South Africa Kenhardt Hybrid Solar and Battery Energy Storage

Project Success

In 2023, the Kenhardt Hybrid Solar and Battery Energy Storage Project in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa was successfully connected to the grid and put into operation, effectively alleviating the local long-term power outage pressure and providing stable power support for regional enterprises and people's livelihood. Behind this achievement is the full support of Dongguan GERITEL Electrical Co., Ltd. — as the core wire supplier of the project, we relied on the total solution of "DC Cable + 33kV Medium Voltage Cable + Energy Storage High-Current Cable" to accurately solve the four core problems of the project, and became the key support for the successful completion of the project with certified products and efficient delivery capacity.

Covering nearly 1 million photovoltaic modules and a large-scale energy storage system (BESS), this project is a leading photovoltaic energy storage integrated project in South Africa. Our photovoltaic DC cables, accounting for more than 60% of the total usage, have become the core carrier of the project's transmission link, proving the reliability and adaptability of our products with strength.

Why Do Photovoltaic Energy Storage Projects Need High-Quality Cables?

To understand the core needs of the Kenhardt project, we first need to understand the underlying logic of the South African energy market — photovoltaic energy storage here is not an "icing on the cake" new energy layout, but a "lifesaving" rigid demand.

Affected by the long-term load shedding of Eskom (South African National Power Grid Company), South Africa experiences power outages of 2–10 hours every day, and electricity prices continue to rise. This has forced enterprises to suspend production and posed challenges to people's livelihood security, prompting enterprises to build their own power stations (the C&I market has boomed). As the core of ensuring the continuity of power supply, the energy storage system has been upgraded from an "optional configuration" to a "necessary facility", which also makes the selection of cable products the key to the success of the project — the extreme desert environment, low-voltage and high-current transmission, and pressure on construction period and cost all put forward higher requirements for the quality and adaptability of cables than conventional projects.

Located in a desert area, the Kenhardt project, coupled with the complex needs of the large-scale energy storage system, has become a "touchstone" to test the strength of cable suppliers. The reason why we stood out is that we accurately insight into market needs and match project pain points.

Project Review: How Did We Solve the Four Core Pain Points One by One?

The construction difficulty and technical requirements of the Kenhardt project are far higher than those of conventional photovoltaic energy storage projects. During the promotion process, the customer was troubled by four core pain points, and our customized solution accurately met each demand, escorting the project to completion throughout the whole process:

Pain Point 1: Eskom Load Shedding, Unstable Power Supply

Customer's Core Demand: As a regional power supply supplementary project, it is necessary to realize the coordinated operation of the photovoltaic and energy storage systems to ensure continuous power supply and avoid power supply link interruption due to cable failure.

Our Solution: Adopt the coordinated design of "photovoltaic DC cable + 33kV medium voltage cable + energy storage high-current cable" to achieve seamless connection of photovoltaic power generation, energy storage regulation and grid connection. Among them, theH1Z2Z2-K 1500V DC Solar Cable (photovoltaic DC cable) ensures stable transmission from modules to inverters, the 33kV XLPE Medium Voltage Cable (Single-Core) realizes efficient power collection from box transformers to booster stations, and the Flexible Tinned Copper Battery Cable, LSZH (energy storage high-current cable) solves the problem of low-voltage and high-current transmission in the energy storage system. The three work together to effectively resist grid fluctuations, ensure continuous power supply, and alleviate the impact of Eskom load shedding.

Pain Point 2: Complex Energy Storage System, High Risk of Cable Selection

Customer's Core Demand: The core difficulty of the project lies in the energy storage system. In the low-voltage and high-current transmission scenario, the high-temperature environment is likely to cause cable overheating and aging. Professional selection guidance and adaptive products are urgently needed to avoid safety risks.

Our Solution: Set up a professional selection team to customize the adaptive solution according to the characteristics of the energy storage system — recommend LSZH low-smoke halogen-free high-current flexible cables (specifications: 120mm²/240mm²/400mm²), which adopt tinned copper conductors (anti-corrosion) and LSZH sheaths (environmentally friendly and safe). The flexible structure is convenient for wiring in the energy storage cabin and can stably carry high current in high-temperature environments. Compared with ordinary rigid cables, it not only reduces installation difficulty, but also effectively avoids overheating and aging risks; at the same time, we provide complete selection support and guide customers to complete cable matching throughout the whole process to eliminate selection errors.

Pain Point 3: Extreme Desert Environment, Easy Cable Aging and Failure

Customer's Core Demand: In desert areas with high temperature and strong ultraviolet radiation, the insulation layer of ordinary cables is easy to age and crack, which cannot meet the project's service life requirement of more than 25 years.

