By Isabella Kaminski

Juwi’s renewable energy activities in South Africa will be coordinated from its office in Stellenbosch, about 50 km from Cape Town. The company is currently focusing on wind energy and plans to build plants with a total output of 200-300 MW within the next 9 years.

It says that South Africa offers excellent conditions for wind energy generation, a huge potential of suitable land and excellent legal conditions with its guaranteed feed-in tariff. In addition, the South African Government has set itself ambitious targets, planning to construct 4.5 GW by 2019.

Michael Böhm, Managing Director of Juwi Renewable Energies, says: “The Government follows a comprehensive energy strategy that combines different renewable energy sources. That matches what Juwi offers as we are active in all areas of renewable energy. In the longer term, we plan to construct solar projects in South Africa as well."

Meanwhile, the Chilean subsidiary, Juwi Energías Renovables de Chile, has opened an office in the capital Santiago. The first wind measurements in the north of the country will start soon.

The group is also the project developer for two solar research projects in the Atacama Desert. In 2010, two solar plants with a total output of 6 kW were installed in the coastal town Antofagasta and in the mountain town San Pedro de Atacama.

The plants use polycrystalline as well as monocrystalline modules and were constructed in cooperation with the Centre for the Development of Energy at the University of Antofagasta.

Alejandro Lobo-Guerrero Rodríguez, Managing Director of Project Development in Latin America, says: “Chile offers excellent wind conditions. In addition, it has great potential for solar power. Furthermore, Chile is a country with stable political conditions that is open to renewable energies.”