Sany Silicon Energy "Wins" Africa

On May 15, a delegation of African envoys to China composed of 51 African countries and the African Union Representative Office in China came to Sany Silicon Energy (Zhuzhou) Co., Ltd. in Zhuzhou to witness how China's new energy technology has crossed 10,000 kilometers to build an energy security station of "photovoltaic + energy storage + diesel" on the African continent.

The visit unveiled Sany Group's deep cultivation of Africa's new energy market - from the establishment of silicon energy in 2022 to now leading the African photovoltaic and diesel microgrid project, the Chinese equipment manufacturing giant is "lighting up" Africa at an astonishing speed.

At present, the new energy industry has become the second growth curve of Sany Group.

Xiang Wenbo, rotating chairman of Sany Group, said that Sany has comprehensively deepened its industrial layout, widely covering low-carbon industries such as wind energy, solar energy, hydrogen energy and energy storage, and accelerated the construction of a green and low-carbon development system, aiming to create a new and forward-looking green and low-carbon industrial development pattern.

Dai Qinghua, chairman of Sany Silicon Energy, introduced the development of the new energy industry to guests in Zhuzhou

"It only took 120 days from signing to production"

"African mines generally face the challenges of unstable power supply and high cost of traditional energy, and Sany Microgrid Solution provides customers with one-stop clean energy alternatives through modular design and digital control, empowering the green transformation of mines." Zhang Liang, general manager of the South African subsidiary of Sanjing, said.

Xu Zhongtian, assistant to the president of Sany Group and general manager of Microgrid Investment Company, told this reporter that due to local power shortages, mines far from urban areas often have difficulty accessing the local power grid, and can only rely on diesel power generation, and the electricity cost of mining is extremely high. "If a smelter is to be built near the mining area, the cost of diesel power generation may account for 45% of the total cost."

Today, at the Ruida mining site in Zambia, mining operations that were once plagued by power outages are a thing of the past.

"It took only 120 days from signing to production, setting a record." Xu Zhongtian still remembers the sense of urgency at that time. The complex geological conditions of the region have deterred many overseas counterparts: muddy roads during the rainy season can delay equipment transportation, high temperatures test equipment durability, not to mention the cost of communication in cross-cultural teamwork.

However, the engineering team of Sany Silicon Energy offered a combination of "three shifts + prefabricated modular construction", greatly increasing the proportion of pre-assembly of photovoltaic brackets, and the energy storage system was rapidly deployed in containers, abruptly grabbing the construction period during the golden window period of the dry season.

On December 29, 2024, Africa's largest single photovoltaic diesel storage microgrid project undertaken by Sany Silicon Energy officially generated electricity, with 13MWp photovoltaic panels shining under the scorching sun, and 39MWh energy storage batteries like super power banks, paired with backup diesel generators, ensuring the stability and reliability of energy supply.

Not only that, Sany's innovative model also significantly reduces operating costs. Deng Junbo, vice president of Sany Silicon Energy Microgrid Research Institute, said: "With this system, they only need to pay 1/3 of the same electricity as before, and at the same time, the power supply has become stable and environmentally friendly. ”

Xu Zhongtian introduced that the first phase of the project that Ruida Mining has put into operation "can generate about 16 million kWh of electricity a year, which can help customers save more than 20 million yuan (RMB) in electricity costs, accounting for nearly 30% of the total production cost of customers."

In 9 months, the whole photovoltaic industry chain was opened

The power source that supports Sany's rapid development in the African market is China, thousands of miles away.

Xiang Wenbo said that in 2022, Sany Group officially entered the photovoltaic industry, opening up the entire photovoltaic industry chain from monocrystalline to cells and modules in just 9 months, exploring the construction of a comprehensive energy system integrating photovoltaic, energy storage and diesel, and applying it in Zambia and other markets. In the hydrogen energy business sector, focusing on the R&D capabilities of seven technologies, including integration, materials, testing, simulation, process, electronic control, and hydrogen safety, the company released a single hydrogen electrolyzer and an overall solution for GW-level green electricity hydrogen production. The energy storage battery system relies on the magic tower stacking scheme, and the battery swap product achieves 1.9 minutes of rapid battery swapping, ranking at the forefront of the industry.

