Off-grid technologies could dominate Africa’s agricultural sector. According to the REN21 Global Status Report, Brazil, China, India and South Africa are leading the development of large-scale innovative programs that address the challenges of energy access and sustainability within rural communities.
Innovative off-grid energy technologies must be phased in to meet the demands of the agricultural sector’s 3.6% annual growth and delink it from non-renewable power sources across the food chain from source to consumer. Says Trevor de Vries, Managing Director 3W Power South Africa: “By combining renewable energy with off-grid application systems, AEG seeks to empower the rural economy with an environmentally friendly, economical and reliable solution to sustainable energy access.” He continued, “Based on the number of large-scale solar installations on farms in the Western Cape, the market is ready for innovative, off-grid solutions that are custom-designed for farmers, co-operatives and smallholdings.”
The AEGPS system uses ECPpx (Environment reducing CO2 and oPeX) – Extreme Compact Architecture, a next generation hybrid power generation system. It is capable of harnessing renewable and conventional energy sources in combination with energy storage. This enables the off-grid power plant to optimize the use of wind and solar energy at times of peak demand. It also has the potential to increase operating efficiencies with the advantage of reducing ownership and operating costs, decreasing fuel consumption and maximizing system reliability.
Make sure you visit and click ‘Like’ on our Facebook page to receive even more news and updates from Alternative Energy Africa.