BBOXX, provider of affordable, clean energy to off-grid communities, has launched large pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar systems in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
This has been enabled through a technical collaboration with Victron Energy, manufacturer of components for solar energy systems. BBOXXX is set to deliver reliable, clean and affordable power to businesses, aiming to enhance productivity and powering growth
In 2016, 14 per cent of citizens in the DRC have access to any form of reliable electricity, which is a significant barrier to economic development. BBOXX is operating in rural areas of the DRC to drive electrification.
According to BBOXX, the collaboration with Victron aims to serve the energy needs of urban areas of the DRC, providing SMEs such as grocery stores, restaurants and micro-processors, with productive power solutions of up to five kilowatt.
BBOXX has also launched operations in Goma, Eastern DRC, a region with a population of more than 1.5mn, and where blackouts commonly exceed five hours daily. These large solar energy solutions is expected to eliminate the time wasted by businesses on solving disruption to energy supply due to these frequent power cuts, thereby improving productivity and giving businesses reliable power necessary to scale up.
The collaboration is further expected to see large solar solutions deployed on BBOXX’s PAYG model, utilising Victron energy components. Significantly, these systems will be linked to BBOXX’s Pulse platform. This connects the customer to the product and also drives efficiency in business operations, for example by linking up to BBOXX’s customer service teams. It also provides remote monitoring and management of its solar systems, according to BBOXX.
This technical partnership aims to form part of BBOXX’s strategy to improve access to electricity for customers with a range of power needs, from small solar home systems of 50W in rural communities, to SMEs in urban areas.
Mansoor Hamayun, CEO of BBOXX, said, “There is a significant need for reliable energy in urban areas and we believe that this collaboration will help deliver a sustainable solution for consumers and businesses alike in towns and cities in the DRC.”
