Avelar Energy - part of the Renova Group - intends to sell solar panels and build power stations in South Africa as the company shifts its markets from Europe to Africa and Asia.
Avelar plans to build its first power station in South Africa
this year. It has signed its first $ 500,000 contract with the
Dawn Group, which owns a network of logistics facilities. Avelar
will be installing solar panels on the roof of their partners and
sell them the generated energy. It will be the first Russian
company investing in alternative energy production overseas.
By 2015 the company plans to build power plants with the Dawn
Group with a 6 MW capacity worth $400mn. It also holding talks
about cooperation with 20 other companies in the region,
Vedomosti quotes the head of Avelar.
Avelar is part of Russia’s leading investment group Renova owned
by oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. It produces solar panels in
Chuvashia and has recently announced plans to wind down its
operations in the EU and increase its presence in Russia, South
Africa, India, Chile, Pakistan, and Indonesia.
Solar panels sales and direct supply of electricity are becoming
more cost-effective than traditional generation, particularly in
the sunny regions, the daily Vedomosti quotes Oleg Shutkin,
analyst at the Association of Solar Energy.
The potential of solar energy in the countries of the so-called
“sun belt” is estimated to reach 600 GW by 2020, an equivalent to
three Russian power stations, oilru.com reports.