Exploring eCooking Potential in the Rohingya Refugee Camps and host communities, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

By Carine Buma (GPA, UNITAR), Rihab Khalid (MECS), Iwona Bisaga (GPA, UNITAR), and Aimee Jenks (GPA, UNITAR)

Introduction: Field Visit and Project Overview

In February 2025, representatives from the Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA) and Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme undertook a joint visit to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The visit formed part of a GPA-led study, assessing the potential of solar electric cooking (eCooking) solutions within the broader feasibility of clean cooking transitions in one of the world’s largest refugee camps¹ and the surrounding host communities. Central to this study are ongoing feasibility assessments exploring how the existing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) provision by UNHCR and IOM can be complemented with solar PV powered eCooking solutions and the potential to leverage sustainable carbon finance models for these clean cooking solutions.

With coordination and support from IOM and UNHCR, – who are currently distributing LPG and associated assets to over 99% of the Rohingya refugees, while working on a wider carbon finance modelling for energy and environmental projects –  as well as local project partners, IUCN and Practical Action, this visit involved a comprehensive review of the current LPG distribution systems, coupled with in-depth engagements with refugees and host community residents in Cox’s Bazar. The teams visited refugee families using eCooking and LPG solutions to get direct user feedback and insights and held focus group discussions with refugees and host communities participating in the eCooking demonstration pilot. The objective was to identify both the opportunities and challenges of the existing model and the eCooking potential that could help inform practical, scalable solutions to not only complement existing LPG usage in these settlements in Cox’s Bazar, but also to synthesise and share lessons with partners working on clean cooking in humanitarian settings more broadly.

This blog presents key insights from the visit, examining the current landscape of clean cooking access, evaluating the possibility of introducing eCooking technologies, and outlining future pathways for a sustainable clean cooking transition.

Current Situation of Cooking Energy Access

Since 2018, UNHCR and IOM have been providing LPG to the refugees, free of cost, offering a healthier, safer, and more convenient cooking solution while significantly reducing deforestation. UNHCR and partners have regenerated 198 hectares of land, saving 533,630 tons of firewood and decreasing 407,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually – a visible testament to the environmental impact of this transition. To further enhance efficiency, pressure cookers were introduced to the refugee households in 2024, leading to a reduction in LPG consumption by approximately 11.5%. Efforts are ongoing to optimise performance and further improve the overall system efficiency.

Refugees reported numerous benefits from the shift from fuelwood to LPG and pressure cookers, including significant time savings, improved health and safety, reduced soot, reduced gender-based violence and cleaner cooking environments, amongst others. However, despite these advantages, several challenges remain; flooding and fire incidents in the camps sometimes require the complete replacement of LPG cooking systems and shelters, and the amount of LPG allocated per household per cycle sometimes is insufficient to meet full cooking needs. The extreme hot and humid conditions in the camps, combined with user behaviour – such as not properly cleaning the stoves and pressure cookers have also contributed to high damage rates for stoves, shortening their lifespan alongside that of the pressure cookers.

Additionally, some users in larger families report that larger pressure cookers would be needed to cook larger volumes of food, and many users request a second pressure cooker to be able to cook multiple meals at once (such as curry in one pot, and rice in the other),  Meanwhile, the financial burden on the humanitarian donor community, and delivery costs by UNHCR and IOM to sustain LPG supply, remains substantial. Further details on LPG distribution in these camps can be found in the Pressure Cooker Use and LPG Refill Cycle Adjustment (2023) report and a Stanford University study (2019 – 2022) examining the human well-being and environmental impacts of replacing firewood with LPG for cooking in Rohingya refugee camps.

The challenges faced by refugees are further compounded by limited work opportunities due to government regulations and the government’s hesitation to approve more permanent infrastructure for refugee settlements.

