Drone view of a roof full of solar panels at Victoria Yards, three people walking between the rows

Sonnenglas Factory · Johannesburg

Our solar factory at Victoria Yards

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The factory

A social business that makes light

Since 2013, every Sonnenglas product has been made in Johannesburg. By hand, in our Fair Trade certified factory. All profits go back in: into the factory and into the community around it. One light at a time.

Member of SEND – Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland
A man in green overalls walks on the roof between long rows of solar panels

On the roof

The sun supplies the power

Solar panels cover our roofs. The factory runs almost entirely on their power. We make light from the sun, and we make it with the sun.

Victoria Yards

An oasis that gives hope

Victoria Yards is in Lorentzville, in the old part of Johannesburg. More than 60% of young people here have no work, one of the highest rates in the world. Right in the middle of it, an urban garden has grown: safe, green, with wonderful neighbours and projects that want to change things. We are part of it, and we bring light and work.

A smiling woman holds a glowing Sun Jar in both hands, above her the "Sonnenglas Solar Factory" sign on the brick wall
An old industrial hall at Victoria Yards with a group of visitors in the yard
Drone view from above of red hall roofs with solar panels at Victoria Yards

Inside the factory

Many hands, one light

Here we create steady, fairly paid jobs. And we teach skills: soldering, electronics assembly, welding, robotics and precision craft.

  • Three people in the factory smile at a SOMO module held by a young woman

    Assembly

    Housing, lens, circuit board: we build every SOMO by hand, and each one passes through many hands before it shines.

  • Hands hold a SOMO module over a sunlit wooden table, its six LEDs lit

    Electronics

    The circuit board is the heart of the light. Soldering and assembly are learned here, in the team.

  • Hands hold the back of a SOMO module, its green charge light on

    Checking

    Before a light leaves the factory, it shines for the first time: in our hands.

  • A team member in a "part of the sunniest team" shirt holds a SOMO module over a sunlit wooden table
  • A worker in a cap and blue gloves smiles and holds up a small part
  • A team member in a white Sonnenglas shirt holds the lid of a Sun Jar Classic
  • Two workers laugh together at the workbench
  • A team member leans over a glowing Sun Jar Classic on a wooden table
  • In low light, a worker holds a small part next to a workbench lamp
  • A team member holds a small Sun Jar in her hands
  • Hands assemble SOMO modules in a shaft of sunlight, a screwdriver beside them
  • A team member smiles behind a glowing Sun Jar Classic

The people

Who works here

Every Sun Jar and every SOMO passes through the hands of these people.

The team in navy overalls laughing in front of the factory's brick wall, some holding up Sun Jars
A man in the dim Factory Shop smiles up at glowing Sun Jars hanging from the ceiling

Factory Shop

Straight from the factory

Since 2023 the factory has its own shop. At the Sonnenglas Factory Shop you buy where the lights are made.

Visit

Come and see us

Our factory is open to visitors. On your own, with friends or as a group: let us know before you come, and we plan the visit with you.

Address
Sonnenglas Factory Shop
16 Viljoen Street, Unit 5G, Victoria Yards, 2094 Lorentzville, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Open in maps ↗
Factory Shop opening hours
On request
A group of visitors on a garden path between brick buildings at Victoria Yards
Visitors talking in production, a worker at the bench in front

Plan a visit

Tell us when you would like to come and how many of you there are – we reply by email and set a date with you.

We only use your details to handle your request. More in our privacy policy.

Visits in our stories

Read on

The whole story

How power cuts in Johannesburg turned into a solar factory, and what African artisans make of our lights.

Watch the film · 1:23 Our story Artisan Edition