Biodiversity (1 - SRK Consulting

Holdings (SHE, Pty Ltd). The main components would be shipped to South Africa
from Germany in containers before being transported to and erected on the site. SHE
will use local contractors to produce the 'feet' of concrete slabs for the units, and to
assist with erection and maintenance of the units and the terrain. SHE will purchase
the property for the duration of the project, estimated at 30-40 years. The property is
currently being used for low-density livestock grazing (sheep, goats, cattle, horses),
typical of such a semi-arid area, and such activities will continue on the property
alongside re-zoning of all or part of the land from agricultural to a different use.
The c. 5,000 ha Portion 3 of the Farm Zuurwater 62 straddles the National N14 Road
about 10 km east of the mining village of Aggeneys, 60 km west of Pofadder and 100
km east of Springbok, in the Khai Ma Local Municipality of the Northern Cape
Province. Most of the farm lies north of the road on flat to undulating terrain classified
as part of the Bushmanland Sandy Grassland vegetation unit (NKb 4), with isolated
mountains that create conditions for the Aggeneys Gravel Vygieveld (SKr 19, Mucina
& Rutherford 2006).
The proposed development is for 26 generation units, with each site capable of
producing 19.5 MWp (megawatts of power), that all together would cover a total area
of about 884 ha (18% of the farm's area) and produce about 500MWp of electricity
daily. Each unit consists of 820 5-solar-panel-deep 'tables', with each table statically
supported on metal legs and beams with the feet anchored on concrete slabs that
rest on the ground surface. Each table is orientated to face due north, at an
appropriate angle (25 o ) to capture as much sunlight as possible throughout the year,
but with a gap between tables of 8.5 m (minimum 7.7 m) to ensure that one table
does not cast shade on another in any of the sun's positions during its annual
passage between the tropical meridians. Each generation unit covers a site of total
area 33,83 ha.
Each solar panel is 1,956 x 992 x 50 mm, can produce 280Wp and weighs 27 kg,
with a total of 1,812,200 panels with a payload mass of almost 50 metric tons
required for the whole development. The panels will be shipped from Germany in
3,596 40' high-cube containers, each with a tare mass of c. 3,800 kg. The concrete
'foot' slabs will be manufactured locally, and possibly the metal frameworks to
support the panels.
SATO Aggeneys July 2011 17