Interview with SOLA’s O&M Team on the Adams Solar Milestone

In June 2025, our Adams Solar PV facility in the Northern Cape hit a major milestone: 100 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean electricity successfully generated and delivered into South Africa’s national grid. Developed by SOLA and supplying Amazon via energy wheeling, Adams has been consistently powering commercial operations with renewable energy since 2021.

More than just a number, this milestone represents a powerful shift in how renewable energy is bought, delivered, and consumed in South Africa. The Adams project is the first in the country to enable energy wheeling, a system where electricity generated in one place is “wheeled” across Eskom’s grid to be consumed somewhere else, in this case by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Cape Town.

To better understand what it takes to reach such a milestone, we caught up with Nondumiso Ngema, SOLA’s Utility O&M Manager, and David Malebye the Plant Supervisor at Adams, who has been instrumental in managing the performance and reliability of the Adams facility.

100 Million kWh – What It Really Means

Q 1: Why is reaching 100 million kilowatt-hours significant?

Nondumiso:

“It’s more than just a performance number, it’s proof that renewable energy can be consistent, scalable, and commercially viable. Through our power purchase agreement (PPA) with AWS, every kilowatt-hour produced at the plant in Kathu helps power cloud services and data operations all the way in Cape Town. That’s the magic of energy wheeling.

Furthermore, this accomplishment underscores the dedication of SOLA’s operations and maintenance teams and serves as a testament to the plant’s robust operational strength.”

David:

“This milestone reflects not just the technical success of the Adams PV Plant, but its real-world impact. That’s 100 million units of clean electricity fed into the grid, power that would otherwise have come from carbon-intensive sources. But more than the numbers, this milestone speaks to the countless hours of maintenance and system optimisation that goes into ensuring we deliver reliable green energy to the end users.”

Behind the Scenes: How the O&M Team Keeps It Running

Q 2: What’s involved in keeping the Adams project operating at this level?

Nondumiso:

“Sustaining optimal performance at the Adams project requires a multifaceted approach. Key to this is daily performance monitoring and rapid-response troubleshooting, carried out by both remote and on-site teams.

Full compliance with preventive maintenance on all installed equipment is also crucial. The team ensures timely corrective actions are taken for any issues that arise, not only during regular working hours but also on non-working days. Effective coordination with various stakeholders is essential. Finally, a committed O&M team that is adaptable and dedicated to continuous learning is vital for the project’s ongoing success.”

David:

“A plant of this size doesn’t just run on sunshine, it runs on a tightly coordinated mix of technical oversight, real-time monitoring and swift response to faults. Our team is constantly analysing data, running diagnostics, and engaging original equipment manufacturers when needed. It’s about understanding the system holistically and making proactive decisions that prevent downtime and maintain performance all year round.”

Buying Renewable Energy Made Possible

Q 3: How does the Adams project enable companies to buy renewable energy?

Nondumiso:

“Through a structured power purchase agreement, AWS has committed to buying renewable energy from our Adams plant for the long term. What’s different here is that we’re not supplying power directly onsite. Instead, we use Eskom’s grid to wheel the energy from our solar plant to where AWS operates in the Western Cape.

This speaks to the flexibility of this product, and that this solution is commercially viable to businesses everywhere – if they’re interested in buying greener electricity instead.”

David:

“This setup (wheeling) enables companies to decarbonise their operations without having to build their own solar infrastructure. It’s a commercially and environmentally strategic model: they lock in cost-effective, clean energy, while we handle the generation, compliance, and maintenance. The grid acts as a bridge, and Adams becomes the clean energy anchor on one end.

For companies committed to sustainability and ESG goals, this is a real win.”

Looking Ahead: More Milestones to Come

Q 4: What’s next for the Adams O&M team?

Nondumiso:

“This milestone is a checkpoint, not the finish line. We’re always optimising, through preventative maintenance, remote diagnostics, and performance improvements.

The Adams O&M team is focused on several key initiatives for its next phase. These include  upgrading underperforming components to further boost the plant’s overall performance. A significant focus is on transferring knowledge and upskilling on-site O&M teams.

The goal is to deliver even more clean energy with every passing year.”

David:

“We’re focused on optimisation and longevity. As we move beyond the 100 million kWh mark, we’re looking at fine-tuning plant performance even further, improving efficiency, exploring module cleaning strategies based on performance analytics, and refining fault response workflows, which can also be implemented on our future projects.

Sustainability is not just about clean energy, it’s about keeping the system delivering that energy at peak performance for decades.”

What This Means for South Africa’s Energy Future

The 100 million kWh milestone proves that utility-scale solar and private procurement models like energy wheeling are not only possible, they’re thriving.

Here’s why this matters:

• Grid Resilience: Additional clean energy generation supports the strained national grid.
• Energy Access: Enables large-scale buying of renewable energy without the need for embedded or on-premise generation.
• Decarbonisation: Corporates like AWS can achieve sustainability goals without compromising operations.
• Job Creation: Long-term O&M roles, local development, and skills training in rural communities.

Final Thoughts

With 100 million kWh now delivered to the grid, the Adams Solar PV facility stands as a bold example of how innovation, commitment, and collaboration can drive a cleaner future. Through energy wheeling, PPAs, and smart O&M practices, South African companies now have real options for buying renewable energy, and playing an active role in transforming our energy landscape.

Interested in Buying Renewable Energy?

If your business is exploring ways to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and secure cost-effective green power, SOLA can help.

We’ve successfully developed and operated some of the first and largest wheeling projects in South Africa, with our most recently constructed Project Springbok set to reach commercial operations in late 2025.

Learn how your business can tap into clean energy through energy wheeling or a tailored power purchase agreement. Visit our Buy Energy page to get started.

Here’s to the next 100 million.