Press Release
Zurich, Switzerland
13-01-2023
3 min read
Hitachi Energy and Sun Africa & UGT Renewables to help accelerate the energy transition
Hitachi Energy and Sun Africa & UGT Renewables collaborate on utility-scale solar projects
The strategic collaboration will provide fully financed utility-scale solar photovoltaic plants to speed up progress to net zero.
Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sun Africa and its sister company, UGT Renewables, to collaborate on utility-scale solar photovoltaic power generation projects that will accelerate the energy transition and provide access to energy in emerging and developing markets worldwide.
The partners are currently completing their first project together: a 370-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant across seven sites in Angola, the largest of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. They also have several utility-scale projects under negotiation, totaling more than 12 gigawatts in capacity, with various governments in Africa and Eurasia.
In the non-exclusive memorandum, both parties agree to collaborate at an early stage of prospective projects. They will jointly engage with local and international stakeholders, and provide optimized best-in-class and well-integrated solar power solutions that will enable developing nations to take significant steps toward broad and environmentally sustainable electrification.
“We are delighted to be working with Sun Africa and UGT Renewables to bring utility-scale emission-free energy projects to a growing number of countries in the world,” says Johan Soderstrom, Executive Vice President, Head of Regions, Europe, Middle East and Africa of Hitachi Energy. “The combination of their business model and our solutions help countries develop their economies, progress toward net zero, and provide their people with access to clean and reliable electricity.”
“Our first collaboration with Hitachi Energy in Angola was a huge success, both for ourselves and the Government of Angola on behalf of whom we developed the project,” says Adam Cortese, CEO of Sun Africa and UGT Renewables. “We have developed a relationship of trust with Hitachi Energy and an efficient and effective way of working that benefits all the stakeholders with whom we work.”
Hitachi Energy is providing complete engineered solutions for optimized power collection packages and high-voltage grid connections, ensuring safe and reliable aggregation and transmission of power from the solar arrays to the power grid. Grid-eXpand™ grid connection solar solutions span the entire electrification of large-scale photovoltaic plants to deliver significant value. They are engineered, assembled and factory-tested before delivery, ready for speedy and easy energization on-site while reducing site-based construction risks.
The scope also includes an advanced supervisory control and data acquisition system that monitors the grid connection to help increase the flexibility of the energy system that is key in the integration of renewables. Advanced power consulting studies will also ensure grid code compliance and system-wide optimization.
Hitachi Energy brings its unique strengths to this collaboration. It is a leading provider of grid connections and power quality solutions, specializing in integration of renewables into the power grids and engineering excellence, a global footprint with strong local know-how.
Sun Africa and UGT Renewables will develop the projects, which after construction are transferred to the designated operator for continued operation. Each project will have a competitive levelized cost of energy, will be fully financed, and have an operations and maintenance plan in place to ensure the efficient and effective transfer of knowledge and technology.
About Hitachi Energy
Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 40,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of approximately $10 billion USD.
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About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society with data and technology. We will solve customers' and society's challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products, under the business structure of Digital Systems & Services, Green Energy & Mobility, Connective Industries and Automotive Systems. Driven by green, digital, and innovation, we aim for growth through collaboration with our customers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2021 (ended March 31, 2022) totaled 10,264.6 billion yen ($84,136 million USD), with 853 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 370,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.
About Sun Africa / UGT Renewables
Sun Africa and UGT Renewables (UGTR) deliver competitive, sustainable renewable energy solutions that improve quality of life, protect our environment, and streamline processes for leaders and decision makers alike. With 12GW under development, we are presently the largest US-based solar developer working internationally and are at the center of developing economies’ push to meet growing energy needs sustainably.
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