Use-Case & TCO: 5 MWp Harbor Solar Plant in South Africa

Verdict (read first)

NPV = -43,952,408.65 ZAR over a 25-year horizon at r = 10.00%; LCOE = 0.8911 ZAR/kWh; discounted payback = none; simple payback = none; IRR = n/a. Equipment: a ground-mount PV plant at a ZA coastal harbor site, anchored on LONGi Hi-MO 5m monocrystalline modules paired with Sungrow SG125HT-class 1500 V string inverters on a K2 Systems N-Rack driven-pile ground-mount system with S-Rack rail. Inputs: P_dc = 5.0 MWp; specific_yield = 1,400 kWh/kWp/yr (year-1); Degr = 0.50 %/yr; DLoss = 2.00 %/yr; tariff_per_kwh = 0.0850 ZAR; tariff_escalation = 5.50 %/yr; self_consumption_pct = 0 (ZERO-AS-MISSING placeholder); residual_value.year = not booked; horizon 25 years; discount rate 10.00%; evidence date 2026-09-22. Limitation: the scenario model is bounded by an export-only / tariff-revenue assumption (asset.pv.self_consumption_pct = 0, a ZERO-AS-MISSING placeholder); a buyer self-consuming a meaningful share of the yield against a higher tariff_per_kwh will see a different NPV (see §2 model assumptions).

1. Scope and use-case

5 MWp DC grid-tied ground-mount solar PV plant at a South African coastal harbor, supplying daytime load to port operations and exporting the surplus. Equipment set in this use-case: monocrystalline modules — LONGi Hi-MO 5m LR5-72HBD / LR5-54HTH bifacial mono-PERC family — paired with Sungrow 1500 V three-phase string inverters from the SG-HT C&I family, SG125HT rating class, datasheet edition cited via Sungrow string inverter range, on a K2 Systems N-Rack driven-pile ground-mount structure with S-Rack aluminium rail (installation manual revision pending, confirmed at RFQ). BoS, DC cabling, grid-tie and civil works sized for that stack. Capex, opex, annual yield, lifetime LCOE and a sensitivity block are reported in ZAR. Equipment anchor citations: LONGi Hi-MO 5m product family page; Sungrow string inverter range (incl. SG125HT); K2 Systems N-Rack product page (S-Rack rail). Comparator reference for C&I 1500 V topology: Huawei SUN2000-330KTL-H1 330 kW 8-MPPT string inverter.

2. Inputs table

Every numeric input below carries a verifiable citation row. Inputs not directly evidenced by an OEM or regulator publication are marked as bounded model assumptions and must be confirmed at RFQ.

Regulator / market anchors used: LONGi Hi-MO 5m product page; Sungrow string inverter range; K2 Systems N-Rack product page; Huawei SUN2000-330KTL-H1 (topology comparator); EU PVGIS; IEA-PVPS Trends in PV Applications 2024; Fraunhofer ISE Photovoltaics Report; UK DESNZ solar PV cost data; NERSA electricity pricing and tariffs; Eskom tariffs and charges; SARB statistics portal (ZAR reference).

3. Year-by-year cash flow (computed, verbatim from scenario model)

The table below is the only mathematical statement of the cash flow on this page. All cells are produced by the scenario TCO model from the inputs in §2; no figures are recomputed in the prose. Column sums: Σ cost = 86,594,958.75 ZAR; Σ discounted net = -43,952,408.65 ZAR; Σ discounted cost = 51,680,826.43 ZAR; Σ discounted benefit = 7,728,417.78 ZAR; Σ energy = 154,866,272.11 kWh.

Headline derived from the table: NPV = -43,952,408.65 ZAR; LCOE = 0.8911 ZAR/kWh; discounted payback = none; simple payback = none. The scenario model treats the project as a tariff-revenue stream against capex + opex only; the buyer should re-run for a self-consumption scenario before any go-decision.

4. Mini certification block

• Modules: IEC 61215-1:2021 ed2 (Terrestrial PV modules — Design qualification and type approval — Part 1: Test requirements) — exact document page IEC 61215-1:2021 ed2; IEC 62109-1:2010 and IEC 62109-2:2011 are inverter-safety standards cited under the inverter entry below; module safety family IEC 61730-1 / IEC 61730-2 — look up via the IEC Webstore catalogue with designation+edition in text, and the UL safety reference where required by buyer: UL 61730-1 product page. Confirmed against the LONGi Hi-MO 5m product family at LONGi Hi-MO 5m product family page.
• Inverters: IEC 62109-1:2010 (Safety of power converters for use in PV power systems — Part 1: General requirements) — exact document page IEC 62109-1:2010; IEC 62109-2:2011 (Particular requirements for inverters, used jointly with IEC 62109-1) — exact document page IEC 62109-2:2011; UL 1973 reference for storage-coupled inverters: UL 1973 product page. Confirmed against the Sungrow SG-HT string-inverter family at Sungrow string inverter range. Comparator topology: Huawei SUN2000-330KTL-H1.
• Plant design: IEC 62548-1:2023 (PV arrays — Part 1: Design requirements) — exact document page IEC 62548-1:2023; pending PE sign-off.
• Grid code: NRS 097-2-1 (Grid interconnection of embedded generation — Part 2-1) — pending Eskom / municipal grid-tie approval (regulator: NERSA).
• Environmental: NEMA harbor-coastal permit — pending.

5. HS code block — duty rates marked PENDING

Cross-reference lookup tools the buyer may consult: WCO HS Nomenclature 2022 edition; EU TARIC consultation; USITC HTS search; UK Global Tariff; Japan Customs; Australian Border Force; NZ Customs Working Tariff Document. No duty figure is asserted in this block. Duty must be confirmed before any landed-cost quotation.

6. Request a quote for this use-case

Single RFQ anchor for the 5 MWp harbor solar scope:

Request RFQ — 5 MWp harbor solar ZA