Session recordings ~ MECS Virtual Event 2020

Monday 16th November.

Session title: Keynote: Reflection from MECS Year 2: Reviewing Progress and Expanding Ambition.

Session details: Monday 16th November, 10:00 GMT start time (90 minutes duration).

Speaker: Dr. Simon Batchelor (Gamos Ltd.).

Followed by a live Q&A discussion with the audience.

Session summary: Dr. Simon Batchelor, Research Coordinator for the MECS programme, reflects on year 2 of the programme.  Speaking in very broad terms, he considers where our focus has landed during this year and how this lays the groundwork for further research in year 3.  After the presentation, a verbal Q&A from Simon, Ed and others was held. 

Thursday 19th November.

Session title: MECS Modelling – making links between policy & advice.

Session details: Thursday 19th November, 13:00 GMT start time (90 minutes duration).

Hosts: Prof. Matthew Leach (Gamos Ltd.), Dr. Nigel Scott (Gamos Ltd.).

Panellists:Besnik Hyseni (ESMAP), Ansila Kweka (A2EI), Irene Wanjohi (KPLC).

Session summary: This session is an opportunity for the MECS family to share, compare and discuss current and planned activities linking analysis and modelling into advice relevant to policy and decision making for public and private stakeholders. The aim of the session is to showcase what MECS has developed in terms of modelling to date and how it connects to the wider programme, but also to stimulate dialogue about future directions for the analysis itself, and the routes for that to effect change. What data and knowledge gaps are there? What’s the ‘so what?’ from the modelling work outputs? How is/will this change the narrative for modern energy services? How do we make effective links between analysis and policy?  

Monday 23rd November.

Session title: MECS Innovations: Session 1.

Session details: Monday 23rd November, 10:00 GMT start time (60 minutes duration).

Host: Jane Spencer (Loughborough University).

Presenters: John Maina (Sustainable Community Development Services (SCODE)), Lawrence Kachione (Kachione LLC), Allison Archambault (EarthSpark International).

Session title: ESMAP/MECS launch event for the report entitled “Cooking With Electricity: A Cost Perspective”.

Session details: Monday 23rd November, 14:00 GMT start time (90 minutes duration).

ESMAP and the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) program’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 began 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.

Tuesday 24th November.

Session title: MECS Innovations: Session 2.

Session details: Tuesday 24th November, 13:00 GMT start time (60 minutes duration).

Host: Jane Spencer (Loughborough University).

Presenters: Prof. Peter Schwarz (California Polytechnic State University), John Mullett (Sustainable OneWorld Technologies (SOWTech)).  

Wednesday 25th November.

Session title: MECS Innovations: Session 3.

Session details: Wednesday 25th November, 10:00 GMT start time (60 minutes duration).

Host: Jane Spencer (Loughborough University).

Presenters: Afnan Hannan (Okra Solar), Tarek Ketelsen (Australia – Mekong Partnership for Environmental Resources & Energy System Co. (AMPERES)).

Session title: Opportunities arising from the Multi-Tier Framework data.

Session details: Wednesday 25th November, 13:00 GMT start time (60 minutes duration).

Hosts: Dr. Nigel Scott (Gamos Ltd.), Alisha Pinto (ESMAP).  

Panellists: Caroline Ochieng (National University of Ireland Galway/ Consultant, ESMAP), Malcolm Bricknell (Loughborough University), Paul Mbuthi (Ministry of Energy, Kenya).

Session summary: The Multi-Tier Framework is a flagship initiative developed and pioneered by ESMAP as a mechanism for tracking progress towards SDG7. But these rich datasets that have been made publicly available can be used for much more. The aim of the session is to explore what opportunities may exist for different institutions to engage with this data and how they might benefit, with a focus on policy makers and private sector actors. Any gaps in the data can also inform future revisions to the methodology.

Friday 27th November.

External event: International Network for Sustainable Energy (INFORSE) East Africa webinar entitled ‘Electric Cooking as a Clean Cooking Option for East Africa: A ‘Silver Bullet’ to Reduce Dependence on Solid Fuels and Associated Indoor Air Pollution or is it Just ‘Chasing the Wind’?’.

Session details: Friday 27th November, 08:00 GMT start time.

Host: INFORSE (International Network for Sustainable Energy) East Africa.

Presenters:

MECS – Modern Energy Cooking Services (Dr. Jon Leary) – Overview of MECS programme in EA (presentation available here);

TaTEDO – Centre for Sustainable Energy Services (Mr. Estomih Sawe) – Tanzania Experience (presentation available here);

Kisambara Ventures Ltd/ ACTS – African Centre for Technology Studies – Kenya Experience;

Agnes Mwikali Kalyonge, Kisambara Ventures Ltd – Kenyan Experience.

Gunnar B Olesen, INFORSE – International views & Closing Remarks.

Further resources from this event are available here.

Tuesday 1st December.

Co-hosted event: Webinar presented by MECS, The Global LPG Partnership (GLPGP) and its colleagues from The University of Surrey and The Gas Technology Institute (GTI), entitled “Green LPG for clean cooking – feasible innovation at scale”.

Event details: The webinar was held on Tuesday 1st December 2020 from 14:00-15:00 GMT.

Event summary: The GLPGP team presented the ground-breaking technical, policy and economic findings in the recent MECS / GLPGP Report.

Presenters included:

• Mr. Kimball Chen, Chairman, GLPGP, USA
• Dr. Patrick Littlefield, Principal Scientist, Gas Technology Institute, USA
• Dr. Mairi Black, University of Surrey, UK
• Dr. Meron Tesfamichael, UCL, UK
• Prof. Francis Kemausuor, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
• Mr. John Hauge, Chief Financial Officer, GLPGP, USA  

Pre-recorded Sessions.

Modern Energy Cooking in Displacement Settings.

This 25 minute video presents an overview of modern energy cooking in displacement settings. Presented by Dr Iwona Bisaga and Dr Long Seng To (MECS), with Aimee Jenks (UNITAR/GPA) & Owen Grafham (Chatham House). Produced for the MECS Virtual Event 2020 (16-27 November 2020).