📍 Project Background

In November 2017, Agulhas Utilities Corporation was commissioned by the owners of Kanonkop SuperSpar in
Middelburg, Mpumalanga to design a PV Solar Energy System for the shopping centre. Due to the urgency of the
request, a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued in February 2018.

After evaluating four submissions, one company was initially selected. However, their structural designs proved
problematic, prompting the client to request a complete redesign—including the structural layout. The project was
temporarily delayed to accommodate potential building modifications.

🔧 Contractor Selection & Challenges

Following a second round of evaluations, Blue Storm Trading CC was appointed for the electrical work, and
Schletter South Africa was selected to supply and erect the PV mounting structures. Unbeknownst to us, Schletter
subcontracted the erection work, which led to delays and on-site frustrations. As the client’s representative, I
managed these issues directly, despite the contracts being held between Kanonkop SuperSpar and the contractors.

🌙 Night-Time Construction & Rework

Structural materials arrived in late March 2019, and construction began shortly thereafter. To minimize disruption
to shoppers, much of the carport-style structure was built after hours. Night-time work introduced
challenges—errors often became visible only in daylight, requiring rework and occasionally leaving lasting
consequences.

⚙️ Electrical Installation & Unexpected Obstacles

In June 2019, Blue Storm Trading began horizontal drilling for cable sleeves. Due to missing service drawings from
the site’s previous ownership, a sewer pipe was accidentally struck, causing delays and additional work. Once
resolved, the team proceeded with cable laying, distribution board installation, and inverter mounting—all under
tight deadlines to meet the end-of-June switch-on target.

✅ Quality Assurance & System Commissioning

Quality was never compromised. Together with the client, we selected KACO inverters—now owned by Siemens—supplied
locally by MicroCare. At the end of June 2019, I issued a certificate confirming that the Embedded Generation PV
System was operational and generating power as designed.

📊 Power Quality Monitoring

Prior to final commissioning, I installed a Power Quality Monitor to track total building consumption and PV
generation. This allowed us to validate system performance and ensure compliance with design expectations.

The graph captured during June/July shows three key metrics over a 24-hour period:

• Blue: Total consumption for the entire shop
• Orange: PV Solar Energy generated
• Grey: Energy drawn from the municipality

Due to the sun’s winter inclination, generation varies seasonally. This snapshot reflects a specific day and
should not be generalized.

📐 Redesign & Final Optimization

In October 2018, new building plans were finalized. I received preliminary drawings and began exploring a
completely new system layout. Multiple studies were conducted to identify the optimal configuration, constrained
by structural design limitations. Every component was scrutinized to ensure quality and eliminate substandard
materials.

By January 2019, Agulhas Utilities Corporation issued a detailed tender document to selected vendors. A key design
criterion was to prevent the system from exceeding total site consumption. To achieve this, a load limiter was
installed in November 2019, capping inverter output and preventing grid back-feed.

💡 Results & Client Satisfaction

The PV Solar Energy System has proven to be a resounding success. The owner of Kanonkop SuperSpar has repeatedly
expressed satisfaction, even joking that the savings are so substantial I wouldn’t believe the figures. Actual
performance has far exceeded initial projections.