Installation Type: Commercial Off-Grid Hybrid System
Location: Kimberley, Northern Cape
Keeping a retirement village running doesn’t leave much room for power interruptions. From healthcare equipment and security systems to kitchens, lighting and the day-to-day services residents rely on, electricity needs to be available every hour of every day.
That’s exactly what made the Trans-50 Acacia Park Retirement Village project in Kimberley such an important one.
Red Energy was appointed to design and install a fully off-grid hybrid energy system that enables the retirement village to generate, store and manage its own electricity, giving the site complete energy independence.
The project also marks one of the first large-scale installations of Red Pulse, Red Energy’s commercial Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), developed specifically for South African operating conditions.
Trans50
System Specifications
- Red Pulse 880kVA Battery Energy Storage System
- 880kVA inverter capacity
- 1.8MWh battery storage
- 660kWp solar PV array
The solar installation supplies the retirement village’s daytime electricity demand directly, while the battery system stores excess generation and seamlessly powers the site throughout the evening and during extended periods without solar production.
This retirement village can operate independently off-grid while maintaining a stable, reliable electricity supply for residents and staff.
Designed Around Reliability
Every commercial project starts with understanding how a site actually consumes power.
A retirement village has a very different energy profile to a factory, warehouse or shopping centre. Electricity demand continues long after the sun goes down, and interruptions aren’t an option. This system needed to do far more than generate solar power.
It had to intelligently manage energy production, battery storage and site demand while providing enough reserve capacity to comfortably sustain operations through extended non-solar periods.
The final solution delivers exactly that, allowing the village to operate with confidence, regardless of what’s happening on the national grid.
Introducing Red Pulse
Trans-50 Acacia Park is one of the first large-scale commercial sites powered by Red Pulse, Red Energy’s proprietary commercial Battery Energy Storage System.
Developed specifically for South African businesses, Red Pulse combines high-capacity battery storage, intelligent energy management and scalable system architecture into a single commercial solution.
It gives businesses complete visibility over their energy while reducing reliance on Eskom and expensive diesel generation.
Whether it’s a retirement village, manufacturing facility, agricultural operation or commercial campus, Red Pulse has been engineered to meet the growing demand for dependable, large-scale energy storage.
Built by Experience
Projects of this scale are never straightforward. Every site presents its own engineering challenges, logistical hurdles and technical decisions that need to be solved along the way. Success comes down to planning, experience and a team that knows how to adapt without compromising on quality.
“No project is ever without its hiccups, and this one was no different,” says Jakes Joubert, CEO of Red Energy.
“What makes me proud is watching our team work through every challenge with professionalism and precision. The level of planning, engineering and attention to detail that went into this project is something we’re incredibly proud of. Delivering an off-grid solution of this scale takes more than great equipment. It takes a team that understands how every component works together, and that’s exactly what happened here.”
Red Pulse
A Partnership That Made It Possible
Large-scale energy projects don’t happen in isolation. They rely on the right technology, the right engineering partner and the right funding model to make commercial sense.
For the Trans-50 Acacia Park Retirement Village project, Fibon came on board as the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) funding partner, enabling the retirement village to benefit from a world-class renewable energy solution without the burden of significant upfront capital investment.
Through the PPA model, Fibon funds the energy infrastructure while Red Energy was selected as the preferred engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner, responsible for the design, installation and commissioning of the complete off-grid hybrid solution.
“This partnership demonstrates how innovative funding and experienced engineering can work together to accelerate South Africa’s transition to more reliable, affordable and sustainable energy,” adds Joubert.
Says Sarel Brink, Senior Construction Manager at Fibon: “This project was a true example of what happens when planning, execution and teamwork align under pressure. This Kimberley megawatt install demanded resilience, adaptability, and a relentless focus on quality – and the Red Energy team delivered on every front.”
Looking Ahead
As South African businesses continue searching for greater energy certainty, projects like Trans-50 demonstrate what is possible when renewable energy, intelligent battery storage and experienced engineering come together. It is a project that embodies more than another successful installation.
Trans 50 – Red Pulse
