- Date
- 9th February 2026
- Categories
- eCooking, Electric Cooking
How one generation developer discovered that the real impact of electricity is not just in megawatts—but in meals.
By Dr. Simon Batchelor OBE (Gamos Ltd. / Loughborough University) and Dan Klinck (East African Power).
This blog was developed from the transcript of a talk given by Dan Klinck, Founder & CEO at East African Power at the ETHOS conference on clean cooking 2026. As Dan explained, EAP is a great example of a developer of decentralised energy access who developed an interest in integrating eCooking for demand management and for the benefit of their clients. MECS has worked with EAP in the trials mentioned below.
When Dan Klinck first arrived in rural Rwanda in 2010, only around 10% of the country had access to electricity. He did not arrive as a cookstove specialist or a development practitioner. His background was in investment banking. His turning point was personal: he fell in love with someone who loved Africa, and that led him to rural communities where the absence of power was a daily reality.
What followed was a decade-long journey into power generation. Dan helped build Rwanda’s first grid-connected small hydropower plant and later some of the region’s largest solar projects. Over time, his company grew into a developer of small and medium-scale hydro and solar projects across multiple African countries, with a pipeline now stretching into the gigawatt range.
From a business perspective, generation “paid the bills.” But from a human perspective, something was missing.
“Where the heart is,” Dan reflects, “is on the energy access side.”
When Energy Access Becomes Personal
Working closely in rural communities made one thing clear: electrification alone does not automatically translate into meaningful impact in people’s daily lives. After more than a decade on the ground, Dan and his team saw that many of the same challenges persisted. Access to electricity was improving, but the way energy was used, especially for cooking, remained heavily reliant on biomass.
This realisation pushed East African Power to look beyond generation and into how electricity could be used in ways that truly change lives. Clean and modern cooking emerged as a critical frontier.
The shift was not about abandoning generation. Rather, it was about complementing it. If grids and mini-grids are built, how can they deliver real value to households? Cooking is one of the largest and most consistent energy uses in any home. Ignoring it leaves impact on the table.
Mini-Grids, Appliances, and a Lot of Trial and Error
East African Power began experimenting with productive use equipment and appliances, including electric pressure cookers (EPCs). The approach was practical and entrepreneurial: pilot different products, test them in real households, and learn quickly.
Many early attempts failed. Some appliances were not suitable. Some business models did not hold. But gradually, EPCs began to show promise—especially within mini-grid contexts.
The team realised that adoption required more than just hardware. They developed simple “electrical cookbooks” to demystify the technology and help households adapt recipes and practices. Sales efforts targeted households, schools, and community centres. Over time, uptake started to build.
One lesson stood out clearly: affordability was the central barrier.
The Role of Subsidies and Carbon Finance
Without subsidies, the upfront cost of the EPCs were simply too expensive for most households. Sales hit a wall. Then carbon finance mechanisms entered the picture, helping to lower retail prices to more accessible levels.
Once affordability improved, demand followed. Sales moved from a few hundred stoves to a few thousand. At one point, the team effectively sold out of available stock.
Even so, financing models remain imperfect. There are time lags between upfront investment and carbon credit revenues, and due diligence requirements add complexity. This is not a high-margin business. Dan is candid that it is largely impact-driven, complementing the company’s generation portfolio.
Yet the signal from the market is strong. Households are asking for more. Phones are “ringing off the hook.” The team has already placed around 3,000 EPCs in Rwanda and sees a realistic path to tens of thousands more if capital and subsidies align.
In a country that has moved from roughly 10% electrification to near-universal access in about 15 years, the conditions for electric cooking are increasingly favourable.
One Size Does Not Fit All
If Rwanda shows strong potential for EPCs, for Dan, Uganda tells a different story.
When East African Power explored scaling EPCs in northern Uganda, feasibility studies suggested that electric cooking would only serve a small share of the population in their project areas. Rather than forcing the model, the team adapted.
In Uganda, the strategy is leaning more toward pellet-based cooking. The company is investing in bamboo cultivation and exploring pellet production, alongside its hydro and solar assets. The vision is to create a “green zone” around the Murchison Falls area, where cleaner cooking fuels and renewable electricity grow together.
This pivot underscores a key insight for the sector: context matters. What works in one country—or even one region—may not work in another. Technology choices must respond to local conditions, supply chains, and consumer realities.
Learning as a Partner in the Ecosystem
Dan does not position his company as having all the answers. Instead, he frames their role as a partner in a broader ecosystem. They test, learn, share lessons, and collaborate with others bringing new technologies and models.
This mindset is important for a sector still evolving. Modern energy cooking is not yet a mature, plug-and-play market. It is a learning journey that blends infrastructure, finance, behaviour change, and policy support.
From Megawatts to Meals
Perhaps the most powerful takeaway from Dan’s story is the shift in perspective. Energy projects are often measured in megawatts installed or connections delivered. But for households, the value of electricity is often felt most directly in everyday activities like cooking.
Modern energy cooking turns electricity from an abstract service into something tangible: time saved, smoke reduced, forests protected, and meals prepared more easily.
For generation developers, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is to move beyond a “build and sell power” mindset. The opportunity is to deepen impact and demand by linking supply to meaningful uses.
Dan’s journey—from banker to hydropower developer to electric cooking advocate—illustrates how personal experiences and on-the-ground realities can reshape business priorities.
The path to SDG7 is not only about generating more power. It is also about how that power is used. And increasingly, the story of energy access is being written in kitchens as much as in power plants.
…………………………………………….
Featured image: Rubagabaga, first containerized plug & play hydropower project in Africa. (Photo credit: East African Power, 2023).
Dan thanked MECS, energy4impact (now Mercy Corp) and INOQ Investments for all their support, and of course MECS passes on that thanks to FCDO UK Aid.
AI LLM was used to convert the transcript of his talk into a blog format.