Bboxx, a next generation utility, held an event to showcase its LPG technology and a new partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) at the Pullman Hotel in Kinshasa, to expand clean cooking access in the DRC
At the event, Bboxx demonstrated its LPG technology using PayGo Energy Cylinder Smart Meter, connected to Bboxx Pulse, its IoT technology-enabled comprehensive management platform, which means that Bboxx can remotely monitor, manage and deliver clean cooking solutions in a distributed and scalable model.
Connected to the gas canister, this smart metre remotely monitors gas flow, the gas remaining in the canister, and cooking credit – in real-time. Time-lapsed user data collected as customer cook helps Bboxx better understand customer needs and patterns of consumption, and enables USAID’s Gas is an Affordable Alternative to Charcoal Project Team to effectively monitor emissions.
USAID’s Pay As You Go Liquid Petroleum Gas Programme recently awarded a grant to Bboxx to test and scale up this new technology. Over the next three years, this funding, which is made possible due to the support of the American people, will enable Bboxx to provide 15,000 households and small businesses in Goma with clean and affordable cooking alternatives.
Meeting UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 includes clean and affordable cooking for everyone – and in the DRC, only 4% of the population has access to it. Helping the DRC move towards clean cooking will dramatically improve community health (SDG 3) in Eastern DRC and advance gender equality by enhancing women’s economic opportunities (SDG 5).
Through their new partnership, USAID and Bboxx ultimately aim to reduce deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the consumption of charcoal used for cooking. Displacing the use of charcoal will directly benefit the South Sector of Virunga National Park in the DRC, where the production of charcoal is currently responsible for some 91% of deforestation.
Mansoor Hamayun, CEO and co-founder of Bboxx, commented, “Accelerating UN SDG 7 – clean energy for all – requires rapid progress on access to energy for clean cooking. It is unacceptable that four billion people across the globe still live without clean cooking facilities. This issue is too often overlooked, and is harming the environment, people’s health and economic opportunities.
“We are passionate about the role of innovative technology and LPG in making significant progress in tackling this major global crisis. To make meaningful headway, it is vital to work with partners across the globe. We are honoured to be partnering with USAID to put this mission into action in the DRC, as we continue to transform lives and unlock potential through access to clean energy.”
