After meticulous planning and the installation of alternating-current and direct-current solutions, Static Power, a standby equipment manufacturer, has successfully commissioned a 1.1 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) grid-tied system at its ACTOM Medium Voltage Switchgear manufacturing facility in Knights, Gauteng, following a year-long effort.
Static Power operates as a business unit within the Actom Smart Technologies division, which is part of the larger ACTOM group, a significant supplier of electrical equipment and services to the renewable energy sector.
This 1.1 MW PV system is anticipated to slash the peak load consumption of the Medium Voltage Switchgear factory by roughly 50% during peak irradiance hours. The solar installation is strategically positioned on the factory’s roof, considering it is the largest power consumer on the premises.
The Green Company, a carbon-negative solutions provider, managed the planning and installation of the PV plant, including remedial roof works, amounting to approximately R14 million. Structural engineers were engaged to assess the roof’s loadbearing capacity and determine whether structural reinforcements were necessary to accommodate the added weight of the solar panels and wiring.
Additionally, necessary approvals from the Ekurhuleni municipality were secured for the installation of embedded generation.
For the solar panels, Global solar energy provider Trina Solar’s TSM-DE21 660 W monocrystalline solar PV module with a maximum efficiency of 21.6% was chosen, primarily due to limited space on the roof, necessitating the highest power output per square meter.
The PV system is grid-tied and will automatically disconnect from the grid in the event of grid unavailability. It consists of two separate 550 kW systems, each feeding into different low-voltage supplies to the factory. Any surplus energy generated will be redirected to other ACTOM business units on the same premises if the factory load decreases.
The installation also includes lightning rods to protect the solar structure from lightning strikes, given the area’s average yearly lightning ground flash densities around Knights.
This project aligns with ACTOM’s commitment to minimizing its environmental impact by generating power through renewable energy sources rather than relying solely on the electricity grid. ACTOM is exploring additional renewable energy options at all of its group sites to reduce its global footprint further.
 grid-tied system at its ACTOM Medium Voltage Switchgear facility in Gauteng. This initiative is part of ACTOM's commitment to renewable energy and aims to significantly reduce grid-dependent energy consumption.){kind=link}