South Africa launches first grid-forming project
Marula Green Power combines 132 MWp solar and 360 MWh battery storage, marking the country’s first grid-forming renewable energy facility.
Image for illustrative purposes
South Africa: Mzansi Energy Consortium is advancing South Africa’s clean energy transition by placing grid-forming technology at the centre of a new 12-year power purchase agreement with Palabora Mining Company.
The Marula Green Power project will become the country’s first grid-forming renewable energy facility. It will combine 132 MWp of solar photovoltaic capacity, a 360 MWh battery energy storage system, and a dedicated 132 kV transmission line.
Although renewable energy plays a key role in cutting carbon emissions, conventional grid-following renewable plants can sometimes create challenges for grid stability as renewable capacity increases. These systems synchronise with the existing grid but do not actively stabilise it.
Research and international experience suggest that once renewable penetration reaches around 30 %, traditional grid-following plants may contribute to frequency and voltage instability.
Wessel Wessels explained the difference using a simple comparison. Traditional systems are like an old train where only the locomotive, such as coal or gas power plants, provides stability, while renewable plants act like additional carriages that add weight without strengthening the system.
By contrast, grid-forming technology works more like a modern high-speed train where each carriage contributes to both movement and stability. Grid-forming inverters actively help maintain voltage and frequency as renewable capacity grows.
Wessels believes this technology will soon become the standard. Grid-forming systems allow solar and battery storage to operate similarly to conventional generators, offering inertia, voltage support and even black-start capability.
South Africa’s national utility Eskom and regulators are expected to soon require new projects to meet grid-forming standards.
Source: ESI Africa
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