Ener-G-Africa (EGA) has commissioned its Western Cape solar panel manufacturing facility in Paarl.

The plant has a nameplate assembly capacity of up to 150 MW a year on a three-shift operation.

The facility currently operates on a single shift with around 30 employees, and is in a production ramp-up phase, with output scaling up in line with market demand, says EGA CEO André Moolman.

The facility assembles 550 W monocrystalline PERC modules, but can produce smaller formats, as well as higher-wattage modules in the 600-W-plus range with a bifacial configuration.

The line is also capable of using TOPCon cell technology – a new, more advanced type of technology – with some machinery adjustments.

“From a production standpoint, the objective is to scale with demand, moving from a single shift toward two, and eventually three shifts as the market develops,” notes Moolman.

“Getting the line running at or near its nameplate capacity is the clear operational goal.”

EGA Solar is part of a broader group operating in the sub-Saharan African solar and clean energy space, with EGA established in Malawi in 2017.

Paarl offers good access to the Port of Cape Town for component imports, established industrial infrastructure and a skilled labour pool, explains Moolman.

“The Western Cape government was also proactive and supportive from the very start, which made a real difference.”

The EGA Group has another manufacturing facility, also in Paarl, giving it shared infrastructure and a combined workforce of around 55 people.

The Malawi business remains active, with 11 retail outlets, and the group recently extended its retail footprint into Zambia.

The company manufactures panels for residential, commercial and agricultural use, and does not operate in the utility-scale segment.

“This allows us to remain focused on the installer market, where responsiveness, proximity and service are critical,” says Moolman.

Local Assembly Benefits
Local assembly means taking specialised, internationally sourced components, such as crystalline silicon PV cells, low-iron, anti- reflective solar glass, anodised aluminium module frames, EVA encapsulant film and composite backsheets, and assembling them into finished modules, explains Moolman.

“These are not generic industrial materials; each is engineered specifically for solar module production.”

None of these components are manufactured in South Africa, he adds.

“That’s not a gap in local capability; it’s an economic reality. The domestic solar assembly market is not yet at the scale needed to justify the capital investment required for upstream component manufacturing. Solar-cell fabrication alone is a multibillion-dollar industry in its own right.

“What we control at Paarl is the assembly process, backed by local engineering oversight, process control, testing to international standards, and direct accountability for performance and warranty support.

“Where innovation does come in, is in module design and specification,” he notes.

“We design our panels in-house and source components accordingly.

“Having our own assembly line also gives us the flexibility to produce different module sizes and configurations in response to what our market actually wants, rather than being limited to whatever is available at a given time.

“That is a meaningful capability in a market where product consistency and availability are real constraints.”

If local assembly in the industry on the whole can grow to sufficient scale, it could create the conditions for upstream suppliers to develop, believes Moolman.

Companies already making glass, aluminium and similar materials could potentially produce solar-specific components locally, deepening the value chain over time.

“The automotive sector is a useful parallel. South Africa has a well-established vehicle assembly industry that coexists with imports, contributes meaningfully to the economy, and has attracted a broader supplier ecosystem around it.

“There is no reason solar assembly cannot follow a similar path.”

There is also a real cash flow benefit in sourcing locally, notes Moolman.

“Buyers can procure when a project is confirmed rather than committing capital to carry large inventory. This working capital difference is significant.

“The other value is consistency and accountability. The local market is supplied by a variety of brands, wattages and panel dimensions, and what is available at any given time can vary dramatically.

“A locally assembled panel with a consistent specification makes system design, mounting configurations and future additions to existing installations more straightforward – you know exactly what you are getting from the same supplier every time.

“And if a warranty issue arises, having a local manufacturer who is directly accountable makes a big difference,” says Moolman.

“Pursuing a warranty claim with an international supplier is a far more complex process than dealing directly with the company that made the product in-country.”

EGA does not manufacture or assemble batteries.

Evolving Technology
Solar technology has evolved significantly over the past few years, primarily through incremental improvements in cell efficiency and module design, notes Moolman.

The industry has largely transitioned from polycrystalline to monocrystalline cells, with newer technologies such as TOPCon improving efficiency and long-term performance.

Back-contact cell architectures are also emerging at the higher end of the market.

At the module level, advances such as half-cut cells, multi-busbar designs and larger wafer formats have all contributed to improved output and reliability.

One of the most visible outcomes of this has been the steady increase in module wattage, with modern panels delivering significantly higher power from a similar footprint compared to earlier generations, notes Moolman.

Bifacial modules have also become more common, particularly in commercial and utility-scale applications, where the ability to generate power from both sides of the panel can improve overall system yield.

“Beyond the panel itself, the broader technology shift has been toward system integration, particularly the pairing of solar with battery storage,” says Moolman.

“While solar module costs have fallen substantially, the more transformative shift has arguably been in storage costs, which have dropped to the point where solar-plus-storage systems now undercut grid tariff costs at the meter in most markets. This has fundamentally changed the economics of solar adoption.”