- Date
- 18th November 2020
- Categories
- General
Background
Cooking with electricity could make a significant contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goal No.7 by simultaneously enabling cost-effective access to modern energy and clean cooking, and proposing the steps needed to realize this opportunity.
The “Cooking with electricity: a cost perspective” report produced by the World Bank Group and the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) program presents five case studies comparing the current and projected costs to the consumer of a range of electric cooking (eCooking) solutions with current expenditures on cooking fuels. The findings show that eCooking can be a cost-effective option for some consumers in both off-grid and grid-connected settings. Innovative financing and delivery models are vital in making eCooking devices affordable. This will hinge upon private sector willingness—in particular solar companies, mini grid operators, and utilities—to adopt the technology as part of the services offered to customers. Unlocking these emerging opportunities could enable transformative impact for the 2.8 billion people still cooking with biomass, but it will take concerted global effort to create an enabling environment that can facilitate the integration of electric cooking into electrification planning and renewable energy investments.
Key findings
- Compared with electric hotplates, electric pressure cookers (EPCs) can reduce energy demand by 80 percent for “heavy foods” (foods that require boiling for more than an hour) and by 50 percent across the entire range of foods that they are able to cook.
- Battery-supported eCooking is already cost-effective for charcoal users in urban centers with electricity tariffs below $0.15/kWh.
- By 2025, expected increases in charcoal prices and the falling costs of battery-supported solutions suggest that the cost of eCooking will likely be comparable to the cost of cooking with charcoal even in weak-grid and off-grid contexts ($8–39/month vs. $5–41/month respectively).
Join the report launch event.
JOINT ESMAP- MECS BBL | Cooking with Electricity: A Cost Perspective (Report Launch) Monday, November 23, 2020 | 9:00-10:30am (EST) Time Zone Converter
ESMAP and the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme’s recent report seeks to build the evidence base on whether cooking with electricity could make a significant contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through five case studies, the report compares the current and projected costs to the consumer of a range of electric cooking solutions with the costs of cooking with currently widely-used fuels in each context. The findings challenge the widespread perception that electricity is too expensive for cooking in developing countries and show that cooking with energy-efficient appliances can already be a cost-effective option for many consumers, in particular those in grid-connected urban centers. By 2025, anticipated increases in charcoal prices and the falling costs of battery-supported solutions suggest that cooking with electricity will become increasingly viable even in weak-grid and off-grid contexts. Unlocking these emerging opportunities could enable transformative impact for the 2.8 billion people still cooking with biomass; however, it will take concerted effort to create an enabling environment that can facilitate the integration of electric cooking into both clean cooking and electrification planning. This event will begin with a presentation by the co-authors of the report on the key findings followed by a panel conversation with energy practitioners on what these findings mean for developing countries looking to enable the transition to electric cooking..
Chair and overall panel.
Chair: Dana Rysankova, Global Lead for Energy Access, The World Bank
Moderator: Alfie Alsop, Infrastructure Advisor, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
Presenters:
- Jon Leary, MECS Research Associate, Loughborough University
- Matthew Leach, Professor of Energy and Environmental Systems, University of Surrey
- Besnik Hyseni, Energy Specialist, ESMAP, The World Bank
Panellists:
- Nipunika Perera, Researcher, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
- Karuna Bajracharya, Nepal Country Manager, Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA)
- Dipti Vaghela, Network Facilitator and Manager, Hydropower Empowerment Network (HPNET)
- Nickson Bukachi, Senior Renewable Energy Officer, Kenya Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority
- James Baanabe Isingoma, Consultant with Cities for Infrastructure Growth (CIG).
Click here to RSVP in advance of the event launch.
Event joining details:
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Meeting Link || Meeting number (access code): 172 968 4467 Meeting password: eCooking2025
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