At Sany Silicon Energy, African guests have seen with their own eyes the complete photovoltaic industry chain process from crystal pulling, slicing to cells, modules and photovoltaic power plants, which is highly efficient for Sany Silicon EnergyPhotovoltaic modulesand the technological innovation of photovoltaic intelligent manufacturing equipment was highly praised.

In the 5GW battery workshop, the reporter found that almost all processes are automated, and you can see automated guided vehicles (AGVs) transporting silicon wafers from one process to another.

In addition to the photovoltaic industry, Sany has also made remarkable achievements in the field of wind power. As early as 2013, Sany won the bid for the Adama wind power project in Ethiopia, and the order for 102 wind turbines set a new order record for China's wind turbine exports at that time. Sany is now one of the world's top wind turbine manufacturers on 10 continents and has a place in the top 500 energy companies in the world.

It is understood that the new energy business is only part of Sany Group's huge industrial layout in Africa. As a representative of the Hunan Army of construction machinery, Sany has a relationship with Africa dating back to 2002, when the first batch of hydraulic graders exported by Sany were sold to Morocco in Africa.

Up to now, Sany has achieved a cumulative sales revenue of more than 20 billion yuan in Africa, with more than 23,000 equipment units, ranking first in the export of Chinese construction machinery products to Africa.

What is more noteworthy is that Sany is deeply collaborating with the main business of construction machinery in new energy. Xu Zhongtian said: "To mine, Sany has a big excavator; To transport ore, Sany has a mining card; To generate electricity, Sany has photovoltaic, wind power, energy storage, and intelligent microgrid solutions, forming a strong comprehensive advantage in the mining industry. ”

Deeply cultivating Africa's "Trinity Code"

According to the plan, the Sany South Africa headquarters base project will be completed in August 2025, and as a regional manufacturing center, logistics center and talent center, the company will continue to increase investment in local manufacturing, local talents and services.

The base broke ground in Johannesburg in 2023 with an investment of R300 million (about 115 million yuan) to serve the entire African region.

"In Africa, we want to transplant the genes of China's intelligent manufacturing into African soil. It is not only necessary to export products, but also to cultivate the local new energy industry chain. Xiang Wenbo said that from the beginning of the "internationalization" of simply selling domestically produced products to overseas markets, to the "globalization" development strategy of turning product exports into industrial exports, Sany has allocated R&D, manufacturing, sales, service and other resources on a global scale.

At present, Sany has 15 subsidiaries in Africa, permanent branches in more than 30 African countries, with a localization rate of more than 50% of employees, 13 high-quality agents, and equipment in more than 50 countries and regions in Africa.

Xu Zhongtian revealed that the current South African base mainly produces excavators, and Sany also plans to build a new production base for photovoltaic modules + energy storage equipment in Africa to "better adapt to the rapid development of local business, increase the proportion of localization, and the proportion of local employees in Africa should reach more than 50%."

According to statistics, Sany and its agent system have created more than 5,000 jobs in Africa.

Many African students also choose to study at Sany Institute of Technology, a subsidiary of Sany Group, to study construction machinery and manufacturing, aiming to improve the level of local industrial technology after returning to China.

In the future, a stronger local supply chain will support Sany's faster development in the field of new energy. Dai Qinghua, chairman of Sany Silicon Energy, said that at present, a number of microgrid projects in Africa have shown a good development trend of dotted and multi-point flowering. In the future, the company will continue to give full play to its technical and management advantages to ensure that subsequent projects and existing projects can be delivered safely, on time and with high quality, so that the "flower of hope" of green energy will bloom more and more brilliantly on the African land, and inject a steady stream of vigorous impetus into local energy and economic development.

Source: China Economic Weekly