPower and the Electricity Control Board (ECB).’We are at the start of the whole process,’ Hammond said.Asked about the cost involved in setting up a solar-energy park, Hammond said this would depend on the megawatt output of such a station. Hammond said the cost per megawatt is N$30 million, and a 10-megawatt solar station could create between 20 and 25 jobs.He said finding a suitable location could take up to six months and construction time would range from nine to 12 months.It could take up to three months to obtain a generation licence from the ECB, he added. Hammond said a solar-energy park’s lifespan is 25 years.’A solar-energy park will be decommissioned in consultation with ECB and NamPower when its lifespan ends,’ he said. Community members and local politicians did not oppose the plan when they were invited to express their views.