Next generation utility company BBOXX has continued its rapid expansion across Africa by launching large pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar systems in towns and cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through a collaboration with manufacturer Victron Energy.

BBOXX develops solar home systems coupled with its SMART Solar platform, and has so far deployed 150,000 systems.

Already operating in the likes of Rwanda, Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria and Togo, BBOXX is now making inroads in the DRC, where less than 14 per cent of citizens have access to any form of reliable electricity.

The company is already operating in rural areas of the DRC to drive electrification, with the collaboration with Victron signalling BBOXX's aim to also 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 5kW.

BBOXX has so far launched operations in Goma, Eastern DRC - a region with a population of over 1.5 million, and where blackouts commonly exceed five hours daily. The company says its large solar energy solutions will 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.

Solar solutions will be deployed on BBOXX's PAYG model, utilising Victron energy components. These systems will be linked to BBOXX's Pulse platform, which connects the customer to the product and also drives efficiency in business operations.

"We are already making an impact in rural DRC with our smart solar systems, providing an on-grid experience in an off-grid setting. There is still 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," said Mansoor Hamayun, CEO of BBOXX.

"We look forward to working with partners in the future to deliver our energy services to more customers across the distribution mix, from small rural homes through to urban SMEs, improving productivity and powering economic growth."

Matthijs Vade, managing director of Victron Energy, said he believed the collaboration with BBOXX would provide opportunities for rural and urban populations to move up the energy ladder with quality solar systems.

"The combination of our MPPT solar chargers and pure sine inverters generates enough to power productive loads such as refrigeration or agricultural machinery. It also addresses the demand from the urban and peri-urban households with higher energy needs but unreliable grid supply. As an innovative technology manufacturer we have developed technical features particularly beneficial for pay-as-you-go systems - including remote monitoring access, smart battery management and overload protections - which link up effectively with BBOXX software solutions," he said.