Product News
Heavy lift specialist plays an important role in the
renewable energy program
Bi-metallic reactions affect solar PV
module support structures
While South Africa grapples with constrained power supply and regular load
shedding, a quiet revolution in renewable energy is taking place – often in remote
and unnoticed parts of the country. According to Craig Pace, director at international
heavy lift, abnormal transport and installations specialist Vanguard, this revolution
has already brought substantial benefits, saving the economy billions of Rands in
diesel and coal that Eskom would have to have burnt to keep the lights on. He said
that 32 renewable energy projects had already been completed and connected
to the grid, with government planning to more than double this figure by reaching
3,625 MW by 2030.
The cost of aluminium has been rising steadily over the
last couple of years making the decision to opt for a
cheaper alternative easy when comparing the cost
of mild steel as a method to support solar PV panels
on rooftop and ground mount installations. Bimetallic
reactions are hardly ever mentioned in conversations
where supporting mechanisms are discussed.
The photos provided above and below was taken
at an installation that was installed approx. eight
months ago.
Vanguard has been integrally involved with a number of pioneering wind farms
around South Africa in recent years, according to Pace. “We have engineered
efficient solutions for dealing with the large and complex wind turbine components
being imported for wind farm projects – from discharging the vessel, specialised
transport requirements to the hard stands, on-site lifting/erection and electrical
installations of 108 wind turbine generators,” he said.
Among the recent contracts completed have been the West coast one wind farm
near Vredenburg on the western cape coast, where Vanguard erected 20 Vestas
V90 2.0 MW turbine generators with its GTK1100 crane, and the Chaba wind farm
near Komga in the Eastern Cape, where the company discharged seven Vestas
V112-3.0 MW wind turbine generators from the vessel, off-loaded into a storage area,
and reloaded for transport to the wind farm. Other projects include the Grassridge
wind farm, also near Port Elizabeth, the Noblesfontein wind farm near Victoria West
in the Northern Cape, and Metrowind’s Van Stadens wind farm in the Eastern Cape.
“These contracts have shown that Vanguard is the only South African-owned
company with the expertise and capacity – including fully-licensed and registered
equipment – to offer a full turnkey project solution to the growing wind-energy
market,” said Pace. “Our commitment to clients is always to deliver on time and within
budget, without compromising safety.” Vanguard’s fleet of specialised equipment
includes the GTK 1100 telescopic mobile tower crane – the only unit in the Southern
Hemisphere - which has proved invaluable in many of the wind farm installations.
Contact Craig Pace, Vanguard Rigging, Tel 011 616-1800,
craig@vanguard.co.za 
Systems being installed by EPC’s, contractors & project
developers are supplied with the intention that the
technology being supplied is supposed to last for
+25 years. Although the design and integrity of the
support mechanism should theoretically also last for
the duration and life of the PV panels, it is unlikely that
this would be the case where aluminium PV frames
have been supported by galvanised mild steel support
structures where no insulating materials separated the
two types of metal. Only in a very small percentage
of installations where mild steel support mechanisms
have been used, did the installer take the time to
isolate the two metals from one another with a thin
piece of rubber or similar product. If a standard exists
for the quality of products or services being delivered, it
can’t realistically be enforced retrospectively. However,
as the standards have not yet been approved for
solar PV installations in SA local contractors and
project developers are urged to install products
according to the relevant IEC standards. It is likely and
or possible that the IEC standards will be adopted for
local installations. (Having said that, this post does not
imply that it is going to be adopted, it is likely that a
large percentage of the applicable IEC standards will
be adopted for local installations.) If and when the
standard is adopted, project developers may find
themselves in the position where the older installations
would have to be upgraded to the adopted standard.
This could be enforced through the electrical CoC that
electricians issue against an installation as the integrity
and safety of the installation could be compromised.
Contact Carel Ballack, PQRS,
Tel 011 061-5000,
ombudsman@sessa.org.za 
Energize RE: Renewable Energy Supplement - June 2015 - Page 70