Page 11 - AfrElec Week 01

AfrElec
NEWS IN BRIEF
AfrElec
S O L A R
Azelio successfully
completes energy storage
trails at Morocco’s
Ouarzazate solar project
Azelio’s verification project for its energy storage technology at Morocco’s Ouarzazate Solar Power Station has been completed and the first electricity was generated by the end of 2019 as planned.
During the fourth quarter of 2019, Azelio has prepared its verification project with its strategic partner, the state-owned Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) at Ouarzazate Solar Power Station (also known as Noor Power Station) in Morocco, one of the world’s biggest.
Since two modules comprising Azelio’s energy-storage solution were deployed in early December, further installations have been carried out.
The verification of Azelio’s solution for the storage and production of sustainable electricity on demand around the clock, is a significant step in the industrialisation of the company.
Today there are two modules on the site, consisting of energy-storage units as well
as units designed to convert stored heat to electricity which is then used to boost the thermal energy storage.
The modules also comprise a Stirling engine which converts the heat energy stored to sustainable and dispatchable electricity around the clock. The storage units will be charged with the help of electricity generated by 1,000 square metres of solar panels.
ACWA Power signs Ethiopian solar PPA
Saudi Arabian developer ACWA Power is to build two 125MW solar farms in Ethiopia.
Power purchase agreements have been signed with the state-owned electricity producer Ethiopian Electric Power for the electricity from the projects at a price of $25.26 a MWh.
ACWA Power won the bid for the two PV plants in the first round of Ethiopia’s solar programme organised by the country’s Public- Private Partnerships Directorate General earlier this year.
The company was selected as the winning bid out of 12 pre-qualified bidders.
The projects will be the first solar farms
developed by ACWA Power in Ethiopia. Ethiopia Minister of Finance Ato Ahmed
Shide said: “Ethiopia has highly ambitious growth plans that require a reliable, secure and affordable supply of energy.
“Our focus is to expand our renewables capacity and we are confident that ACWA Power’s leadership and international expertise in this sector will benefit us significantly.
“We are proud to be working with ACWA Power on the lowest-tariff project in Africa. We believe this partnership will aid us tremendously in creating long term sustainable value for our nation and communities.”
Director of Ethiopia Public-Private Partnerships Directorate General director Tilahun Haile said: “The two projects are key to strengthening our renewable energy delivery.
“Though the first under the public-private partnership framework, we believe that they will set the stage for future collaborations in the Ethiopian energy sector.
“With the PPAs in place we are
confident of achieving the development and implementation of these two solar projects in a timely manner and securing sustainable power to meet our growing demands.”
B I O M A S S
Canada’s OPC pioneers cocoa biomass plant in Côte d’Ivoire
Canada’s Organic Potash Corporation (OPC) and NCV, its joint-venture partner in Côte d’Ivoire, signed on December 30, 2019, a joint-development agreement (JDA) with EDF to build a 1.8MW power plant that would use cocoa pod husks as fuel.
The plant would produce 1.8Mw of power and 2,500 tonnes per year of ash, which will be transformed into a mix of food grade potassium carbonate crystals and organic sourced fertilisers using OPC’s licenced technology
Following the potential successful launch of this first integrated energy/potash plant, the project partners intend to install similar modular units with an objective to produce an annual minimum of 10MW of electricity and process over 12,500 tonnes of cocoa husk ash in Côte d’Ivoire.
Africa supplies approximately 75% of global cocoa. Côte d’Ivoire alone produces 43%. This represents a unique opportunity for major growth prospects for OPC and its technology.
Heather Welner, president and CEO of OPC stated: “The industrial application of OPC’s licenced technology in an integrated energy/potash project in partnership with a global electricity producer is the culmination of years of R&D and the successor to our previous successful completion of the pilot plant in Ghana. We strongly believe that
this commercially robust development plan in Côte d’Ivoire will now serve as a model implementation in other cocoa producing countries.”
Week 01 09•January•2020
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