CrossBoundary Energy's 233 MW Kamoa solar project in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached full-capacity grid connection and started commercial operation, the company said. The plant runs on AIKO's high-efficiency ABC modules and pairs solar generation with battery storage to supply continuous power around the clock, which CrossBoundary describes as a first for this kind of project in Africa. Commercial operation arrived 16 months after the power purchase agreement was signed.
Replacing diesel at a copper mine
The plant sits next to the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, one of the largest copper mining operations in the world. Mines in remote parts of Africa have typically depended on diesel generators, which expose operators to swings in fuel prices and to costs tied to carbon compliance. Kamoa is built to replace that diesel load with solar-plus-storage supply instead.
Module specs
- About 360,000 AIKO 655 W dual-glass modules, 66-cell format
- Mass-production efficiency of 24.2%
- About 30 W more output per module than comparable products of the same format, according to AIKO
AIKO says the modules' temperature coefficient and hotspot suppression help keep output stable and the system safe under the mine's heat and high sunlight levels.
Expected output
Over a 30-year operating life, Kamoa is expected to generate 7.8 billion kWh of electricity and avoid about 78,800 tonnes of carbon emissions a year. The DRC's power supply has been dominated by hydropower, and CrossBoundary points to Kamoa as a model for pairing solar power with mining elsewhere in Africa.
