Field report, Must Renewable Energy 2019
This year’s Must Renewable Energy project was a pre-feasibility for our clients Unil, who together with their Namibian partner Meatco are looking into the possibility of installing a solar PV installation at Meatco’s facilites. As part of the summer project, we were accompanied with a senior advisor from the solar department for a site visit to Namibia.
During our visit, we conducted high-level meetings with energy-related entities during which we conversed on energy laws and regulations that could potentially influence the project design and ownership. Meetings were held with Nampower (the national utility), the City of Windhoek and the Electricity Control Board. We had an in-depth discussion on existing national and local regulations. We also received insight on upcoming changes to the legal framework especially on tariff structure and energy trading.
Further on, we received a guided site tour of Meatco’s facility at Windhoek and some potential ground sites for a solar installation. We visually inspected and identified rooftops and an area on the ground site that could be feasible for a solar plant. We also took note of the existing loads, electrical infrastructure and back up energy systems. An existing hybrid rooftop solar PV plant was also inspected.
The field visit was conducted to supplement existing knowledge with the collection of valuable data that has been be incorporated into the pre-feasibility study for the client. The remaining days were spent at Meatco’s offices, where we were well received and taken good care of. At the conclusion of the field visit, we had the option to begin our vacation. Some of our experiences included wildlife safaris, skydiving, and paragliding.
The final phase of the project was completed back at Multiconsult’s offices in Skøyen, where we reviewed all the information from our field visit, wrote the final report and presented it to Unil at their offices.
In total, the MUST renewable energy summer project has been very rewarding. We have acquired valuable knowledge, both about renewable energy, the Namibian electricity market, and what it is like to work in Multiconsult.
The Must team along with Tony, who represented Meatco
Meeting with the Electricity Control Board (ECB)