Hybrid microgrid project adds 39 MWh of battery storage at Zambian mine

SANY Silicon Energy, the PV division of the larger Chinese conglomerate SANY Group, has launched a hybrid microgrid project comprised of solar, storage, and diesel in Zambia.

The project was designed for the mining industry. It is comprised of a 13 MWp solar system with a 39 MWh battery energy storage system with a diesel generator as a backup power source.

It is located at the Ruida Mine in Kabompo in Zambia, where it aims to contribute to the decarbonization of daily operations. Zambia has suffered severe droughts in recent times, and its reliance on hydropower, such as the hydropowered Kariba Dam, is so high that when drought strikes blackouts occur.

Adding a hybrid microgrid with renewable storage capacity at the Ruida Mine will help the mine bolster its energy security in the event of another energy crisis.

Ruida Mine and SANY signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) in August 2024, and shortly thereafter decided to take a flexible model mostly based on procurement in China, with occasional local purchases for urgent items.

SANY shipped the first batch of PV modules, brackets, inverters, and cables to Zambia in September and construction teams arrived in the area a month later. The project is a significant step for both Zambia’s industry decarbonization efforts and SANY’s operations in Central Africa.

Other companies creating renewable projects in Zambia include ENGIE Energy Access, which announced five new solar minigrids in November 2024, and Turkish developer YEO and Zambia’s GEI Power’s 60 MW/20 MWh solar plant with battery storage. This facility, which was first announced in May 2024, was touted as Zambia’s first solar plant with battery storage.