Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Google Jasper Project to be Among Largest Solar Installations in South Africa

Google’s investment in traditional wind, solar and more innovative renewable energy projects have seen leaps in the US. However, the company hasn’t invested much into renewable energy in Africa. But things have come to a dramatic turn around with a new $12 million (103 million Rand) investment being made in the Jasper Power Project. The project is a 96 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in South Africa, in the Northern Cape Province of the country.
On completion, the Jasper project would acquire fame as one of the largest solar installations in the African continent. The project could provide enough electricity to power 30,000 homes in South Africa.
For South Africa, this is an ambitious project. In 2008, South Africa experienced severe energy scarcity. This slowed down economic growth and resulted in blackouts throughout the country.
The government was thus forced to consistently support the growth of new sources of electricity. South Africa depends highly on fossil fuel and is gifted with enormous wind and solar resources.
Considering that, the government has set an ambitious goal of generating 18 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030.

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