Solar power is widely regarded as the cleanest source of renewable energy, and the market for it is expanding rapidly in South Africa. Solar farms and facilities, more and more, are taking pressure off the national grid; remarkable setups that are becoming more sophisticated and broader in scale as time goes on.
The Continued Rise of Solar Power In South Africa
As it stands, around 1479 MW of electricity in South Africa are generated through solar power facilities, a great deal, but the projection is that solar farms will be producing around 3600 MW by 2026, a forecast made in 2021 that seems to be steadily on track towards being correct.
And while the development of these photovoltaic facilities grows by the year, solar power generation is still something a bit too expensive for the residential market, with even just 2kW systems costing in excess of R60 000.
This means that as time goes on, it is the solar farms and photovoltaic facilities that will be producing and distributing the bulk of solar energy, and construction of these facilities is continually under way.
Understanding what goes into constructing these monuments to renewable energy is important, and as a leading crane hire services provider in South Africa, we are able to focus on a particular angle of challenges where this development is concerned, namely the transport and installation of solar panels and modules using specialised skills and cranes.
Pre-Planning for Delicate Operations
With any hoisting or abnormal transportation operation, there is a certain amount of pre-planning that needs to be conducted thoroughly to ensure that you account for everything. Risk mitigation is even a factor where run-of-the-mill crane hire services are concerned.
A Balance of Cost, Care, & Concentration
When solar modules come into the equation, things get complicated quickly, and the cost of mistakes rises substantially. It’s no secret that solar panels are anything but cheap, largely due to them generally being imports. This means that costs behind risks get substantially deeper, while any margins for error shrink.
Another thing that makes solar panels a challenging part of constructing energy farms, is that they are remarkably fragile. They may be more robust than they have ever been, but they still need to be handled with absolute care. Generally, panels themselves are only a few millimetres thick, albeit they are protected with strong glass frames.
Often, modules are also quite cumbersome and need to be laid with a degree of accuracy, which means that traditional rigging operations might not be able to manage them, while simultaneously being gentle enough to ensure that they are not damaged.
Focus & Expertise at Every Point of the Project
Yes, pre-planning is thusly essential, but so is the execution of that plan, and for that to happen successfully, a contractor or crane hire services provider needs to be able to account for two important things:
A familiarity with cranes themselves, which is nothing unexpected in any situation where cranes are being used, and a familiarity with the challenges and applications of solar farms.
This two expertise need to work together at all stages of the operations to account for everything, and to minimise risk.
Contact JMB Cranes For Details
Here at JMB Cranes, we offer an array of specialist skills and offers for crane hire services that are perfectly applied to a range of industry types and projects, not withstanding our support for the growing solar market in South Africa. If you would like to know more about our offers, be sure to visit our website today.