Author: Ling Ng
Battery storage: The key to a smaller, smarter generator
A generator can be correctly sized for a site’s biggest load and still be poorly matched to most of the day. The deciding peak may be a large motor starting at a mine, a factory’s production ramp or several refrigeration […]
Africa’s first solar & battery baseload facility reaches commercial operation in record time, signalling a new era for round-the-clock renewable power
CrossBoundary Energy’s solar PV and battery energy storage system (BESS) facility for Kamoa Copper S.A. reached commercial operation on 12 August 2026 and is supplying 30 MW baseload power from the sun to Africa’s largest copper mining complex Kolwezi, Democratic […]
Beyond the battery: Building a circular energy storage economy
As investment in battery energy storage systems (BESS) accelerates, attention is increasingly turning to the full lifecycle of these assets. Beyond their role in supporting grid stability and renewable deployment, how batteries are maintained, renewed and ultimately recycled has implications […]
Scaling second-life batteries: What it takes to build a circular energy storage industry
A circular energy storage industry is built on a simple principle: batteries should remain productive for as long as possible, while the materials inside them remain in circulation rather than becoming waste. That starts long before a battery reaches its […]
Island resort decarbonisation & enhanced energy independence through PV & BESS integration
Island resorts sit at the sharp end of the energy transition: grid connection is not an option, diesel must be shipped in by sea, and every litre burned adds cost, emissions and supply vulnerability. The hybrid microgrid commissioned at Taj […]
Beyond batteries: Why women are essential to a circular energy storage future
The next great energy revolution is already underway. For decades, the clean-energy conversation centred on generation: how much solar we could install, how many wind turbines we could build. Today, as renewables scale, a deeper question is emerging: how do […]
Be Cool: Solar-powered success for agriculture in Ghana & Kenya
After three years of successful collaboration, the project partners Phaesun GmbH and Solar Cooling Engineering GmbH (SCE) have successfully completed the international development project “BE Cool – Business Empowerment through solar cooling solutions”. The project was aimed to establish sustainable […]
WeLight targets Nigeria’s power gap with $31m solar mini-grid investment
New funding will help WeLight expand solar mini-grid projects in Nigeria as millions of people still lack access to reliable electricity. Nigeria’s electricity access challenge has attracted fresh investment after solar mini-grid company and ARE Member WeLight secured $31 million to […]
Beyond installation: Building C&I energy infrastructure that performs long after commissioning
Across Africa, commercial and industrial businesses are increasingly turning to solar PV, battery energy storage and hybrid energy systems to protect themselves from unreliable grid supply, rising electricity costs and operational disruption. For food producers, cold-storage facilities, farms, logistics companies, […]
From backup power to business advantage: The rise of BESS arbitrage in Africa
For many commercial and industrial businesses, battery energy storage has traditionally been viewed as backup power: a necessary investment to protect operations when the grid becomes unreliable. But across South Africa and broader African markets, that view is changing. Battery […]