Innovative appliances set to transform the way Kenyans cook in 2024 and beyond- Part 2

Date: 15th July 2024

Categories: Cooking Appliances, Electric Cooking

By Dr Jon Leary, Gamos East Africa, MECS Programme

Last year saw the commercial launch of an array of innovative IoT-enabled customised appliances on the Kenyan market targeted specifically at underserved market segments. To date, eCooking appliances have mainly been sold to wealthy urban consumers, however these products have been carefully designed around the needs and aspirations of a much broader range of Kenyan cooks, leveraging technological advances to deliver aspirational yet attainable modern energy cooking services. As a result, eCooking is becoming an increasingly equitable solution to the clean cooking challenge. This is apart two of a two-part series blog which aims to highlight some of the appliances that will change how Kenyans cook.

PowerUP EPC sold on PayGo by SunKing

SunKing are the world’s largest PayGo solar company, headquartered in California and with distribution networks spanning across the continent. Meanwhile, PowerUP are a Ugandan startup, spinning out of Up Energy, a carbon developer based in East Africa. Whilst they may have come from very different places, the partnership between these two companies leverages both local and international innovation, combining the deep understanding of local cooking practices with the strength, breadth and experience of one of the biggest energy access companies. PowerUP’s EPC offers several unique features that differentiate it from other products on the market, including:

Several key usability features: a carry handle, lid stand that enables the lid to stay attached to the body of the EPC after opening (rather than knocking around the worktop) like a rice cooker and a push button to depressurise without having to touch the pressure valve itself.
Live readout of the kWh consumed whilst cooking each meal and the temperature inside the pot on the LCD display.
USB download of consumption data for contexts with limited GSM connectivity.

**Figure 1**: PowerUP’s smart EPC. Image courtesy of UP Energy.

ATEC PayGo induction stove sold on PayGo in Kenya by Mwangaza Light and other Last Mile Distributors

ATEC have pioneered the concept of leveraging carbon finance to sell PayGo-enabled eCooking appliances. Their smart-metered induction stove is manufactured in Asia and has seen substantial uptake in Cambodia and Bangladesh. They are now expanding into African markets through partnerships with local last mile distributors, such as Mwangaza Light. ATEC recently piloted the ‘Cook to Earn’ system, where carbon revenues are channelled directly back to users in the form of cash transfers proportional to the usage of the cooking device. This creates a positive feedback cycle, where more usage of the device results in more carbon revenue, which results in more cash transferred to users, which encourages greater use of the cooking device. In countries with relatively high electricity tariffs, such as Kenya, a similar kind of system is already being piloted under EnDev’s forthcoming Higher Tier Cooking Results Based Financing (HTC RBF) programme, to offer targeted rebates on electricity used for cooking to simulate the impact of a lower tariff on usage.

**Figure 2**: ATEC’s innovative Cook to Earn system that enables users to directly benefit from the carbon revenues they are generating. Image courtesy of ATEC.

MECS/eWant DC EPC

Whilst consumers are spoilt for choice these days when looking for an AC EPC to plug into the national grid, there are currently no DC EPCs available on the Kenyan market. As a result, users of solar home systems are forced to buy an inverter in addition to an EPC if they want to connect it to a battery bank. MECS partnered with the Chinese brand, eWant, to develop a DC version of one of their EPCs. After several iterations, the latest 5 litre version passed through the Global LEAP testing protocols with flying colours and has also received positive feedback after field testing with households in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Malawi. The MECS/eWant EPC is available as a commercial product, but at the time of writing, only directly from the eWant factory itself. However, we are hopeful that local partners will soon be offering the DC EPC to customers in Kenya.

**Figure 3**: The 5-litre eWant DC EPC. Image courtesy of Simon Batchelor (MECS).

VIA DC EPC

Village Infrastructure Angels (VIA) have developed a complete solar home system sized to power a customised DC EPC. To our knowledge, this EPC is the only appliance that offers kWh-based cooking programmes. In contrast to the conventional time-based cooking programmes, kWh-based cooking programmes offer the advantage that if a cloud goes overhead, then cooking will continue for up to 10 mins if pressurised, but then pause until the sun returns and then continue until the expected kWh consumption value is reached. This kind of innovation is critical to enable eCooking to evolve into an appropriate form for off-grid systems, where energy-efficiency has an even stronger influence on upfront cost as every additional Wh consumed requires accompanying battery storage and PV.

**Figure 4**: Technical specifications of the VIA solar electric cooker. Image courtesy of VIA.

Conclusion

Whilst in 2022, there were no DC or smart-metered appliances available in the market in Kenya, come 2024, consumers are spoilt for choice. This rapid shift in the market shows the pace at which innovation is happening in Kenya’s emerging eCooking marketplace. This year will no doubt see the scaling of these innovative solutions, enabling the eCooking sector to expand into the low-income and off-grid market segments and facilitate a just transition to modern energy cooking services.

Access Blog Part 1 here