A BESPOKE 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) will allow the Homeowners Association of the upmarket Coral Beach Estate in East London to pay for its off-grid power on a pay-as-you-use basis with zero upfront cost. A unique off-grid power solution has been developed, engineered, and is currently under construction by Impower.
The solar solution will have a capacity of 388 kW, while the battery energy storage solution (BESS) will have a capacity of 1,458 MWh. The energy system includes a unique axis tracker system allowing the solar panels to follow the sun’s daily arc, maximising yield per square meter of land used.
The off-grid power solution will provide power independence for the estate, effectively eradicating load shedding. The cost of solar PV and battery power will match that of Eskom in the first year, however, its annual escalation rate will be well below the NERSA increases. CEO of Impower, Jay Naidoo, said: “We believe that this is the perfect solution to the energy crisis faced by many, as it addresses all the typically insurmountable problems, namely, high project capex/investment costs, development and engineering risks/complexities, power unavailability, and the high and ever-increasing cost of energy.”
Construction of the project began in the first week of January 2023 and is expected to be completed and commissioned by the end of June 2023. The chairman of the Coral Beach Homeowners Association, Charles Pittaway Snr, said: “We are delighted to know that our estate will soon be loadshedding free, and our residents will soon be enjoying the benefits of solar and battery power. We are proud to be part of this initiative, it places The Coral Beach Estate at the forefront of the energy independence transition.”
Coral Beach Estate is situated right on the beachfront, perched on a hilltop overlooking the warm Indian Ocean, only 10 minutes from the centre of East London and just 5 minutes from East London airport.
Founded in 2014, Impower is a specialist engineering, procurement, construction and operations and maintenance firm within the solar and energy storage industry, serving primarily the Commercial and Industrial property sector. It provides tailored solar and energy storage solutions ranging between 100 kW and 10 MW. The company currently has more than 50 MW of active solar projects with a further 200 MW under development.