Our Solution: Targeted optimization of all cable performance — photovoltaic DC cables adopt XLPO insulation layer, whose UV resistance and high temperature resistance are more than 3 times higher than ordinary PVC, and can withstand alternating high and low temperatures and strong ultraviolet radiation in desert areas; medium voltage cables and energy storage cables adopt tinned copper conductors and anti-corrosion sheaths to effectively resist underground corrosion and mechanical damage; all cables have passed strict anti-aging tests to ensure a service life of more than 25 years, without frequent replacement, reducing long-term maintenance costs.

Pain Point 4: Tight Construction Period, Cost Pressure, Difficulty in Balancing Efficiency and Quality

Customer's Core Demand: The project requires rapid installation and grid connection, so it is necessary to ensure the spot supply of cables; at the same time, it is necessary to control the overall investment cost and refuse "over-configuration" and "quality shrinkage".

Our Solution: Reserve spot supplies of conventional specifications in advance, including 4mm² (mainstream), 6mm² (long-distance) photovoltaic DC cables and 0.6/1kV XLPE Cables (YJV) of 3×240mm² and 3×300mm² specifications, which can quickly respond to supply needs; for customized energy storage high-current cables and medium voltage cables, start the urgent production mechanism to ensure on-time delivery; through standardized selection and system optimization design, on the premise of ensuring quality, save customers about 10% of procurement and construction costs, and provide prefabricated cable solutions to reduce on-site processing time and help the project grid-connect ahead of schedule.

Product Hard Power: Complete Certifications and Full Adaptability

In addition to the accurate solution, the core reason why customers choose us is that our products have irreplaceable hard power — complete certifications, reliable quality, and full adaptability to the South African market needs:

1. Core Certifications for Photovoltaic Cables: Possess TUV certificate (Certificate No.: B 126326 0001 Rev.00) and UL4703 certification (UL File No.: E552397), fully comply with international photovoltaic cable standards, and can directly pass the local project acceptance in South Africa without additional testing, avoiding certification risks. This is one of our core advantages different from other suppliers.

2. Full Range of Product Coverage: In addition to the core photovoltaic DC cables, 33kV medium voltage cables and energy storage high-current cables, we also provide control cables (KVV/RVVP), shielded cables and optical fibers, covering the full-link transmission and control needs of the project. Among them, the shielded cables have anti-interference ability, which can resist the complex electromagnetic environment in the desert and ensure the stable signal transmission of the SCADA system, inverter monitoring and BESS scheduling.

3. Strict Quality Control: Relying on years of experience in undertaking similar projects, all cables have passed strict factory inspections, covering core indicators such as insulation performance, high temperature resistance, UV resistance and current carrying capacity, ensuring that each batch of products meets international standards and project requirements; at the same time, the delivery time of our cables is 30% faster than the industry average, which can perfectly match the project construction period requirements.

More Than a Supplier, But a Project Partner

In this Kenhardt project, we not only provided customers with high-quality cable products, but also became a "project partner" of customers with full-process services: from pre-selection guidance, mid-term spot supply and logistics tracking, to late on-site installation guidance and after-sales technical support, we followed up the whole process, timely solved various problems in the project promotion process, and finally helped customers complete the project grid-connection ahead of schedule and successfully achieve the power supply goal.

Up to now, all kinds of cables we supplied have been running stably without any quality problems, effectively alleviating the local power outage pressure and providing stable power support for regional enterprise production and people's livelihood security. Customers highly recognize our product quality, delivery efficiency and professional services, and clearly stated that they will continue to deepen cooperation in subsequent projects — this is the best testimony of our deep cultivation in the South African market and practice of the "mutual benefit and win-win" concept.

Work Together to Solve South Africa's Energy Dilemma

South Africa's energy shortage problem has existed for a long time, and the demand for the photovoltaic energy storage market continues to boom. Choosing a cable product with complete certifications, adaptability to extreme environments and reliable quality is the key to the smooth implementation of your project.

Dongguan GERITEL Electrical Co., Ltd. has rich experience in wire export to South Africa, complete product certifications, and a professional selection and delivery team. We can provide you with the total solution of "DC Cable + 33kV Medium Voltage Cable + Energy Storage High-Current Cable" for your photovoltaic energy storage projects, accurately solve project pain points, balance quality, efficiency and cost, and help you seize opportunities in the South African energy market.

If you are promoting photovoltaic, energy storage and related projects in South Africa and facing problems such as cable selection, supply and installation, please feel free to contact us. We will provide you with customized solutions, and work with you to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results and jointly solve South Africa's energy dilemma with reliable quality and efficient services!

Contact Information:

Dongguan GERITEL Electrical Co., Ltd.

Tel/WhatsApp/WeChat: +86 135 1078 4550 / +86 136 6257 9592

Email: manager01@greaterwire.com