In the depths of the desert in Minya Province, Egypt, a 1.2GW photovoltaic array needs to maintain full power under the scorching sun and the constant polishing of sand particles. AIKO's ABC components withstood the test of extreme environments there and also received a long-term vote of trust from Infinity Power, the largest pure renewable energy developer in Africa.

Two years later, this trust traveled southward along the African continent. On October 12th, AIKO signed a supply agreement with Infinity Power to supply efficient full back contact (ABC) modules for three centralized photovoltaic projects in South Africa, with a total capacity of 773.5MW. This is the first cooperation between the two companies in South Africa and also allows the total installed capacity of their cooperation projects in Africa to exceed 2GW.

From Egypt to South Africa

The story of both sides begins in Egypt: first with the 258.5MW Nefer Benban project, followed by the 1.2GW Nefer Menya solar storage project - the latter financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and equipped with 600MWh of energy storage, which is a landmark project for Egypt's goal of achieving a 42% share of clean electricity by 2030. The stable delivery record in the desert became the direct reason for the extension of this cooperation to South Africa.

The three projects that have been implemented this time - Highveld, Onderstepoort Solar 1 (OS1), and Onderstepoort Solar 2 (OS2) - have all won the seventh round of the South African Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Program (REIPPPP) bidding, and plan to sign a 20-year power purchase agreement with South African power company Eskom. In this round of bidding, Infinity Power won a total of 1.28GW photovoltaic quota, making it the largest winning bidder.

The project will be divided into two EPC sections for promotion: Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy will undertake the Highveld project, while China Power Construction Guiyang Engineering Company will be responsible for the OS1 and OS2 projects.

A ledger of 1.19 million yuan

According to the agreement, Aixu will supply approximately 1195136 high-power ABC components, model A645/650-GRH66Dw, with a maximum conversion efficiency of 24.1%.

A higher single power means that fewer components are required to reach the target capacity, and the cost of supporting systems such as brackets and cables decreases accordingly, resulting in an overall improvement in project revenue. Against the backdrop of South African bidding prices gradually decreasing and developers having to calculate every penny, the value of this advantage has been significantly amplified.

In response to the high temperature and high radiation operating environment in South Africa, this component has been optimized in design: with a lower temperature coefficient, it can suppress power attenuation under high temperature conditions; The attenuation rate in the first year shall not exceed 1%, and the annual attenuation rate from the second year to the 30th year shall be controlled at 0.35%, which is sufficient to cover long-term stable power generation during the 20-year power purchase agreement period. Aixu will also provide full traceability services from production to delivery, coordinating production and supply according to the progress of two EPC sections.

Lighting up 456000 households

After all three projects are put into operation, it is expected to produce over 1871GWh of clean electricity annually.

Among them, the Highveld project located in Mpumalanga Province can generate electricity to meet the needs of about 167000 households, reducing emissions by about 660000 tons per year; The OS1 and OS2 projects located in Northwest Province have an annual power generation capacity that can supply approximately 289000 households and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 1.1 million tons annually.

Based on comprehensive calculations, the three projects can meet the electricity needs of approximately 456000 households and reduce emissions by approximately 1.7 million tons per year. For South Africa, which has long relied on coal-fired power and suffered from power shortages, this batch of clean electricity will be integrated into the national power grid, promoting the diversification of the power supply structure and building another batch of large-scale clean energy infrastructure for the African continent.keywords:New energy information network

Infinity Power is a joint venture between Egypt's Infinity and the United Arab Emirates' Masdar, with the goal of achieving 10GW of operational installed capacity in Africa. From the banks of the Nile River to the highlands of South Africa, with three collaborations and a capacity of 2GW, efficient photovoltaics are becoming the repeatedly validated answer in Africa's energy transition.Editor/Yang Meiling