Civil Engineering November 2022 | Vol 30 No 10

44 November 2022 Civil Engineering T he Golomoti Solar PV project is a 28.5 MWp solar PV and battery energy storage project conceived to bring electricity to the people of Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. Only about 10% of Malawi’s popula- tion has access to electricity, and the country is heavily reliant on hydropower, putting its energy supply at risk during dry seasons as well as being highly vulner- able to climate change impacting water availability. Solar power has the potential for driving a greener, more sustainable future for the African continent, while accelerating quality of life. Completed in 2021, the solar plant is coupled with a 5 MW/10 MWh battery storage system and will provide the Malawian power grid with 20 MW of much-needed power. Golomoti Solar was co-developed by JCM Power, a Canadian independent power producer, and InfraCo, an investment company of the Private Infrastructure Development Group, with JCM Power also managing the execution of the works. The Golomoti Solar Power Plant entered the commercial operation phase in early 2022. OVERCOMING CHALLENGES Zutari undertook the PV plant design and layout, civil works, geotechnical investiga- tion and foundation design, and electrical works for the project. The team created the power plant in a 3D interactive space, which allowed the client to showcase the project to investors. The 3D interactive model was continually updated to reflect the latest designs and assisted in design discussions. It made dynamic visualisation and movement possible around the virtual site, and evaluated the potential for table shading by having the tables track the sun position. The project was inherently challenging as the site had a number of complexities: difficult ground conditions that changed with the seasons; a landlocked country where procurement of equipment would be expensive and logistically demanding; a complicated site shape with a magnifi- cent baobab tree taking centre stage; and villages surrounding the site. The ground conditions on site were complex and changed with the seasons from hard ground to soft sludge. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, the team applied an innovative approach to testing the foundations and ground remotely in order to understand conditions on site. Creativity was applied in articulating the foundation risks to the client and devel- oping an adaptive construction process to site conditions, enabling the client and contractor to make informed decisions. Civil designs were optimised to reduce costs through design of earthworks, availability of materials in-country, and drainage. Drainage was key and the solution needed to consider the broader impact on the surrounding village. AWARD-WINNING DEVELOPMENT The Golomoti Solar PV project is the first utility-scale grid-connected hybrid solar and battery energy storage system in sub-Saharan Africa. The project won the IJ Global Awards, African Battery Storage Deal of the Year in 2020, acknowledging this high-quality innovative development. For the region, this marks a significant milestone as energy storage provides an important tool for integrating increasing amounts of renewable energy into utilities’ networks. Through the inclusion of the bat- tery system, the project reduces variation in output during cloud cover, supports control- ling voltage and frequency of the grid, and dispatches energy in the evening peak.  SANRAL SA I CE 2022 Nat i onal Awards Category: I nternat i onal FINALIST International category KEY PLAYERS Client: JCM Power Consultant: Zutari Contractor: H.E. Jackson Engineering (civil) and Optipower (electrical) Golomoti Solar PV and Battery Energy Storage Project , Malawi The Golomoti Solar PV project will provide 20 MW to Malawi’s power grid The design honoured the ancient baobab tree on the site