Vol. 78 No. 01 (2023): The South African Dental Journal

Khi Solar One (KSO), in Upington in the Northern Cape, is Africa’s first concentrated solar power thermal power plant. The solar plant is 140 hectares and produces 50 MW of energy through its Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage System, reducing the country’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 138 000
metric tons per year. Developed by Spanish company Abengoa and financed by Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and community group, Khi Community Trust, it is the first tower plant to achieve 24 hours of operation with solar energy only and is part of the Department of Energy’s project to bring a combination of wind and solar energy to generate 17 800 MW from renewable energy by 2030.
Commissioned in 2016, the thermal energy storage project uses molten salt as its storage technology. The power station includes a facility to store steam, enabling it to generate electricity for two hours when the sun is not shining, and uses dry cooling, which dramatically reduces water consumption by two thirds.