Aptech Africa recently successfully designed, built and installed the first off-grid solar battery hybrid power system in South Sudan. This USAID-funded project, developed by AECOM International, incorporated a one-of-a-kind containerized PV storage solution by SustainSolar.

In record time, Aptech Africa planned, installed and commissioned the 79kWp ground mounted solar power system which feeds the 125-kWh lithium-ion SustainSolar storage system.

Sustainable Power Generation from Cape Town, South Africa, built and delivered its pre-installed, temperature controlled, rugged SustainSolar 20-foot container, equipped with SMA solar and battery inverters and BYD batteries. This turn-key solution helped to reduce the installation time on site and ensures a safe and tamper-proof operation of this world-class energy management and storage system.

The new solar powered battery system is now powering Eye Radio, a leading radio station in South Sudan’s capital Juba, with engineering support from AECOM International Development, and is no longer dependent on its old diesel generators as its primary power supply, which are now only being used as backup.

With the significantly reduced running time of the diesel gensets, the fuel savings alone will lead to a speedy payback of the hybrid-storage system. This also serves as proof of concept that solar and battery systems not only offer a sustainable renewable energy solution, but also make financial sense for most diesel powered off-grid operations that are so frequently found across Africa, and elsewhere.

Aptech Africa – with their headquarters based in Uganda with representations in six further African countries – and Cape Town-based SustainSolar. will foster this new partnership, and discussions are already underway regarding additional sustainable energy projects into Africa.