Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK – In its pursuit of becoming the leading partner of renewable energy in Namibia and neighbouring countries, OLC Energy Services last week launched a new partnership with internationally known SMA Solar Technology – a global leader for solar inverters, a key component of all solar PV plants.
OLC Energy Services is a joint venture company of O&L Energy – a subsidiary of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group – and Cronimet Mining Power Solutions.
O&L Energy is a specialist for renewable energy in Southern Africa, especially in large-scale PV, solar water heating and bio-energy, and has a pipeline of renewable energy prospects in Namibia and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), targeting especially 1 megawatt (MW) to 10 MW plants.
Besides solar power O&L Energy is engaged in the bush-to-energy business and in the first biomass project in Namibia, currently under construction in Mariental.
Cronimet is an international energy company focusing on large-scale solar power and hybrid plants mainly in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Cronimet has developed over 300 MW plants worldwide.
The joint venture company between O&L Energy and Cronimet – OLC Energy Services – has, since its inception four years ago, constructed several PV plants on a build-own operate basis and grown to being one of the leading independent power producers in Namibia.
Managing director of OLC Energy Services, Bernd Walbaum, said: “We are very excited to have been awarded the agencies for sales and services for Namibia from the world leading inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology. This will support our goal and ambition to grow to being the leading partner of renewable energy in Namibia. The partnership with SMA contains technical services on the one side and SMA sales and distribution on the other. This will improve SMA’s service for Namibian customers who now have a direct local partner in Namibia and also some local stock of SMA equipment.”
SMA offers a wide range of products and solutions that allow for high energy yields for residential and commercial PV systems and large-scale PV power plants. To increase PV self-consumption efficiently, SMA system technology can easily be combined with different battery technologies. Intelligent energy management and digital energy solutions, comprehensive services and operational management of PV power plants round off SMA’s range.
With its headquarters in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, SMA is represented in 20 countries globally, with more than 3,000 employees worldwide.
SMA’s multi-award-winning technology is protected by more than 1,100 patents and utility models.
SMA Solar Technology is listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92) and is currently the only company in the solar industry that is listed in the TecDAX index.
SMA sales director: Southern and East Africa, Malize Pienaar, said: “We are very excited about this partnership with OLC Energy Services and we look forward to a successful and fruitful relationship going forward.”
Walbaum added: “Currently renewable energy projects of 55 MW have already been installed in Namibia, and according to Nampower, a further 121 MW is under construction. Although NamPower states that this installed capacity of renewable energy is reaching the threshold the grid can accommodate, I want to encourage the government, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Electricity Control Board to approach the global changes in the energy market in a positive and trend-setting way including investments in the power distribution network and an updated market structure. The negotiations on the new National Integrated Resource Plan are already showing the right way.”