What is the name of your organization?
Virgin Green Renewable Energy Limited
What is the name of your solution?
Virgin Green Renewable Energy
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Providing affordable, clean cooking solutions and carbon removal technologies to reduce deforestation, air pollution, and climate change impacts.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Kapiri Mposhi
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Zambia
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Virgin Green Renewable Energy is addressing the critical issue of household air pollution, deforestation, and carbon emissions caused by traditional cooking fuels such as charcoal and firewood. In Zambia, over 70% of households rely on charcoal, leading to severe deforestation, with the country losing 250,000 to 300,000 hectares of forest annually. This reliance on polluting fuels contributes to over 13,000 deaths annually due to indoor air pollution in Zambia alone, disproportionately affecting women and children.
Globally, 2.3 billion people lack access to clean cooking solutions, contributing to 3.2 million premature deaths each year and releasing 1 gigaton of CO₂ emissions annually. In sub-Saharan Africa, forest loss accelerates climate change and disrupts agricultural productivity, increasing food insecurity.
The key factors driving this crisis include poverty, limited access to clean energy, weak enforcement of environmental regulations, and a lack of affordable alternatives. Addressing this challenge requires sustainable, cost-effective energy solutions that reduce deforestation, improve air quality, and create economic opportunities for vulnerable communities.
What is your solution?
As an enterprise we provides affordable, sustainable clean cooking solutions and carbon removal technologies to combat deforestation, air pollution, and climate change. Our eco-briquettes, made from agricultural waste, offer a smokeless and cost-effective alternative to charcoal, reducing reliance on biomass and fossil fuels. Additionally, we produce wood vinegar, a natural pesticide and soil enhancer, supporting sustainable agriculture.
Beyond clean cooking, we are developing a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) project, leveraging biochar and other proven technologies to generate verified carbon credits, creating new revenue streams while mitigating climate change. Our integrated approach ensures affordability, accessibility, and long-term environmental impact for households, institutions, and businesses across Zambia and beyond.
Through these innovative solutions, we are reducing indoor air pollution, slowing deforestation, and creating economic opportunities in local communities.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
We serve low-income households, schools, hospitals, and businesse kitchens like restaurants in Zambia and beyond, providing them with affordable, clean, and sustainable energy solutions. Our primary beneficiaries are women and children, who are disproportionately affected by indoor air pollution from traditional cooking fuels like charcoal and firewood. Exposure to harmful smoke leads to respiratory diseases, while the burden of collecting firewood limits economic and educational opportunities for women and girls.
We also support small-scale farmers by providing wood vinegar, a natural pesticide and soil enhancer that boosts agricultural productivity without harmful chemicals, reducing environmental pollution, and generating income opportunities.
By replacing polluting fuels with eco-briquettes, and clean cookstoves, our solution reduces household energy costs, improves health outcomes, and slows deforestation. Our carbon credit pilot program will further ensure long-term sustainability by making clean energy more accessible and affordable. Ultimately, our work fosters economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, and improved quality of life for underserved communities.
