Energy Partners (EP) has successfully delivered a 3,2MWp, 3,1MWh hybrid power project for the Futuregrowth Community Property Fund-owned Heidelberg Mall in Heidelberg, Gauteng.
The project ensures 24/7 uninterrupted power, significantly reducing total electricity expenditure and offering a compelling value proposition for retail tenants.
EP designed a hybrid system that guarantees peak demand reduction, increases self-consumption from excess solar generation, saves on diesel, and achieves arbitrage savings, better known as load shifting.
Manie de Waal, CEO of EP, notes that the project is but another step in an already proven partnership with Comprop, which began in 2018.
“Our ongoing collaboration with Comprop has been instrumental in driving substantial energy savings and lowering operational costs across their property portfolio. Over the past seven years, we’ve successfully implemented more than 13 MWp across 11 properties.”
The Comprop portfolio, he confirms, has experienced consistent on-target generation performance thanks to EP’s maintenance and real-time monitoring
The Heidelberg Mall project provides an uninterrupted power supply to the entire mall, handling loads up to 2,5MVA.
EP’s proprietary Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) control philosophy and engineering design integrate three power generation sources, creating a robust off-grid solution. The grid serves as a back-up, while the primary sources are solar and diesel generation.
Charl du Plessis, GM of EP Power, says: “The rooftop solar system can carry the mall’s full load during the day, and the BESS is sized to ensure autonomy during loadshedding and even unexpected grid failures by means of smart load management and diesel generation.
“The design guarantees zero interruption on full mall load when the grid fails including unexpected grid failures. Additionally, the design protects the entire mall load from voltage fluctuations and other grid power quality issues.”
The control philosophy is fully integrated with various external systems to optimise electricity usage and expenditure. This includes smart load management in the mall on HVAC, weather prediction integration for solar generation forecasting, and loadshedding schedule planning.
The entire system is remotely monitored via real-time dashboards and continuous support from EP’s plant monitoring hub in Bellville, Cape Town.
EP’s asset management team oversees a spectrum of energy solutions including steam boilers, hybrid generation power plants and refrigeration systems.