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Ohorongo

Solar power plant in Otjozondjupa, Namibia. Approximate location -19.5209, 17.4493.

SolarOtjozondjupaNamibiaPV

Ohorongo is a 7 MW solar power plant in Otjozondjupa, Namibia. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.8k homes (estimated). It ranks #12 of 16 Namibia power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 35.4% of Namibia's electricity; the national grid averages 49 gCO₂/kWh (97.6% low-carbon) (2024).

7Source-backed capacity
2,808homes powered (est.)
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WKS0069506.

Data status

Known data

FacilityOhorongo WRI
CountryNamibia · Otjozondjupa WRI
Coordinates-19.5209, 17.4493 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity7 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Commissioned2018 WRI
TechnologyPV WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#12 of 16 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 of 8 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 7 MW median · 8 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,808 calculated
Climate19.8°C · HDD 311 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 37/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 7 MW for Ohorongo solar project, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_MEDIUM_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000827693); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 7 MW, Ohorongo is around the median solar plant in Namibia (7 MW). Technically it is described as PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Namibia

Arandis: 50 MW50ArandisOtjikoto: 7 MW7OtjikotoOtjiwarongo Pv: 7 MW7Otjiwarong…Ohorongo: 7 MW7OhorongoAussenkehr: 5 MW5AussenkehrOsona: 5 MW5OsonaOmburu: 4 MW4OmburuNamibia Breweries: 1 MW1Namibia Br…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 19.5°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.8°Cannual mean temp
311heating degree-days (base 18°C)
953cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,627 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 22 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 14 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 23 °CON: 23 °CND: 23 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 87% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 18/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
9.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
448 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #4 largest solar power plant of 8 in Namibia by capacity.

Namibia has 8 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 86 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -19.5209, 17.4493 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Ohorongo?

Ohorongo is a 7 MW source-record solar power plant in Otjozondjupa, Namibia, commissioned in 2018.

How many homes can Ohorongo power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,808 homes (estimated).

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