A Solar lighting solution installed on glass fibre reinforced polyester (GRP) poles, supplied by BEKA Schréder, have been donated to the Tshinapfene Village in Limpopo, South Africa.

The project was jointly sponsored by the King Baudouin Foundation through the Schréder Together Fund, BEKA Schréder and Muelekanyi Technical Services NPC with the implementing agent being a 100% Black Woman owned company, Intal Power Trading.

The handover ceremony took place in Tshinapfene on Friday, 04 November 2022. The event was hosted His Majesty, MPK Tshivhase, and took place at the project site after a celebratory function held at the Tshinapfene Reformed Church Hall.

Community-Focused Project

The late Wimpie Ludwick, in his capacity as General Manager of BEKA Schréder, Muelekanyi Tshivhase of Muelekanyi Technical Services Foundation and Sylvia Siphugu of Intal Power Trading were instrumental in defining the vision of the project. The legacy of Wimpie was honoured with a stone of remembrance that was erected on the project site.

46 Solar streetlights on GRP poles were donated with the intention of job creation within the local community, creating a safe environment for women and children, and visibility of pedestrians at night. This project’s goal is to promote rural development through strategic partnerships, combating poverty, and community upliftment by focusing on rural areas that are underdeveloped.

Furthermore, as part of the project, BEKA Schréder and Intal Power Trading have provided training for the local installation teams and maintenance of the luminaires and solar units to the local community as provided for this project. The project aims to empower communities to take ownership of this installation. The project was handed over to the Local Municipality for further planning, expansion to other areas, and community support. The Local Municipality will also be responsible for the operations and maintenance for the sustainability of the project.

Solar lighting solution

An integrated solar streetlight solution was supplied, which consists of a luminaire with integrated solar module and battery storage to operate autonomously without an electrical supply cable and can be mounted at any location. It not only offers effective illumination to support the needs of the community, but ease of installation as all components are integrated into one housing. The PIR (Passive Infrared) Motion Sensor with a detection range of up to ten meters allows for better energy storage management and illumination when it is needed.

The smart solar charge controller with LED driver gives the community peace of mind that it has sufficient autonomy to cater for up to two continuous overcast or rainy days, to continue its reliable night operation.

The installation delivered in all aspects of an off-grid solution for the community of Tshinapfene Village, from the solar technology to a designed installation with the correct light levels.

Glass fibre Reinforced Polyester (GRP) poles

What adds to the interest of this project is that the solar lighting units were installed on GRP poles, which were the ideal solution, considering the remote location and delivery distance. The low mass of the GRP poles saves handling, transport and erection costs during installation:

• Low handling costs: No extra equipment needed to load or offload the poles
• Low transport costs: Save on transport costs due to the poles’ low weight and the higher stacking height on road freight
• Low installation costs: No extra equipment is needed to erect the poles

Furthermore, the bright K600 Canary (Light) Yellow colour was chosen to ensure better visibility of the poles to the vehicle drivers on the narrow roads, thus minimizing damage to this important community infrastructure.

The management at BEKA Schréder are very proud of this solar lighting installation and believes that this will provide a vital beginning of a new, brighter and safer future for the community of Tshinapfene Village.

BEKA Schréder develops and manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting products in South Africa, designed and suitable for local conditions.