Eastern Cape solar centre brings the just energy transition to Alicedale youth
GREEN Solar Centre trains and empowers local talent
GREEN Solar Academy designed and equipped a 100% off-grid solar centre in Alicedale, Eastern Cape to test the concept of remote training in rural areas.
With the assistance of GREEN’s technology partners Phocos, RenewSys and Axiz Solar, and the aid of roofing and PV installation company LCP Roofing, GREEN Solar Academy set up a solar training centre in a refurbished container in Alicedale in the Eastern Cape. The solar training centre is completely self-powered, incorporating 16.32 kWp PV generator capacity, 15 kW inverter capacity, and 30kWh battery capacity.
We use this centre to do training on two fronts: first, we offer access to our GREEN eLearning programmes Principles of PV Systems and PV Off-Grid Technician, to give people in the community and surrounding region the knowledge and skills to participate in the Just Energy Transition; and second, we provide a real workplace experience for the team of interns who operate the centre on a daily basis.
Other services offered by the interns at the solar training centre to realise an income for the operation of the container include device-charging, document copying and printing, the sale of small self-contained solar solutions from SunKing, and the rental of uYilo Mobility’s electric vehicles.
SESA’s Living Lab concept
The GREEN Solar Centre is one of 9 Living Labs implemented in different African countries as part of the Smart Energy Solution for Africa (SESA) programme funded by the European Commission. Living Labs are real-life test beds for innovative energy solutions that allow SESA to experiment with ideas in different environments and gauge whether they have the potential to be rolled out in more locations.
These test beds are brought to life in co-operation with local energy providers and local businesses.
In this case, uYilo, whose mission since 2013 has been to enable the electric mobility ecosystem (basically, get more people in rural areas using electric vehicles – EVs) was selected by SESA to test whether EVs can benefit rural communities.
The EVs have been available for rent both for passenger and good transportation since the centre opened in 2023. When not in use, the vehicles are being charged by the solar power created by the off-grid PV system housed in the centre.
Centre Staff
The GREEN Solar Centre is managed by Rodwin Septoe, owner of solar installation company Sol-Co, and a team of 4 interns from Alicedale. The interns are all graduates of the Wilderness Foundation’s Siyazenzela work-readiness programme, and receive their monthly stipend from Youth Employment Service (YES). YES is a private sector youth employment programme in South Africa, working with 1,700+ businesses to tackle the country’s biggest crisis by creating or sponsoring jobs for unemployed youth.
The interns take great pride in keeping the solar centre presentable and operational and carry out the various tasks involved in its upkeep themselves.
Regular and relevant training for interns
For the interns, working at the centre is often their first workplace experience ever, so in addition to technical training on solar energy, it is necessary to spend time focusing on basic office, admin and computer skills.
Continuous interaction is vital to ensure that our satellite teams really feel like they are part of the bigger GREEN picture. Training takes place on a regular weekly basis via online sessions but we also schedule regular trips to spend time with them in person and pass on the skills that make the GREEN team in Jo’burg such a cohesive unit.
GREEN staff members who have spent time with the GREEN Solar Centre team in Alicedale to conduct skills training, get feedback on the running of the center and give input into continuous improvement include GREEN Sales Team Leader Tsakani Mashila (top left), GREEN Marketing Team Leader Brendon Reyneke (top right) and GREEN Trainer McDonald Sekoa (below).
System installation experience
Practical solar installation training for the interns came in the form of two real-world projects. The first being a residential installation and the second a Phocos-based system for the community-based NGO CARE Alicedale. GREEN Trainer Che Roberts and Richard Dawes from GREEN Technology Partner Phocos were on hand to demonstrate and guide the interns during the installation.
The official opening and inauguration of the solar center took place late in 2023 and was well attended by the community, residents from surrounding areas, as well as local media. You can read the official press release here: https://solar-training.org/inauguration-of-green-solar-centre/
In March 2024, Rodwin and interns Veroshca Kuyster (front) and Nwabisa Grootboom (behind counter) joined the GREEN Solar Academy team on stand at the Solar & Storage Africa Live expo to help field enquiries from visitors.
Veroshca also featured in our Women’s Month HIDDEN GEMS Campaign which aims to encourage more women to pursue careers in solar energy.