SOLAR AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY
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100 unemployed youths trained for local green economy
demonstrates what is possible when we collectively invest in skills development and enterprise growth.” The 2025 programme has been delivered in partnership with ABSA Bank, whose support has been instrumental in providing high-quality training, mentorship, and enterprise development resources to participants. This partnership demonstrates the powerful impact of public-private collaboration in advancing South Africa’s just energy transition. The graduation arrives at a crucial time. South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 33.2% in Q2 2025, with youth unemployment remaining at crisis levels. While 19,000 jobs were created, over 140,000 were lost, leaving 8.4 million people unemployed, according to Stats SA. The DLO Energy Skills Initiative responds directly to these challenges by creating pathways into the renewable energy economy for individuals who have historically been excluded. By equipping young people with both technical skills and entrepreneurial training, the programme is developing a pipeline of enterprise-ready talent capable of supporting solar project deployment, maintenance services, and green micro- enterprises across the country.
T he DLO Energy Skills Initiative, a economy, is celebrating the graduation of 100 unemployed youth and township-based entrepreneurs who have successfully completed the Solar Panel Cleaning, Maintenance and Green Enterprise Training Programme. This programme is a pioneering initiative aimed at preparing young South Africans to participate meaningfully in the country’s black female-owned social enterprise developing entrepreneurs for the green rapidly expanding green economy. The graduation ceremony, which took place in December 2025, marked the culmination of a three-month (90-day) accredited training programme that equipped participants with hands-on solar panel cleaning, system maintenance, and fault detection skills, as
only about producing technicians; it is about developing entrepreneurs who can create jobs, drive local economic development, and help reduce youth unemployment. Corporate South Africa has a critical role in supporting government to tackle this crisis, which is why we are proud to have partnered with ABSA for the delivery of this programme. This initiative
well as enterprise development modules designed to help them launch and operate viable green businesses within their communities. This programme builds on the success of the inaugural 2024 cohort in De Aar, Northern Cape, where the DLO initiative trained the first group of 100 youth in solar panel cleaning and maintenance. The programme continues to expand its reach, ensuring that young people, particularly those from township and rural areas, are empowered with the technical and entrepreneurial capabilities required by the renewable energy sector. Linda Mabhena-Olagunju, CEO of DLO Energy Group, said: “South Africa’s energy transition requires a skilled and future- ready workforce. This programme is not
Enquiries: https://www.dloskillsinitiative.com/
This programme is not only about producing technicians; it is about developing entrepreneurs who can create jobs, drive local economic development, and help reduce youth unemployment. - DLO Energy Skills
Battery stockpiles are damaging industry and hurting customers By: Lance Dickerson, MD REVOV South Africa E veryone will remember the mad rush to buy uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs), portable inverter boom, companies brought in thousands upon thousands of batteries to try to keep up with the anticipated demand. When the surging demand retracted quickly, it resulted in scores of new batteries sitting in warehouses for months on end.
before shipment. Reputable suppliers will unpack, inspect, discharge, and recharge every single unit – even during high-volume periods such as Black Friday – to ensure quality. This conditioning process ensures batteries leave their facilities in peak condition. Typical distributors who drop-ship containers lack the engineering expertise, facilities and skills to ensure this quality assurance. • Offer local support and accountability: Customers should prioritise on- the-ground presence in the country, including offices, support teams, field engineering teams and warranty support. Typical fly-by-night operators who sprang up during the massive market demand don’t have this expertise. Unfortunately, in these instances, many of the subpar batteries are being sent into neighbouring countries, which will naturally have a knock-on effect across the region. Established players invest in fixing problems, not shipping them out. It’s time to stop seeing batteries as boxes. At a molecular level, they are “thinking systems” requiring proactive care, transforming them from mere commodities into dependable investments. By focusing on these three principles when choosing suppliers, consumers can avoid the pitfalls of the “stockpile and sell” model that is plaguing the industry. In the end, the power behind your progress isn’t just in the battery; it lies in choosing a supplier who understands how to keep it alive.
that require ongoing care and cycling to maintain efficiency. This is coded into the very mechanics of how ions behave within the individual cells. If left uncycled for extended periods, the individual cells in LiFePO4 batteries can discharge by as much as 3% each month. Bear in mind that a LiFePO4 battery can only legally be shipped at 33% charge, so a 12-month-old battery could very likely arrive at your installation flat. Now, bear in mind that not all cells will depreciate at the same rate, meaning that over the course of time, what started as a high-quality product becomes a liability for battery suppliers and customers alike. Failures aren’t always immediate, but they do occur, and they are highly damaging to the industry’s reputation as a whole. Residential and commercial customers navigating the battery market should look for suppliers that: • Can demonstrate manufacturing and recharge histories of their inventory: Customers would do well to enquire about a battery’s production date and when it was last recharged or cycled. Reputable suppliers track this data meticulously. If a supplier cannot answer these questions, there’s a real risk the stock could have been languishing in warehouses, either here or abroad, for a long time. • Have pre-dispatch quality assurance protocols in place: Customers should insist on evidence of rigorous testing
and battery trolleys, and rooftop solar installations with battery backup. It was all driven by loadshedding. While everyone enjoys the respite, there is an ever-real risk, accompanied by the same fear, that it will return with the flip of a switch. Many words have been written about the reasons for the current respite from loadshedding. Some will have us believe that Eskom has finally turned the corner, others will point out the eye-watering amounts of diesel being burned to hide the generation problems, while others draw our attention to the massive behind-the-meter solar investments that have reduced demand. The truth probably lies in some combination of the second two, with some tentative openness to hearing more about the first. The fact is, since the national elections last year, loadshedding has barely been mentioned. This is important to recognise because it has unleashed a silent ticking time bomb in the battery industry. One with massive consequences. It wasn’t long before everyone realised that lead acid was well and truly something of the past. Lithium batteries are fit for purpose and far superior in every metric. And so, in the midst of the loadshedding panic and the energy back-up industry
These batteries, which will eventually be sold, present a massive risk to the industry unless battery suppliers prioritise robust processes that safeguard battery quality. Degrading batteries When batteries sit idle for months, they degrade. However, when they are sold, they are shipped off with a performance promise that the battery simply cannot match. This isn’t just a technical glitch; it is a systemic issue eroding trust in the renewable energy sector, and it is costing consumers dearly. Every household or business that currently has a battery setup will understand that if their batteries are not cycled, they will degrade and, in some instances, give out completely. It is no different for brand-new batteries that have been waiting in warehouses. Without proper maintenance, inventory degrades over time and then ends up at customers’ sites with reduced capacity leading to premature failures, a surge in warranty claims, and frustration. The core principle here is simple: batteries are not inert objects like shoes or gadgets that can sit on a shelf indefinitely. Batteries are dynamic systems with internal chemistry
Enquiries: https://revov.co.za/
SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS
FEBRUARY 2026
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