ECO TERRA ENERGY GROUP develops sustainable clean-cooking solutions for Rwanda. Its flagship product is the IHAZE Solar Stove — a hybrid, solar-assisted stove that uses affordable biomass fuels with high efficiency and no toxic fumes. Tagline: Sustainable energy solutions.
- Cohort: GIIH Cohort 2
- Status: Startup stage
- Product: IHAZE Solar Stove
- Location focus: Musanze District
- Sector: Clean energy & biomass cooking
The problem
Many rural households depend on firewood and charcoal. A 14-year-old girl like Uwiduhaye Chantal may spend 4.5 hours daily fetching firewood before school. While mothers cook over open fires, families inhale toxic fumes that harm health. This drives:
- High demand for wood
- Deforestation from cutting trees
- Climate change impacts
The solution — IHAZE Solar Stove
- Cheap and affordable for households
- Hybrid stove design with high cooking efficiency
- Long-lasting fuel with solar assistance
- Saves time and money
- No toxic fumes — healthier indoor air
Product & fuel system
The IHAZE kit combines a forced-draft green stove with solar power and multiple fuel options:
- Mini solar panel & 12V battery
- 12V fan and speed regulator
- Rice husk pellets
- Volcanic rocks
- Maize cob briquettes
- Charcoal briquettes
Revenue model
- Single stove kit (mini solar panel, 8 volcanic stones, batteries): 40,000 RWF ( $35.76)
- Kitchen stove — 2 burners (solar panel, 32 volcanic stones): 90,000 RWF ( $80.46)
- Group bundle (3 stoves, 12% discount): 105,000 RWF ( $93.88)
Market — Musanze District
Musanze has 174,399 households (NISR, EICV 2020).
Charcoal users (81% = 143,199 households):
- TAM: 5,727,960,000 RWF
- SAM (40%): 2,291,184,000 RWF · 57,279 households
Firewood users (29.49% = 51,430 households):
- TAM: 2,057,200,000 RWF
- SAM (20%): 411,440,000 RWF · 10,286 households
Overall: SAM 7.79B RWF ( $7M) · SOM 2.7B RWF ( $2.4M)
Competition
Competitors include Cana Rumwe (firewood — unhealthy smoke) and Rondereza (charcoal — expensive, toxic gases).
IHAZE advantages: long-lasting fuel, fuel economy, easy-to-find cheap fuel, durable stove, solar power, saves money and time.
Go-to-market
Events: targeted monthly events including International Exhibition of Rwanda PSF (60,000 people), African Green Revolution Forum (2,000), Solar Africa Rwanda (10,000), BuildExpo Africa (30,000).
Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram — ECO TERRA ENERGY GROUP
Partnerships: DRD, Hingamafarang, Energy Radio
Team
- Hope Sharif — Founder & Managing Director (ex Marketing Director, AIESEC Rwanda; coordinated Career Guidance, Entrepreneurship & Employability at UR; coordinated GAIA project with village community promoters for 2 years)
- Bajeneza Julie — Co-founder, Sales & Marketing Director (Agribusiness graduate; 2 years sales & marketing in agriculture)
- Niyibizi Cassien — Product Manager (Agroforestry graduate; IMBARAGA Rwanda farmer organisation coordinator for 13 years; 10 years climate-change mitigation experience)
- Uwimana Claudine — ICT (Information Technology graduate; 2 years at REG network)
Traction
- Market validation with positive customer feedback
- Recruited professionals; partnership with local NGO DRD
- Participated in Agrishow 2022 — certificate from Minister of Agriculture
- Top 3 innovators among 200 ideas selected by UR-CAVM
Funding needs
Seeking 20 million RWF for production machinery:
- Metal molding, bending and binding machines
- Solar panels (12V), batteries, fans (12V), speed regulators
- Insulated clay materials
