Energy Automation & Control Engineering

Advanced control systems for renewable energy plants.

We design, build, and commission plant control, SCADA, and automation systems for solar, battery storage, hybrid, and other renewable energy sites — improving uptime, optimising performance, and delivering grid-code compliance from day one.

Bespoke.

Engineered around your plant

Grid.

Code compliant by design

Partner.

Commissioning & long-term support

Africa.

Built for continental conditions

A closer look at our control systems in action.

Get hands on with the controller. Experience some of the features.

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End-to-end control engineering for renewable power plants.

From early design through commissioning and long-term support, we deliver the control, monitoring, and automation layer that keeps renewable plants compliant, efficient, and performing at spec.

01 · Plant Control

Power Plant Controllers

Custom PPC design and implementation for utility-scale solar, BESS, hybrid, and other renewable plants — engineered around your plant topology, inverter fleet, and grid interconnection.

Outcome › Reliable, grid-compliant dispatch
02 · SCADA & Monitoring

SCADA Integration

Unified SCADA and HMI platforms that give operators complete visibility, real-time alarming, historical data, and remote control across every asset on site.

Outcome › Faster response, higher availability
03 · Grid-Code Compliance

Grid Integration

Active and reactive power control, frequency response, voltage regulation, and fault ride-through engineered to South African and regional grid code requirements.

Outcome › Compliance confidence from energisation
04 · Optimisation

Advanced Control & Optimisation

Smart dispatch logic, curtailment management, and storage co-ordination that squeeze additional yield out of every MW installed.

Outcome › Higher energy yield, better ROI
05 · Retrofits

Retrofits & Upgrades

Bringing ageing control systems up to current standards — hardware replacement, code rewrites, protocol upgrades, and cyber-security hardening.

Outcome › New life for legacy plants
06 · Commissioning

Commissioning & Support

FAT / SAT, grid-code compliance testing, operator training, and ongoing long-term technical support agreements to keep plants performing.

Outcome › Confident handover, long-term uptime
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A clear, repeatable engineering process.

Every Setcon project follows the same disciplined path from scoping to long-term support — so you know what to expect and when.

01

Discover & Scope

Plant topology, inverter fleet, grid connection, operational goals. We design around what's real, not assumed.

02

Design & Engineer

Control philosophy, I/O architecture, SCADA layout, cyber-security, and grid-code logic — documented and reviewable.

03

Build & FAT

Panel build, PLC / RTU programming, HMI development, and factory acceptance testing before anything leaves the workshop.

04

Commission & Support

On-site SAT, grid-code compliance testing, operator training, and a long-term support agreement tailored to your site.

Engineering outcomes, not just deliverables.

Every project is measured against what actually matters to plant owners and operators: availability, compliance, and the energy yield you were promised at financial close.

↑ Uptime

Higher Availability

Redundant architectures, clear alarming, and rapid remote diagnostics keep plants producing — and the lights on — when the resource is there.

✓ Compliance

Grid Code Confidence

Controllers designed from day one to pass grid-code compliance testing — no surprises at energisation.

→ Yield

Optimised Performance

Dispatch logic and storage co-ordination tuned to extract every kWh your plant can physically produce.

∞ Support

Long-Term Partnership

Remote support, scheduled maintenance, and on-call engineers who know your plant — not a call centre.

Get the full picture in one page.

A plain-language overview of who we are, what we do, and how we help take real control of a site's energy — download the Setcon company profile.

Download our Company Profile

Control platforms for every scale.

Whether you need a bespoke utility-scale PPC or a fast-deploy compliance controller, we have a solution that fits — configurable without being generic.

Bespoke Power Plant Controller
  • PV
  • Gen
  • BESS
  • Grid
  • Data / Command
  • Reactive / Load
Select a topology below or tap a solution card

Real plants. Measurable results.

A snapshot of how we've helped renewable energy operators across Africa bring plants online, keep them compliant, and improve the numbers that matter.

Commercial Microgrid

11 kV Retail Microgrid — 4.96 MW Solar + 4 MVA BESS + 2.6 MVA Diesel

Tshwane, South Africa · Commissioned 2025

Challenge

A large retail mall needed to insulate trading operations from loadshedding, reduce Eskom peak-period demand charges, and co-ordinate solar, battery, and diesel assets from multiple vendors — in a live commercial environment where control failure has direct revenue impact.

Solution

A bespoke SEL-based Power Plant Controller acting as the single point of authority for every asset on site — near-seamless islanding, battery arbitrage across peak tariff windows, autonomous blackstart, and zero-export enforcement.

MillisecondsGrid-loss island transition
Peak-shiftDaily tariff arbitrage
AutonomousNo operator intervention
Municipal Microgrid

Waste Water Treatment Works Microgrid — 2.1 MVA Solar + 4.6 MWh BESS + 1.6 MVA Diesel

Western Cape, South Africa · Commissioned 2025

Challenge

A critical municipal WWTW where supply interruption has direct public-health consequences — while still delivering energy arbitrage and grid-compliant PV export across a multi-asset site.

Solution

A bespoke SEL-based microgrid controller managing every asset autonomously. Structured blackstart on grid loss, BESS restart in off-grid VSG mode, and TOU energy arbitrage — with 50% of battery capacity permanently reserved for backup.

50%Battery reserved for backup
AutonomousBlackstart & mode transitions
TOU arbitrageDaily cost reduction
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Built on field experience, backed by standards.

Solareff Backed by a renewable energy leader
Multi-MW Large-scale deployments
Grid Code SANGC aligned
IEC 61850 Substation automation ready

Serving the African Renewable Energy Market

Based in South Africa — servicing the wider continent

South Africa Namibia Botswana Mozambique Zambia Kenya + More

Planning a new plant or an upgrade?

Talk to a Setcon engineer about your control system requirements — no sales pitch, just a technical conversation.

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