eCooking in School Kitchens - A Recipe for Sustainability and Decarbonisation in Nepal and Beyond

By Richard Sieff (MECS), Biraj Gautam (People, Energy & Environment Development Association [PEEDA]), Raffaella Bellanca (World Food Programme [WFP]), and Bikash Uprety (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit [GIZ]).

Introduction

In order to accelerate urgently needed transitions to electric cooking (eCooking) and the multiple health, environmental, social and economic benefits they can bring, it makes sense to target interventions which can be achieved comparatively easily, cost effectively and that reach large numbers of people. A growing body of research highlights how eCooking initiatives in schools and childcare facilities particularly meet this criteria as they typically:

• have simple, consistent menus that match the strengths of eCooking appliances; 
• cook outside of peak electricity demand hours, meaning eCooking transitions are unlikely to overburden networks and may provide additional revenue for utilities where eCooking absorbs daytime surplus electricity generation.
• have relatively low eCooking implementation costs and can take a longer term view of returns on investment; 
• can play an educational role to raise awareness in communities and provide showcasing opportunities;
• and have potential to efficiently deliver a range of social, environmental, and health benefits to large numbers of people. 

Drawing on these points, this blog highlights how delivering eCooking in schools is in many ways relatively straightforward to achieve and should be more actively and dynamically pursued. Focussing on Nepal, this blog calls for school eCooking transitions to be a much more prominent part of the country’s policy framework, complementing existing national policy commitments to household eCooking and the Government’s free school meal programme. This call is particularly timely given the key policy document shaping Nepal’s eCooking and broader climate ambitions, the ‘Third Nationally Determined Contribution Plan’ (Third NDC), is currently under development for release this year. 

School eCooking initiatives – delivering large scale transitions

Nepal’s primary national eCooking target is currently set by the Second NDC Plan, which calls for 25% of households to use electric stoves as their primary mode of cooking by 2030. According to recent Government figures, 0.5% of households primarily cook with electricity, while 5% use electric stoves as either a primary or secondary mode of cooking. The limited progress reported to date is perhaps understandable as the current NDC target is among the most ambitious eCooking targets of all ‘developing and least developed’ countries¹. However, this blog argues the new Third NDC could help support existing eCooking objectives and the quicker, more effective delivery of longer term decarbonisation under Nepal’s 2045 net zero emissions target by adding an institutional and commercial eCooking component, with schools at the forefront.

Recent research highlights how school eCooking initiatives can result in substantial shifts away from cooking on biomass and other polluting fuels, contributing to broader national decarbonisation drives. Case studies in Nepal, Kenya, Guinea, and Lesotho² found that once introduced, eCooking became the primary mode of cooking at schools connected to grid, off-grid, and grid-tied PV systems with differing degrees of supply reliability, highlighting how eCooking transitions are feasible using various electricity sources. The Nepal case study supported by the Government and World Food Programme’s (WFP) Green School Kitchen (GSK) project saw six public schools provided with solar PV systems (grid-tied) and electric induction stoves to deliver integrated solutions addressing both electricity and clean cooking needs. After eCooking was introduced, all six schools reported substantial reductions in their previous baseline fuels: decreasing by an average 89.3% across the five schools previously using firewood, and completely replacing the LPG used in the remaining school. No changes were made to school menus, indicating eCooking was a good fit for existing cooking practices. Smart meter data showed irregularities in electricity supply frequency and voltage, but that these issues did not prevent adoption.

Why large School eCooking transitions may be relatively straightforward to achieve  

Furthermore, the evidence from these case studies and recent ethnographic research in institutional settings in Nepal indicates that eCooking transitions may be relatively straightforward to achieve in schools owing to the following factors.

1. Simple consistent menus. Schools tend to favour simply cooked, uncomplicated menus involving single dish or single ingredient batch cooking. This kind of uniform single dish/ingredient batch cooking is a strength of eCooking appliances which can regulate accurately and produce consistent results with thermostats, timers, and other forms of automation.

2. Cook at times coinciding with daytime surplus electricity generation. In many countries, schools typically cook during the day and outside of peak electricity demand hours in the morning and evening, meaning eCooking transitions are less likely to add to existing peak loads and strain electricity infrastructure. Instead, electricity demand from school eCooking may be able to absorb existing surplus daytime generation (where it exists), potentially leading to increased profitability for the utility. In Nepal, grid electricity is almost entirely renewable, likely increasing opportunities to leverage carbon finance to support transitions. 

3. Low upfront costs for introducing eCooking. Table 1 compares the upfront costs of introducing eCooking in a grid connected school and household. Larger scale appliances, utensils and infrastructure upgrades inevitably result in higher upfront costs for an individual school, but for the more pertinent question of upfront costs per person reached, the per capita cost for schools is 40% that of equipping a household to cook with induction technology. The assumptions used are likely to be conservative. The household was allocated one induction stove due to single stove eCooking interventions and ownership being common in Nepal. However, MECS research strongly points to households needing more than one appliance for larger eCooking transitions to cater for simultaneous cooking of dishes. This would confer an even greater cost advantage to schools – the per capita cost for schools falling to 29% that of a household which has purchased two induction stoves.

Table 1. Upfront costs of introducing eCooking per individual school/household

4. Well placed to take a long term view of returns on investment. Schools (and other institutions) are often afforded a longer-term view of returns on any investment through being state run and/or centrally funded (often with sizable donor support). In theory, a long term perspective implies that the cost of investing in eCooking equipment will have time to amortise, providing more time for the day-to-day cost saving benefits of eCooking to accrue (an important consideration given the often higher capital outlay required for large energy-efficient cooking appliances).

