- A new solar panel assembly plant employing 53 women has launched in Cape Town.
- The $1.5 million (R26 million) plant can produce about 20 000 solar PV modules a month.
A new solar PV assembly plant has launched in Cape Town, housed on the premises of an energy company that cut its teeth, creating sustainable energy solutions for low-income households. The R26-million plant can produce some 20 000 solar panels each month and creates job opportunities for more than 50 women. The plant is located at Ener-G-Africa’s headquarters in Ndabeni. Ener-G-Africa has two manufacturing facilities, one in Cape Town and another in Lilongwe, Malawi. It started as a wholesale solar company in Malawi in 2017. Since 2018, it has produced biomass stoves, a cleaner and healthier option for rural communities in sub-Sahara Africa.
According to CEO André Moolman, the plant required funding of $1.5 million (R26 million), which was made possible through concessional finance from C-Quest Capital, a social impact investment company focusing on projects that provide clean energy and reduce carbon. The solar panel assembly plant in Cape Town has been a year in the making and can produce 15MW of small solar panels per year.
Moolman said Ener-G-Africa has also been mindful of creating job opportunities for women, with about 53 women currently employed on-site. “Factory workers in all sectors are predominantly men, and we wanted to give the employment opportunity to women from previously disadvantaged communities,” Moolman said.