Crystal Park is home to the first solar bike in South Africa, which will be used by the Young Entrepreneur Mentorship Academy (YEMA) to empower young entrepreneurs.
The academy, which was registered in 2018, takes in young innovators, who can be part of a hub to be surrounded by creative thinkers and innovators.
Charles Badenhorst, managing director at the academy, said: “A good idea without a good business model does not work, and we bring the two together at YEMA.”
YEMA brought in the solar bikes as their first innovation, which operate with four batteries at 48 volts. The cables are connected to the battery with three motors that draw power from the battery which allows it to move.
The model includes a start button, control panels which are used to increase and decrease speed, three controllers that show how far you have travelled, temperature of the motor and how much battery power is left.
Robin Denton spent three years working on the project which was designed by Rodger Christian.
He had met with Rodger at a peace keeping event in Morocco, where he needed to figure out how he would transport water to the desert.
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Rodger already had the design that Robin first brought to Kenya, which won an innovation prize in 2018, beating 676 universities in the world.
It took about a month to build the solar bike that has travelled 600km from Nairobi to Mombasa, making history as the longest travelling solar powered journey.
The president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has driven on the solar bike, and now there are six experimental units destined for Zimbabwe.
Robin said that they have spent almost three years to improve an idea, and they can see it is coming to fruition.
“The idea to build these bikes sparked from the state of the planet being dependent on fossil fuels. We are at a stage where we are expending too much oil and gas in order to save the planet.
“We need to look at alternative ways of transporting energy.
“Solar technology has improved by 50% in the last five years, and the prices have decreased,” he said
Robin added that these bikes would be used to promote or showcase the value of solar power, and how the sun of Benoni could be harnessed to get clean, green energy.
There are over 50 different models which are being considered for production of solar energy which include a mobile salon.
“The biggest problem in South Africa is transport and electricity. We would like to give Eskom a run for their money because they are over charging us,” Robin said
They have also achieved the first solar wedding in Kenya, transporting the bride and groom on their solar bikes.
Managing director Charles Badenhorst said that the concept of the solar bike could assist a boy in the rural area having to walk to school for 10 km. The bike has a capacity to assist him to get to school on time without feeling tired, and while he is at school, it could be charging outside.
“Later the same solar energy could be used to charge his cellphone that could be used for additional studying, or charge a small light bulb,” he said
The solar bikes come with the biggest advantage. They move without any fuel. However, one of the biggest disadvantages is its inability not to move at all if the sun is not shining.
All entrepreneurs interested in joining the academy can do so. All that is required of them is a registered business as this will become their identity.
It does not have to be an innovative business as any business can be part of the academy such as a salon.
