Writer: Stacie Yeung

Street food is highly popular throughout the world. Kenya is one of them. Street vendors contributed a significant part of Kenya’s economic growth as well as livelihood. However, many of these food carts are powered by charcoal, which would damage both the environment and workers’ health due to the fumes emitted. In order to offer food vendors a clean and secure working environment, Zuhura Solutions, a social impact company based in Kenya, introduced solar-powered street carts.  

As many of us know, burning charcoal would produce large amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants that are detrimental to the natural environment. Zuhura Solutions uses solar panels mounted on food carts. The solar panels can be used to power a variety of equipment, including refrigerators, lights, and cooking appliances. The stored solar energy then converts heat to warm the food and beverages to ensure that they are at the proper temperature and are safe to consume. If there is excess energy generated by the solar panels during the day, it will be used to power the equipment on the cart during periods of low sunlight or at night. A backup battery system is typically designed to provide a stable and consistent power supply, so as to ensure that the equipment on the cart operates reliably. Zuhura Solutions aims to reduce reliance on harmful chemicals and replace it with renewable energy. Additionally, solar-powered street vending may lessen air pollution in urban areas. 

Overall, solar-powered street vending is an innovative and sustainable solution for small businesses in developing countries while stimulating their economies. As solar technology continues to improve, we can anticipate seeing more solar-powered street vendors in the future! 

Source: 
https://www.springwise.com/innovation/food-drink/solar-powered-food-carts-for-street-vendors/

Image Source:
https://zuhurasolutions.com/