Tyali turns turtle and lights up

A YOUNG woman has found her niche in the crucial energy sector.

Lungelwa Tyali said she had identified Africa’s well-documented energy needs and decided to make a living out of providing easy access.

Today, Tyali is the director and head of operations and communications at Solarturtle, a company that develops secure solar containers for off-grid electrification.

Solarturtle was among five South African companies selected last month as finalists in the Chivas Regal Venture IV, a global social entrepreneur competition in which Tyali stood a chance to win a share of $1 million (R12m) and represent the country in the international leg of the competition.

Tyali, who worked at Ericsson for six years, where she was responsible for expanding Ericsson into the sub-saharan market, said that a turtle is a special reptile because it can hide in its shell if predators are around.

“We wanted to apply this concept to energy security for all those hard-to-reach places. We design and build solar-powered shipping containers that you can use as a secure mobile energy platform,” she said.

Tyali said Solarturtle also aims to empower women and social businesses hoping to start energy kiosks in rural communities that do not have power.

“These spaza shops can sell electricity anywhere in the world, securely and safely. Inside is a solar battery charging station that can recharge any battery you can think of,” she said.

“So community members drop off their phones for recharging.

It’s called a turtle for the way the system fold-away works.”

She said in crime-ridden areas across Africa, traditional photovoltaic (PV) systems have failed as the solar panels are “typically stolen within a few months of deployment”.

Solarturtle wants to make power accessible to people without the fear of losing the asset to thieves.

Tyali runs the company with James van der Walt, who holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, specialising in renewable energy. She said she became disillusioned with corporate life and wanted to make an impact on the world.

In 2007 she returned to her rural village of exhorha, in the former Transkei, with the dream of making it on her own terms.

Since then she has started numerous ventures but stresses that it was the renewable energy sector that really captured her attention.

Tyali, who admitted to loving making a difference to the planet, said her rural solar kiosk business had been operating since June

2015 and had created employment opportunities for six young people from her community.

“We hope that our energy kiosk businesses will bring light and prosperity to communities that are currently far removed from the grid.

“These shops create employment in the green economy and supply locals with a secure place where they can charge their phones and buy energy-efficient products such as LED lights,” said Tyali, adding that the kiosks were actually designed to cater for basic electrification needs at high schools. She said one container was able to provide the basic power needed for e-learning and lights, as well as bringing the internet to communities.

Tyali said the “green source” of energy allowed each container to have a minimal impact on the environment.

The Turtle is also a good substitute for paraffin lamps and is not a fire hazard.

Tyali said they are now focusing on the rural Eastern Cape, specifically the Mbashe region between Mthatha and Coffee Bay.

She said they are in negotiations for government and corporate sponsorship to expand their footprint and they plan to start Solarturtle Mozambique and Lesotho this year.

“We also hope to expand to Zimbabwe.”