Hi! My name is Priscille Dossou and I am the founder and CEO of Houefa
Green
Energy, a
startup dedicated to biogas production from household waste.
Biogas
is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane,
carbon dioxide and
hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw
materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal
waste, plant
material, sewage, green waste and food waste.
It is a renewable energy source.
Holder of a Master Degree in Bioengineering of food process, I have been an alumni of the
YALI network since
2018.
I and my team released the very first prototype of our mobile digester called Houefa in 2020.
The year following, we received 5000 USD seed funding from the Tony Elumelu
Foundation to
support the
development of Houefa.
Due to the high cost of energy sources, women in the Benin Republic; West Africa use firewood for cooking.
Firewood is a renewable resource however the demand is currently outpacing it's ability to regenerate.
According to the Environment Agency of Benin, the amount of waste throwed into the nature keeps growing
every
year.
Considered as an alternative to the firewood, some people prefer using fossil gas.
While it is more expensive than charcoal, there are often supply break leading to high gas price
fluctuation.
Directly or indirectly, more than one million people are exposed to this situation.
In a recent survey conducted by our team, more than 80% of people interviewed in restaurants, school
canteens, hospitals, prisons and households unanimously claim that they need a sunstaible solution to this
issue.
Now, how to fulfil their expectations by thinking firstly accessible, affordable and equitable for everyone?
We try to answer this by our mobile digester called Houefa.
The first digester that empowers woomen in Africa
What is Houefa and how does it work?
Evreyday we produce waste. There are many types of waste but the only we will focus on is the organic
waste which is any material that comes from a plant or animal and is
biodegradable.
Some examples of organic waste include the following: leftover food, apple cores, egg shells, yard
trimmings, fallen leaves, pet food, cut flowers etc.
Due to the fact it is biodegradable, organic waste breaks down over
time. This process generates a
tremendous amount of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat
in the atmosphere and contributes to
climate change.
Notice, methane will absorb 86 times more heat than equal amount of carbon
dioxide would over a 20-year
period.
Obviously, keeping these materials out of landfills is a matter of protecting public health.
That's why organic waste disposal must be carefully managed.
Our mobile digester Houefa will help you not only by facilitating
organic waste removal but once collected
you will be able to use it to produce biogas for cooking, lightning or whatever you want.
Our Vision and Goals
Our vision by 2030 is to guarantee ecological and healthy society through the use of renewable energies
while saving money.
- Releasing of 500 Houefa digesters.
- Awarding the Top 5 "Greenest" Women Restaurant using Houefa.
- More than 1000 tons of waste sorted.
- Providing job opportunity to 60 people with at least 70% women.
