Electricity and Control June 2023

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Automotive supplier moves to solar

Yanfeng, a leading global supplier of automotive components, has reached another milestone in its sustainability journey in bringing the power of solar energy to its plants in South Africa. The company uses renewable energy at all its locations in Europe – some of which are already operating with 100% green energy – and now will supplement its operations in South Africa with sustainable and emission-free solar energy generation. This has positioned Yanfeng at the forefront of alternative energy in its industry, as it is the only supplier in the AIDC’s (Automotive Industry Development Centre’s) Automotive Supplier Park in Pretoria, and the East London Industrial Development Zone Supplier Park, that makes use of renewable energy. With this, the company is taking a further step towards resource-saving production and contributing to the reduction of CO 2 emissions. The new photovoltaic (PV) systems are operating at both sites and will produce a combined 2 843 019 kWh of electricity in the first year. Each plant took about three months to complete, with a total of 3 510 solar panels installed on the roofs of the production halls to convert sunlight into sustainable and cost-saving electricity. Many sectors are facing major challenges with the transition to a low-carbon economy. The automotive sec tor in particular faces operational and economic chal lenges in transforming production plants into net-zero emissions operations. At Yanfeng in South Africa, with its commitment to sustainability, 100% of the solar energy generated by the PV systems is used to power its pro duction plants, helping it to prevent emissions of some 2 559 tons of CO 2 annually – and, at the same time, re duce its monthly costs and increase efficiencies. “With this change to renewable energy we can make SOLARWORLD Africa, a leading provider of solar energy solutions in southern Africa, recently formal ised a partnership with Risen Energy, a solar panel manufacturer, based in China, and known for pro ducing some of the most efficient and durable solar panels in the world. Well suited to the African climate, the Risen Energy Hyper-ion HJT solar modules are designed to operate at high temperatures and – in Johannesburg for example – generate 5.61% more electricity per year compared to a standard mono PERC module. With close to 40 years’ experience on the continent, SOLARWORLD has pioneered the use of renewable energy solutions across southern and sub Saharan Africa. Gregor Küpper, Managing Director of SOLARWORLD Africa says, “We understand the better performance of hetero-junction cell technology and the benefits of partnering with well-known companies like Risen Energy to import its panels to Southern Africa. The High performance solar panels

Solar panels installed on the roof of Yanfeng’s plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria. our production processes more environmentally friendly and save resources,” says Simon Pella, Senior Manager Procurement at Yanfeng. “Energy and emissions sav ings at our locations are an important measure for us in achieving our sustainability targets and our goal to reach net-zero emissions production at our plants by 2030.” The solar energy systems were funded by SolarAfrica, which will also operate, maintain and monitor the systems going forward. CEO of SolarAfrica, David McDonald said, “From the outset of these projects, Yanfeng’s focus was on reducing its CO 2 emissions and SolarAfrica is proud to partner with the company to make its journey towards sustainability a success. It’s inspiring to see a global com pany like Yanfeng invest in world-class facilities in South Africa, contributing to our country’s green economy and supporting job creation in the automotive industry.” All Yanfeng’s European plants were converted to re newable energy by the beginning of 2022. With this new PV system, the company has reached a further milestone on its way to converting its two plants in South Africa to net-zero emissions production. solar modules perform exceptionally well.” The Hyper-ion HJT solar panel is one of the newest products from Risen Energy. This innovative technology combines heterojunction cells with a high-efficiency passivated emitter rear cell (PERC) structure, resulting in a solar panel providing an unmatched level of efficiency and performance. The Hyper-ion HJT solar panel has an efficiency rating of up to 22.3%, which means it is can generate more electricity from the same amount of sunlight compared to other solar panels. The solar panel also has a high tolerance to shading, and a longer lifespan than many other solar panels on the market. “The product warranty for the Hyper-ion HJT solar panels is 12 years, but the long-term efficiency and durability of the panels ensures that customers will benefit from solar energy for many years beyond the warranty period,” says Küpper. For more information contact visit: www.yanfeng.com

Gregor Küpper, Managing Director of SOLARWORLD Africa.

For more information contact SOLARWORLD Africa. Visit: www.solarworld.co.za

14 Electricity + Control JUNE 2023