Medupi power station

Limpopo

2018

4769

MW

18.6

MT/y

Medupi power station

Profitable?

No

Profitable?

Yes

Annual CO2 emissions saved

18.6

MT / year

Total W-S-B investment need

8.511

Bn. $

Investment breakdown

Investment Sum

This power plant can be profitably converted to S-W-B with a $8.511 Bn total investment.

This power plant can be converted to S-W-B with a $8.511 Bn total investment.

Solar

6,863

M. $

Wind

1,208

M. $

Battery

439,628

M. $

Production costs

5.2

ct/kWh

Production cost of coal (Source: IEA World Energy Outlook 2022; adjusted)

2.96

ct/kWh

Production cost of renewable energy

Technical breakdown

Renewables installed capacity

Solar

10558

MW

Wind

1044

MW

Battery

386

MWh

Renewable energy production

Share of Solar-Wind to match current coal production

87.1

%

12.9

%

Solar

Wind

Renewables area

Total area required for Wind-Solar mix*: 91.92 km²

*On sites with a high wind fraction, wind need = total need. Solar panels are placed within the area occupied by wind infrastructure.

84.46

km²

37.29

km²

Area use solar

Area use wind

Environmental conditions

Key environmental conditions around coal plant site (10,000 km2)

These are input values for the SwitchCoal model taken from the following reliable sources:

www.globalwindatlas.info | www.globalsolaratlas.info

Solar efficiency rate

1787

kwh/kwp

Mean wind speed

7

m/s

Impact

90%

of the world’s coal power plants can be profitably replaced by wind-solar-battery plants.

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