German company Concentrix Solar has completed its first 60 kw concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) plant at Aquila Private Game Reserve in South Africa, with plans to increase the project’s capacity to 50 MW.
The company’s CEO Hansjorg Lerchenmuller said South Africa’s renewable energy feed-in tariff (Refit) had made the country an attractive choice for Concentrix Solar. Andre-Jacque Auberton-Herve, the chairman and chief executive of Soitec, which bought Concentrix in December, said concentrated PV was likely to be the cheapest way to produce solar power in the future in high-irradiation areas. Lerchenmuller said the PV feed-in tariff was "on the high level ‒ it is comparable to Germany and Spain."
"We believe that South Africa is a sustainable and long-term market, and that’s why we decided to invest here," Lerchenmuller said. "We came to South Africa to be here long term, to create value for the country and to create jobs."
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