Accra, Ghana, February 20, 2019//-Mansoor Hamayun, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)& Co-Founder of BBOXX, a next generation utility platform which provides electricity to over 675,000 under-served people in developing countries including Africa, has revealed that the company was set up to overcome energy poverty facing over a billion people worldwide.
While travelling across the developing world, Mr Hamayun; Christopher Baker-Brian, BBOXX’s Chief Technology Innovation Officer (CTIO); and Laurent Van Houcke, Chief Operating Officer of the company saw the potential in the lack of existing infrastructure to create a sustainable, environmentally responsible solution to the problem.
All three founders of the BBOXX had met while studying Electrical Engineering at Imperial College London, UK. They had travelled in the developing world and recognised the challenge posed to community and business development by an unreliable electrical supply.
They saw potential in the lack of existing infrastructure to create a sustainable, environmentally responsible solution to the problem.
So, they founded BBOXX in 2010 with a vision to overcome energy poverty, in a world where over a billion people still live without access to electricity, and many more living without reliable energy.
According to Energypedia, Energy poverty is a lack of access to modern energy services. These services are defined as household access to electricity and clean cooking facilities (e.g. fuels and stoves that do not cause air pollution in houses).
BBOXX’s head office is based in London and has over 600 staff across Europe, Africa and China. BBOXX is unlocking potential and enabling economic development in off-grid communities by creating new markets through the entry point of electricity, Mr Hamayun told African Eye Report in an interview.
He noted: “Energy provision brings people into the digital economy and creates demand in other areas including gas, water, internet and finance – a demand which the company also seeks to meet. BBOXX is scaling rapidly by forging strategic partnerships with investors, governments, telecommunications firms and energy majors”.
The company’s quest of providing clean and sustainable energy to off-grid communities in the developing world was recently recognized by the Zayed Sustainability Prize, the UAE’s pioneering global award in sustainability.
Recent award
Commenting on the landmark recognition, Mr Hamayun said: “BBOXX is honoured to have been recognised in this way by the Zayed Sustainability Prize. It is a testament to the way the company is making a meaningful difference to people’s lives around the world.
Today, BBOXX has deployed more than 150,000 solar systems bringing clean, affordable electricity for the first time to nearly one million people”.
“Funds from the Zayed Sustainability Prize will allow us to further invest in innovation, scale up and accelerate our ability to provide clean and reliable energy to underserved communities across the globe”.
Product differentials
The added benefit of BBOXX systems for the customer is our technology, in particular the Pulse platform. BBOXX Pulse – a comprehensive management platform – harnesses data, pioneering technology and machine-learning, enhancing the customer experience, Mr Hamayun added.
“ It allows us to offer proactive troubleshooting – which means BBOXX can solve issues such as battery depletion before it becomes a problem for the customer. In this way, BBOXX offers a far more sophisticated service than traditional energy grids, allowing us to leapfrog to much smarter solutions”.
Drivers of BBOXX products
The falling price of solar, combined with the uptake of mobile money in the developing world has meant that BBOXX can leapfrog the need to traditional infrastructure in favour of much smarter solutions.
So far, by using BBOXX products, people have extended working or studying hours, in addition to improved safety and environmental benefits. There are also economic benefits in that an average BBOXX household saves US$16 per month and 71% of BBOXX households benefit from additional income of about $49 per month.
BBOXX’s solar home systems for households and businesses are available on a pay-as-you-go via mobile money, meaning customers only pay for what they use.
BBOXX’s solar panels and batteries support a wide range of appliances, such as lights, TVs, refrigerators, phones, radios and much more. Once customers have access to electricity, everything becomes possible.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report
