Africa's burgeoning renewable energy sector has received a dual boost this week from opposite ends of the continent.

 

An 80MW onshore wind farm in South Africa's Northern Cape region started commercial operations having been completed both on schedule and on budget, according to Mainstream Renewable Power, part of a consortium behind the development.

 

Situated in the Umsobomvu Municipal Area around 10km east of Noupoort in the Northern Cape, the Noupoort Wind plant spans 7,500 hectares and comprises 35 wind turbines of 99 metres in height.

 

When operating at full capacity, the facility is expected to provide around 304,800MWh of energy each year, supplying electricity to up to 69,000 South African homes.

 

In addition, it is estimated Noupoort wind farm will eliminate the equivalent of around 300,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year when compared to "traditional fossil fuel power plants", according to the consortium.

 

As of the start of this week all 35 turbines at the ZAR1.9bn project were commissioned and connected to the country's public energy grid after 17 months of construction, the consortium said.

 

The facility is the first to successfully achieve full operation as part of the third round of the South African government's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), a funding scheme aimed at boosting the country's clean energy supplies.

 

South Africa's relatively young wind energy sector now supplies enough electricity to power more than 500,000 homes from 15 large wind farms generating more than 3GW of energy. (businessGreen)