Also, access to electricity remains a significant challenge in the refugee camps, and many families have no or only minimal access to Tier 1 or 2 electricity solutions. Households are not legally allowed to connect to the national grid, so many rely on solar lanterns and low-capacity solar home systems that provide basic uses such as lighting, fans and phone charging.

eCooking Potential and Key Findings from Pilots

In response to these challenges, the GPA Coordination Unit (hosted at UNITAR) in collaboration with local partners IUCN and Practical Action, has been conducting a MECS-funded study to assess the feasibility of solar eCooking solutions in the refugee camps and host communities. As part of this initiative, 10 solar eCooking systems were deployed, each comprising a 3.0 kWp solar PV system with inverters and battery backup, along with three cooking appliances – an electric pressure cooker, infrared stove, and induction stove. These systems were rotated among 40 households to evaluate the practicality of solar-powered electric cooking.

During our time in the camps, we engaged with several households involved in the eCooking demonstrations. Many provided positive feedback, highlighting significant time savings, ease of use, cleaner cooking environments, and reduced smoke exposure. These benefits were particularly pronounced among host community households, who predominantly rely on firewood for cooking. The electric pressure cookers were especially preferred due to their convenience and efficiency. Some refugee households reported challenges, including the space required for battery and inverter components, the heavy weight of induction cooking utensils, the small pot sizes, and insufficient power backup for larger families. In some cases, families had to revert to using LPG or firewood in the early morning hours when battery storage was depleted, and solar generation had not yet begun.

We also visited a 13-bed in-patient health facility in the camps, where a 3.2 kWp solar PV system with battery storage to power two induction cookers was installed in 2024 by Schneider Electric Access to Energy, currently operated by NGO Forum for Public Health. The introduction of this system has led to a 60% reduction in LPG consumption, with LPG now primarily needed only during the monsoon season when irradiation is insufficient. The success of this system, combined with a relatively short (few years) return on investment period, underscores the feasibility and cost-saving potential of solar eCooking, reinforcing the objectives of our study and its potential for broader implementation.

Future Pathways: Integrated Approach to Clean Cooking Transitions

Initial findings from our study shows that eCooking has the potential to complement LPG use in both refugee camps and host communities, albeit with considerable operational and financial challenges to consider, some of which include regular flooding and fire outbreaks in the camps, shading of PV panels due to proximity to the forest, reduced electricity generation from dust accumulation on panels requiring frequent cleaning, security concerns, costs of reinforcing roof structures to support the panels, and the high prices of solar e-cooking systems.  Households from both groups have embraced the eCooking appliances, expressing interest in either fully transitioning to them or incorporating them into their current fuel mix. This openness to change highlights a growing enthusiasm for eCooking solutions.

A key insight comes from the host communities, where some households are willing to pay for the systems — provided they are more affordable. This could be achieved through subsidised prices, micro-finance loans and pay-as-you-go payment plans. One woman from the Ukhiya host community illustrated this point aptly, saying, “All households in my community would pay for the appliances if they could make small instalment payments over time.”  Her words underscore the importance of flexible and affordable payment options for widespread adoption.

Looking ahead, the study will explore the role of carbon credits and other sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure continued access to clean cooking in the camps and host communities. We will also investigate optimal, cost-effective transition scenarios, considering how best to balance LPG with solar-based eCooking solutions.

This field visit has emphasised the complexity of transitioning to clean cooking in displacement settings. LPG has helped mitigate indoor air pollution, deforestation and security risks, but the inclusion of eCooking could offer a transformative potential for a more sustainable long-term approach, given the right financing and infrastructural support.

As aid funding declines, humanitarian and development actors must work together to diversify the clean cooking fuel mix in these communities. The upcoming solar eCooking feasibility report by GPA and partners will present detailed findings and recommendations, including modelled optimal LPG and eCooking transition scenarios, along with the necessary funding, financing, and operational models for implementation. Watch this space for more in-depth results, along with upcoming webinars and reporting from the study that will delve deeper into household energy needs, user experiences and scalable solutions that ensure long-term sustainability.

To complement the insights shared in this blog, we present a visual narrative in the form of a comic strip below, offering a simplified yet aspirational perspective on the transition towards clean cooking in the Rohingya refugee camps. Beyond illustrating the benefits of eCooking, the comic presents a broader future vision for long-term sustainable energy transitions in displacement contexts.

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Endnote:

¹ The camp, hosting over one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, consists of 33 individual camps spread across the Cox’s Bazar district.

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Featured comic strips are AI generated by the author.

Featured Image Copyright of GPA, 2025.