Africa’s largest solar power rooftop project is to be installed in Namibia, says New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listed firm China Photovoltaic Group (CNPV) Solar Power SA.

German solar product firm Donauer has won a contract to deliver a 1.1MWp supply rooftop project for Namibian Breweries Limited (NBL), while CNPV Solar Power SA -- which is a manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products -- says it will provide Donauer with the project’s necessary equipment.

Bypina Veerraju Chaudary, who is the chief operating officer for Solar Power SA in China, tells ITWeb Africa that while there are 500 kilowatt and 700 kilowatt rooftop solar power projects in Africa, the Namibian Breweries project is the first megawatt offering of its kind on the continent.

Chaudary further says that the Namibian project is a hybrid between diesel and solar power energy, which means Namibian Breweries does not need to rely on an electricity grid.

“This kind of application is unique, because in Africa most power (supplies) are running on diesel, so adding solar, you can add up to 40 to 50% load on the diesel,” Chaudary tells ITWeb Africa.

He adds that the power offering can be scaled up for Namibian Breweries.

Chaudary, though, has not disclosed the value of the Namibian Breweries deal or how much it could cost to add extra power.

“They (Namibian Breweries) have several buildings, so it can be added on that: it’s just ‘copy and paste’,” Chaudary says.

Namibia’s hot climate makes it a good location for solar power energy use.

Apart from having natural assets such as the Namib Desert where summer temperatures can reach 40 degrees celsius, Namibia is also said to have 300 days of sunshine per year.

But in a statement, Solar Power SA has added that “commercial entities within Namibia have to contend with high energy pricing, to the extent that they frequently supplement the existing grid supply with their own diesel generators.”

Namibia only generates about 39% of its own electricity, with 40% of its power coming from South Africa’s Eskom, according to a report on ESI-Africa.com.

However, Namibia’s state power utility NamPower is moving to boost the country’s local electricity supplies, albeit slowly.

Earlier this year, NamPower said it narrowed the number of bidders who are competing to win a contract to build a $1.2 billion power station to generate electricity from Namibia’s Kudu gas fields.

Bloomberg's Businessweek also reported earlier this year that the combined-cycle gas-turbine Kudu facility is forecast to produce 800 megawatts, which could more than double Namibia’s total electricity output.

But the project is only planned to be operational in 2018.

And while power constraints and high prices exist in Africa, companies such as Solar Power SA are looking to do more business on the continent.

Malawi, Uganda, Kenya and South Africa are countries where Solar Power SA has engaged in projects, Chaudary says.

Chaudary further adds that business could grow for his firm in Africa.

“Our investment is increasing in the African continent, I strongly believe that in the next couple of years, the African continent will be a very sizeable market,” he says.