5. Easier and more impactful awareness raising. Building on the analysis in Table 1,Table 2 highlights that approximately 23 households would need to be convinced to switch to eCooking to deliver the same number of daily meals as one Nepali basic level school (grades 1-5). The lower number of schools required to achieve a broadly equivalent transition suggests a potentially easier awareness raising process by virtue of there being less people to convince. Furthermore, educational drives are commonplace among development agency practices and those supporting school eCooking (such as PEEDA’s initiative in Dolakha) may help spread the message from school to home, potentially complementing household transitions by serving as a demonstrator to local communities of the benefits of eCooking.

Table 2. Number of households (hhs) which need to switch to eCooking to deliver the same number of eCooked daily meals as one school

Further sustainability benefits

The case for school eCooking is furthered still by increasing evidence highlighting how school eCooking can contribute to delivering a range of environmental, economic, health, and social benefits, with gender benefits a cross-cutting theme across all domains. Recent case study evidence highlights substantial reductions in cooking fuel expenditure following eCooking adoption: 27% to 69% lower when transitioning from LPG (Lesotho) and 50% (Kenya) to 85% (Lesotho) lower from firewood. Health benefits were also widely reported, with cooks citing fewer smoke related health issues, lower heat stress and noise pollution, and less heat exposure and eye irritation.

Critically, shifts away from biomass can reduce indoor air pollution; attributable to 3.2 million premature deaths each year. This benefit is not only reserved for cooks. Data from schools cooking with biomass in Kenya and Rwanda found pollution levels (PM_2.5) in classrooms were three to eight times higher than WHO air quality guidelines. The Kenya research also found cooking smoke disrupted teaching activities as students couldn’t concentrate and cope with the conditions (often wanting to leave the classroom) and was “a source of distress and shame”, especially for caterers.

School eCooking transitions also have significant scope to reduce deforestation and carbon emissions as wood fuel savings can be in an order of magnitude: For instance, schools in Nepal and Uganda often bulk purchase firewood for cooking each term in numbers of truckloads, with an average day school in Uganda reported to use 12.5 tonnes per term or five 2.5 tonne truckloads). Reducing the use of biomass for cooking can also result in large savings in terms of time and the associated drudgery from families collecting firewood for school meals (commonly reported in Nepal).

The case for implementing eCooking at scale in Nepal’s schools

The current setup for school meals in Nepal suggests scope to scale school eCooking through Government intervention while also improving the affordability of delivery. Under the National Mid-Day Meal Program (NMDMP), the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology provides free midday meals to all students in pre-primary ‘early childhood education and development’ and basic level schools (grades 1-5). Yet, the low daily allowance of NPR15 per student to cover food and fuel costs poses challenges for serving these meals – an issue exacerbated by rising cooking fuel costs for firewood (where not collected) and LPG, especially in rural areas where LPG transportation costs are greater.

However, evidence from case studies in Nepal (e.g. in Nuwakot and Dolakha districts) highlights how shifts to eCooking could enhance the sustainability of the midday meals programme. For instance, eight schools in Dolakha district which received electric stoves with the support of the Nepali NGO, People, Energy & Environment Development Association (PEEDA) substantially reduced their cooking fuel expenditure over the past year. One school, Shri Vishnu Secondary School (Baiteshwor ward 1), reported monthly fuel expenses fell from NPR 4,500 (using LPG) to NPR 1,500 – a saving of NPR 3,000, which the school can now use to provide more nutritious meals to students.

The structure of the programme sees the federal government provide ring fenced funding for local governments to administer for midday meals, suggesting advocacy for school eCooking targeted at the federal level could potentially enable large change. With the average Nepali basic level school (grades 1-5) attended by 200 students, implementing electric cooking transitions in all 17,617 basic schools across Nepal could see approximately 3.5m students and their surrounding communities benefit from eCooked meals.

Way Forward

School eCooking transitions in Nepal need to be far more actively and dynamically pursued alongside existing household eCooking interventions given their compatibility with school cooking practices and menus, scope to utilise daytime surplus electricity generation, and potential to efficiently and cost effectively reach large numbers of people and provide a range of sustainability benefits. These factors help illustrate why large scale transitions to eCooking which deliver substantial shifts away from biomass and supports broader climate change mitigation efforts appear relatively straightforward to achieve in schools. Furthermore, school eCooking interventions could help facilitate eCooking adoption among households by raising awareness of the benefits of eCooking among the surrounding community and through educational initiatives targeting students.

To obtain these benefits, support existing eCooking objectives and ensure Nepal is in position to achieve its longer term 2045 net zero emissions target, this blog strongly advocates for policymakers to ensure school eCooking transitions are integrated into the country’s Third NDC Plan and other future sustainable development programs and policies, with appropriate indicators developed that reflect the potential for school eCooking to deliver significant contributions to decarbonisation and sustainability. An expanded school eCooking initiative also has the potential to open up opportunities for carbon finance, which, aligning with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, could generate additional revenue streams for the state.

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¹ Other ‘Least Developed Countries (LDCs) typically call for either a lower proportion of households to transition to eCooking or do not specify that eCooking should be a primary mode (for more information, see the MECS Global Market Assessment). 

² See MECS report for further information on the Lesotho study with large electric pressure cookers in schools.

Featured image, top: Students eating eCooked meals at a school in Baitehswor Rural Municipality, Dolakha (image credit: PEEDA).