• Careers

Turning up the heat

For more than two billion people, primarily rural households in developing nations, wood and charcoal are the primary sources of energy for cooking and heating.

Rural populations in Namibia rely heavily on forest resources, particularly through community forestry, to enhance their livelihoods.

Collecting wood for fuel in rural areas has the potential to contribute to deforestation and forest degradation; however, the extent to which this occurs is dependent on the source of supply and demand, the nature of fuelwood and charcoal markets, and household behaviour (Arnold et al., 2003).

As a result of the rising scarcity of wood experienced by rural communities, Cecilia Naule identified a gap, responded quickly, and capitalised.

"Our solar cooking company, Rural Power Solutions CC, was founded in 2021 with the goal of providing clean, affordable, and efficient cooking solutions to households with limited access to electricity," Naule said.



Providing energy

She has an honours degree in physics and is currently pursuing a master's degree in renewable energy with a focus on solar technologies.

This educational background has provided her with the skills and expertise to lead and develop in the field of renewable energy, she explained.

The company she founded provides a variety of solar cooking products that are designed to meet a variety of cooking needs and budgets, with products that use solar technologies to harness sunlight and convert it into heat energy, allowing households to cook their food without relying on traditional fuels such as firewood, gas or electricity.

Namibia's solar power potential is vast, with an average of 300 days of sunshine each year. It has enormous potential for solar energy, yet 60% of the country's energy is imported from neighbouring countries, and 40% of its population is disconnected from the grid.

"The most distinctive aspect of our business is the way we address a critical issue confronting rural communities – cooking energy poverty,” Naule underlined.

"We not only contribute to environmental sustainability by providing solar cooking solutions, but we also directly enhance people's lives by improving their health, saving them time, and lowering their cooking fuel prices," she added.



Assisting those in need

Naule is one of the top-five Sanlam Bridge 2023 winners, one of the young Namibians with innovative businesses who have proven remarkable potential.

"The overreliance on wood for cooking, which affects 49% of Namibians, with 86% of them living in rural regions, emphasises the importance of tackling the issue of cooking energy poverty. To address this issue, government incentives and collaborations with renewable energy entrepreneurs can play a critical role in hastening the transition to sustainable and clean cooking practices, thereby helping the well-being and livelihoods of isolated people,” Naule said.