SUNfarming

At the head of a business delegation, Brandenburg's Minister of Economic Affairs Albrecht Gerber and the Managing Director of ZAB ZukunftsAgentur Brandenburg, Sebastian Saule, visited Lima (Peru). Other members of the delegation included Meike Stockbrügger, external economist at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy Brandenburg and Jörg Ranau, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Peru / Lima.

A special focus here was on Gerber's expansion of renewable energies. Innovative technologies and commitment are necessary to stop climate change. Brandenburg companies like SUNfarming, can contribute their decades of experience and expertise in the field of renewable energies.
Already since 2015, SUNfarming, together with the Peruvian training organization SENATI and the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH), has been running a PV training facility on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development The SENATI site in Lima, Peru. 80 Electrical engineers have been successfully trained at the Solar Training Center.

A further meeting of the economic delegation took place with Peruvian representatives of the SUNfarming subsidiary together with the Peruvian Agriculture Minister Jose Manuel Hernandez. The most important topic here was the latest SUNfarming project "Food & Energy".
Based on our own developments, SUNfarming has developed a unique agro-solar substructure for greenhouses. The roof is partially covered with solar modules for energy production. This unique combination ensures effective food production and a sustainable energy supply through PV. The benefits for citizens and municipalities are endless. The project offers a broad participation of municipalities with long-term property, sustainable food and energy production and job security with a strong training component.

SUNfarming Food & Energy offers the unique possibility of double surface use. In addition to solar energy production, food is being grown under the modules to supply the local population.
Minister Jose Manuel Hernandez and delegation delegates from Brandenburg also showed great interest in this second project, which was developed by SUNfarming. Further discussions are planned on a possible cooperation.

SUNfarming/ALENSYS and the North-West University celebrated the opening of the first Food & Energy Training Centre in South Africa.
The 12th of October was an exciting day for SUNfarming/ALENSYS and our partners. Together with more than 150 guests from all over Africa, including stakeholders from politics, business and universities, the opening session was held on the Campus of the North-West University in Potchefstroom.
After Prof Frika J van Rendsburg, Rector of the NWU cut the ribbon, the guests were invited to visit the solar green-houses accompanied by trainers, explaining the project and answering questions.
In his speech Prof LJ Grobler, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering especially emphasized the function of the NWU as a renewable research and development university towards sustainable communities. "We as a University form the basis of education and from here we can replicate it to other Universities and other regions through agreements between our university and other universities", so Prof LJ Grobler.
"The students that have been trained here at our first and unique Food & Energy Training Centre can help us to roll out the investments to the rest of Africa. We see the cooperation with the NWU as a development nucleus for other universities and partners", said Peter Schrum, main shareholder and founder of SUNfarming, in his speech to the audience. “The benefits for citizens and local government are endless! This project will facilitate broad base community participation with long-term ownership, sustainable Food & Energy production and job security benefits with a strong training component to those who need it most,” Schrum adds.

Interesting videos and articles published after the opening:
North-West University video: Communities to benefit from farming with the sun
News on SABC: Woman of Ikageng now able to grow vegetables in solar powered greenhouses
Article in Bloemfontein Courant: SUNfarming Food & Energy
Article in New Age Daily Newspaper: SUNfarming initiative will provide food and energy

In a record time of only 4 months SUNfarming has successfully completed 5 more solar parks, for 31th of March 2016, with a total capacity of 19 MW, including the transformers and grid connection. Despite adverse soil conditions and poor weather conditions 200 mechanics and engineers have done an excellent job.
As in 2015, the first cooperation with our English partner, Ethical Power LTD, this project was very professionally handled and implemented in time.
SUNfarming could for the majority deliver quality-tested SUNfarming solar modules. The substructures were delivered by our sister company SOLprime from Kiel that secured us the best SUNfarming quality and smooth handling.
Our solar parks are among the best on the UK's solar market. Together with investors and project developers, we are already working on the successful realization of new projects worldwide.

(PPProject Alensys AG, supported by the KfW/DEG on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development). For the first time the SUNfarming Food & Energy training concept was realized by our partner company ALENSYS with the support of KfW DEG.

Food & Energy Project provides jobs and education, food and energy and infrastructure where they are currently needed. European technologies and through PPP partnership with industry, long-term reliable management of systems, secure investments.

Delegations from all over Africa visited the SUNfarming Food & Energy Training Centre in South Africa.

On our delegation day on the 03rd of May 2016, enthusiastic professors, politicians and businessmen from all over Africa, f. e. Kenya, Botswana, Ghana and Zambia, have visited the SUNfarming Food & Energy Training Centre on the Campus of the North-West University Potchefstroom in South Africa.

The SUNfarming Food & Energy project shows the unique chance of cooperation about the land borders away. All delegates showed big interest in the possibility of a partnership of your university in this unique project.
Prof. Frik van Niekerk, Vice President of the North-West University, stressed the wish of his university to want to serve as a nucleus for the fair knowledge exchange between the involved universities. Master students of all African countries are educated in the Food & Energy train-the-trainer courses in Potchefstroom by Alensys and SUNfarming specialists. This knowledge the new Master Trainer can pass in their country. First Expressions of Interest have been successfully signed.