PowerStove, an energy start-up that pioneered IOT enabled clean cooking with electricity generating capacity and one of the successful winners of the $100,000 in the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF)/All On 2021 Nigeria Off-Grid Energy Challenge is expanding the business across major cities in Nigeria.
Powerstove is a smokeless biomass stove that generates electricity, cook foods 5 times faster, and allows the user to monitor and control cooking over a mobile app.
Okey Essse, co-founder and CEO, told BusinessDay that the company is seeking to expand into Aba, Ariria market to take advantage of the electricity-generating component of the device and fill a need in Aba.
“They have found a way to use heat in glueing shoes. So once they apply the gum, they light the kerosene stove and use the heat from the kerosene stove to dry the gum. We told them that kerosene is already expensive. So it’s adding to your cost. So we’re going to give you a tool that is 80 percent cheaper than kerosene.
“And while you are using it, it will generate light for you. And the light they need is just a very small light, one light bulb, one to charge their phone, fan and TV that is the maximum they can use.
And this is something we can produce and provide for them. So we discussed with All-on, and they’re happy with the concept and they said they want to fund it. So, with their fund, we’re expanding in Abia state in Aba,” Esse said.
Read also: 13 energy start-ups win $100,000 in All On/USADF off-grid energy challenge
The company is also looking to expand to other places including Enugu and Ondo states.
Powerstove converts non-recyclable paper as well as wood and agricultural by-products of different crops into biomass pellets. The startup manufactures the stove as well as the pellets for biomass fuel available to users.
The lifespan of a powerstove is a minimum of 5 years and in the course of that time, it can charge electrical appliances as well as be used for cooking. It can be used to charge mobile phones, rechargeable lanterns, power LED bulbs and power banks.
As part of efforts aimed at attracting new users, Okey said, “I think we are doing something novel with carbon credits. And we are looking to become pioneers in carbon credit within the country. So on that note, we are using blockchain, IoT, and cryptocurrency or what they call cryptography, to be able to create carbon tokens and that makes us incentivize users.
“So, within this year, we’re looking at you to buy the stove, you keep using the stove; we pay you for using this stove. You know, we sell carbon credits and pay them for using this stove,” he said.
PowerStove began commercial operations in 2018 with the goal of providing alternative cooking sources to most Nigerian households that miss cooking with gas stoves or want to cook with a better alternative that produces no smoke, emits no pollution, and is less expensive.
Esse said the stove would aid in the reduction of emissions caused by the use of firewood and charcoal, while also maintaining a good healthy environment and being a less expensive product when compared to other products.
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