CONTEXT
The Government of Cape Verde had the ambition of increase the penetration of renewable energies in the country. In 2009, Cape Verde power plant was mainly based on fossil fuels, creating a large external dependence on fuel and a deficit in the external trade balance. The development of the Renewable Energy Atlas of Cape Verde, in 2010, made it possible to identify several locations on the island of Santiago for the development of solar power plants, which allowed the existing solar potential to be harnessed, reducing the country’s costs.
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of the “Santiago 5 MW Solar PV development “ project was the development and construction of a Photovoltaic power plant in Cape Verde – 5MW in Santiago (the largest solar power plant in Africa when it was commissioned).
DESCRIPTION
The development of this project consider the following activities: development of the studies to support the development of the hybrid system: Fuel Power Plant (13MW) + solar PV Power Plant (5MW), the development of all the grid and transient stability studies for the system design in order to guarantee the security and stability of the electric grid, and finally, sizing, licensing and supervision of the construction and commissioning phase.
The solar power plant was installed on the island of Santiago with 21.696 PV modules, in a total of 12 hectares, with an estimated production of 8.128 MWh / year.
SUMMARY OF SERVICES
- Feasibility studies
- Grid impact and stability studies
- Site assessment
- Licensing and permits
- Coordination of EPC contractors
- Project management