Rapeleng Ramatlhodi - Founder and CEO of Solarev Solutions. Picture: Supplied
Pretoria’s Rapelang Ramatlhodi has urged budding entrepreneurs to “show up every day”.
Ramatlhodi runs the Solarev Solutions, an operations and maintenance company that was founded in 2021 during Covid-19 and it specialises in solar panel cleaning and maintenance within the renewable energy industry.
Solarev Solutions also services residential, commercial and industrial Solar PV Systems across South Africa.
“The biggest misconception among homeowners with Solar PV systems and solar asset owners is that rain will clean their panels. They also think that solar panels require a significant amount of maintenance to keep them at optimal performance,” said the founder and CEO of Solarev Solutions.
Ramatlhodi also said that she wants her clients to have peace of mind after investing, so her company designed affordable maintenance plans for residential, commercial and industrial clients.
The maintenance plans are to help clients maximise energy production, realise their return on investment, extend the system’s lifespan, identify potential faults early, and reduce the need for costly repairs or replacements.
She said that they also share educational content to create awareness of the importance of solar system maintenance.
Ramatlhodi shared that one of the meaningful projects she has worked on was facilitating an Energy Skills workshop where they educated women on how to penetrate and participate in the Just Energy Transition (JET) and Renewable Energy Sector.
“We provided them with tools to position themselves and help them start their journey within the value chain. This empowering workshop taught me that there is still a lot for South Africans to learn to fully embrace the shift to renewable energy,” she said.
She further stated that this workshop was a stepping-stone for many women who attended to diversify their portfolios into renewable energy.
Ramatlhodi shared with IOL how she would like to give back to young girls and women who wish to start an entrepreneurial journey like her, but do not know where to begin.
“Entrepreneurship is a faith-testing journey of self-discovery and a lot of idea-testing. The journey starts by making a commitment to yourself first. You have to believe in yourself and show up every day, even when no one is watching,” she said.
She also shared that you must be relentless and courageous in pursuit of your dreams and find a mentor along your journey. She said that it is important to always remember that giving up should not exist in your vocabulary.
Ramatlhodi is one of the finalists who are nominated for the 2024 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards. She is a nominee for the Bold Future Award category. The awards take place on Wednesday, July 17.
IOL