Portuguese infrastructure company MCA Group has officially inaugurated Africa’s largest off grid solar photovoltaic park in Angola, marking a major milestone for renewable energy development in the region. Located in Cazombo in the newly established province of Moxico Leste, the hybrid power plant is providing round the clock electricity to an isolated community previously without access to the national grid.
The facility combines a 25 megawatt peak solar photovoltaic plant with a 75 megawatt hour battery energy storage system, creating a fully renewable power station capable of delivering stable electricity to more than 136,000 residents. The project forms part of Angola’s national electrification programme, which aims to bring sustainable power to communities, towns and villages beyond the reach of existing grid infrastructure.
SMA Altenso has been selected by MCA Group as a key technology partner and preferred supplier for PV and battery system integration across this and future sites in Angola. The company is supplying advanced power conversion systems as well as fully customised battery containers, designed to meet the demanding requirements of remote off grid applications.
The battery containers are assembled at the SMA GIGAWATT Factory in Niestetal and are engineered to ensure continuous power availability, grid forming capability and reliable operation in challenging environments. The Cazombo project also incorporates Blackstart functionality, allowing the plant to restart automatically following a system outage.
This installation represents the first phase of a wider project pipeline developed by MCA Group and the Angolan government. Across two phases, the pipeline is expected to exceed 500 megawatt hours of installed battery capacity, supporting a network of off grid power plants and mini grids nationwide.
According to Angola’s Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, the broader solar programme represents an investment of more than one billion US dollars. In addition to supplying uninterrupted electricity, the new infrastructure is expected to reduce annual diesel fuel consumption by almost 10 million litres, delivering significant economic and environmental benefits in remote regions.
The national programme covers multiple provinces including Bié, Malanje, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Moxico and Moxico Leste, with a total planned capacity of 256 megawatt peak of solar generation and 595 megawatt hours of energy storage.
SMA Altenso, a subsidiary of German power electronics leader SMA Technology AG, has strengthened its global reach with the establishment of Altenso Africa (Pty) Ltd. in South Africa. The move marks a significant step in the company’s strategy to expand its large-scale energy solutions business across Sub-Saharan Africa.
For enquiries, please email the Altenso team in Cape Town at: Africa@SMA-Altenso.com
Author: Bryan Groenendaal

 






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