Solar training provides young people with employable skills

Affordable and renewable energy is shaping the 21st century. South Africans know this from experience. Responding to severe electricity shortages, a massive boom in renewable energy legislation, deployment and adoption rapidly shifted the country’s energy future. These activities helped renewables globally surpass coal in 2025 as the major supplier of electricity.

But clean and affordable energy is only part of the change. To entrench the benefits of the Just Energy Transition to all people, South Africa must develop talent and skills around renewables.

This is the goal of YDE Lumen30, a training programme that recently concluded its first year with brilliant success.

“Renewable energy promises amazing prospects for people, the planet and our combined prosperity. The most exciting changes are within communities. Solar training is providing people with employable skills, and solar installations are helping community services and charities do much more,” says Jeremy Crane, group CEO at Yellow Door Energy (YDE).

Training tomorrow’s solar talent

YDE Lumen30 recruited 30 youths from Alexandra township in Johannesburg, training them in technical and business skills to deliver solar installations. YDE, the leading renewable energy independent power producer for businesses in the Middle East and Africa, and Actis Acts – a charitable organisation under growth market sustainable infrastructure investor Actis – supported the programme.

“At Actis Acts, we’re passionate about investing in a brighter, more sustainable future, not only through energy projects but by empowering people,” says Brian Chinappi, chairperson of Actis Acts and global head of Real Estate and Data Centres at Actis. “Partnering with Yellow Door Energy on the Lumen30 initiative has been truly rewarding because it delivers real impact. Trainees gained both classroom learning and hands-on experience installing a BESS [battery energy storage system] and solar PV system. Initiatives like these make a tangible difference, and we’re proud to be part of it.”

YDE Lumen30 launched in April 2025 after a rigorous selection process, and training ran for three months at the ENS Pro Bono office in Alexandra. The programme was managed by economic development advisory firm DevRani Consult and implemented by non-profit Unnati Training Academy.

After passing comprehensive exams to assess their technical knowledge, the trainees graduated in June and then proved their skills by installing a solar system at the Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust.

Under the guidance of YDE and project engineering, procurement & construction partner LF Electrical, the graduates installed a 18kWp solar photovoltaic system and 15kWh BESS. This grid-tied hybrid solar system supplies the trust’s entire property, maintains system stability and protects battery cycles through load-management controls. It covers lights, appliances and office and therapy equipment.

The YDE Lumen30 graduates also installed programmable timers to manage high-load systems such as geysers.

“The Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust extends its heartfelt gratitude to Actis Acts, Yellow Door Energy, DevRani Consult, Unnati Training Academy and LF Electrical for their generous donation and the installation of solar power at our centre,” says Esther Chunga, executive director of the trust.

“For 25 years, Ububele has been providing mental healthcare and support to improve emotional development and wellbeing of children, their parents and other caregivers in Alexandra through the disruption of generational trauma. This contribution will have a profound impact on our daily operations, enabling us to provide uninterrupted services and consistent support to those who need it most. This invaluable gift aligns seamlessly with our mission to help create a society in which all children and families can thrive.”

Tsakani Mbowana, managing director of LF Electrical, shares: “We were impressed by the YDE Lumen30 trainees and have offered employment to three of the graduates. Projects like these highlight the impact that renewables can create across South Africa beyond provision of cheap and clean energy. They provide the foundation for wider social change, and their benefits will manifest through the work of a new generation with valuable technical and business skills. We are proud to have partnered on this project by delivering both the installation and hands-on training.”

Indeed, the renewable energy revolution is about more than cheap prices and profit. It’s about People, Planet and Prosperity, an opportunity to create a better world where more people have access to energy – one of our most important resources.

That energy is clean, affordable, available to everyone, and delivered through skilled young professionals who want to create a better world.