Colombian Energy Company Reuses Leftover Oil to Power These ‘Self-Sufficient Food Carts'

On the Caribbean coast of Colombia there are more than 150,000 food carts that keep traditional gastronomy alive and have already become a country's heritage and symbol of identity. Thus, food trucks represent an important part of the micro-economy of the area and constitute the main source of income for more than 200,000 families.

In their daily activity, to prepare the typical foods they offer, such as arepas, each cart uses more than three litres of oil per day, which is then generally disposed of down the sewers. This creates a high risk of contamination, if one considers that with only 1 liter of oil, almost 40,000 liters of water can be contaminated. In addition, 96% of these cars illegally extract electricity from high voltage poles, which poses a risk to safety and health.

Given this situation, Ogilvy together with Centelsa by Nexans, created a prototype car that generates electricity from the reuse of the oil used for cooking, preventing it from being thrown away and reducing the environmental impact.

Gastón Potasz, creative VP of Ogilvy Colombia commented: “The idea of ​​"Self Sufficient Food Carts" arises from two needs. The first, sustainability: we developed a completely new device that works from oil waste to generate electricity. And the second is related to being able to help the people who work with the carts, providing them with a safer and cheaper workplace because they use a resource that they already have"; and added: "Creativity has this transformative power. This is why we are really proud of this idea because it will make a real contribution to people's lives and care for the planet, in line with the 3 pillars promoted by Centelsa by Nexans: environment, engagement and economics".

Luis Carlos Parra, the mechanical engineer who participated in the project, explained: "We took traditional food carts and added an engine, and instead of running it on gasoline, we used cooking oil to produce power. This new cart produces 11 hours of power for every 3 liters of oil, so they will be able to work at night, and even move around the city"