Sky Energy Africa has rallied corporate captains to embrace solar energy and electric mobility to tackle stress triggered by foul air, blackouts and energy bills.
The youth-led clean energy enterprise prides itself on being the pioneer of electric vehicles (EVs) in Malawi’s transport mix stained by deadly fumes from vehicles that burn petrol and diesel.
Sky energy Africa operations manager Kondwani Tchereni says clean energy solutions reliably power homes, businesses and essential services while tackling climate change.
“Gone are the days when men who mean business used to complain about disruptions in their business, workflow and quality of life due to persistent blackouts, fuel scarcity and other energy-related problems. It’s time to make the switch to clean energy and take the future into your hands,” he said.
Tchereni was speaking during Prestige Events’ first Men’s Conference at Apollo Auditorium in Blantyre on Friday night.
Sky Energy was the main sponsor of the man-to-man talks to tackle mental and sexual health problems that fuel premature deaths, including suicide. Other sponsors were National Bank of Malawi plc, Old Mutual Malawi and Medical Aid Society of Malawi.
E-mobility
Sky Energy has popularised electric vehicles in the country, persuading banks publicly listed on the Malawi Stock Exchange—NBM and FDH Bank—to put clean mobility on their sustainability agenda.
The firm also designed and installed major solar energy systems for agriculture, healthcare and business.
The footprint includes 48 Total Energies Malawi fuelling stations, 18 Puma energy service stations, 60 primary schools as well as Blantyre-based Malawi Blood Transfusion Services blood bank and the Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services headquarters.
Environmentalists tout renewable energy as a big shift in the global lobby against fossil fuels responsible for emitting greenhouse gases that drive air pollution and global warming.
Speaking at the London Climate Action Week last week, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on petroleum producers to come clean as the world’s dependence on oil is driving both the climate crisis and an energy sovereignty crunch.
The massive shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of the US-Israel-Iran war, coupled with forex scarcity, left motorists in Malawi desperately queuing at empty petrol and diesel pumps for two months.
“The [energy and climate] crises may seem separate, but they share the same destructive origin: fossil fuels. And they demand the same answer: a fast, fair transition to clean energy and a surge in adaptation, resilience and climate justice for those already facing climate harm,” he said.
Guterres asked political leadership to push through global change, including phasing out leaded petrol and banning chemicals that “created a hole in the ozone layer”.
Malawi’s energy mix is dominated by clean options, especially hydropower, but nearly all vehicles on its roads burn fossil fuels to move people and goods.
Sky Energy founder Schizzo Thomson says EVs could help clean up the transport mix.
“This strategic expansion of our electronic vehicle dealership aligns seamlessly with our mission to drive positive environmental impact and promote a greener tomorrow for the people of Malawi,” he said.
Air quality matters
He estimates that a full charge that lasts 350 kilometres consumes electricity worth about K4 640, just about the pump price of a litre of petrol or diesel that takes about 12km.
Air quality detectors planted by the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences in Blantyre and Lilongwe record toxic fumes during peak-hour traffic jams, says Associate Professor Chikumbutso Kaonga.
Scientists warn that air pollution takes about a year off the average life expectancy in Malawi, one of the top five health threats in the country.
