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Two Birds, One Stone—Reframing Cooking Energy Policies in Africa and Asia

Author

Listed:
  • Simon Batchelor

    (Gamos, Reading RG1 4LS, UK
    School of Social Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK)

  • Ed Brown

    (School of Social Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK)

  • Nigel Scott

    (Gamos, Reading RG1 4LS, UK)

  • Jon Leary

    (Gamos, Reading RG1 4LS, UK
    School of Social Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK)

Abstract

For the past 40 years, the dominant ‘policy’ on cooking energy in the Global South has been to improve the combustion efficiency of biomass fuels. This was said to alleviate the burdens of biomass cooking for three billion people by mitigating emissions, reducing deforestation, alleviating expenditure and collection times on fuels and increasing health outcomes. By 2015, international agencies were openly saying it was a failing policy. The dispersal of improved cookstoves was not keeping up with population growth, increasing urbanisation was leading to denser emissions and evidence suggested health effects of improved stoves were not as expected. A call was made for a new strategy, something other than ‘business as usual’. Conventional wisdom suggests that access to electricity is poor in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), that it is too expensive and that weak grids prevent even connected households from cooking. Could a new strategy be built around access to electricity (and gas)? Could bringing modern energy for cooking to the forefront kill two birds with one stone? In 2019, UK Aid announced a multi-million-pound programme on ‘Modern Energy Cooking Services’ (MECS), specifically designed to explore alternative approaches to address cooking energy concerns in the Global South. This paper outlines the rationale behind such a move, and how it will work with existing economies and policies to catalyse a global transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon Batchelor & Ed Brown & Nigel Scott & Jon Leary, 2019. "Two Birds, One Stone—Reframing Cooking Energy Policies in Africa and Asia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:9:p:1591-:d:226101
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    1. Leary, Jon & Leach, Matthew & Batchelor, Simon & Scott, Nigel & Brown, Ed, 2021. "Battery-supported eCooking: A transformative opportunity for 2.6 billion people who still cook with biomass," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    2. Constantinos Vassiliades & Ogheneruona Endurance Diemuodeke & Eric Boachie Yiadom & Ravita D. Prasad & Wassim Dbouk, 2022. "Policy Pathways for Mapping Clean Energy Access for Cooking in the Global South—A Case for Rural Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-24, October.
    3. Marco Pastori & Angel Udias & Luigi Cattaneo & Magda Moner-Girona & Awa Niang & Cesar Carmona-Moreno, 2021. "Bioenergy Potential of Crop Residues in the Senegal River Basin: A Cropland–Energy–Water-Environment Nexus Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-23, October.
    4. Ali Arababadi & Stephan Leyer & Joachim Hansen & Reza Arababadi, 2021. "Characterizing the Theory of Spreading Electric Vehicles in Luxembourg," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-24, August.
    5. David Ockwell & Robert Byrne & Joanes Atela & Victoria Chengo & Elsie Onsongo & Jacob Fodio Todd & Victoria Kasprowicz & Adrian Ely, 2021. "Transforming Access to Clean Energy Technologies in the Global South: Learning from Lighting Africa in Kenya," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-24, July.
    6. Matthew Leach & Chris Mullen & Jacquetta Lee & Bartosz Soltowski & Neal Wade & Stuart Galloway & William Coley & Shafiqa Keddar & Nigel Scott & Simon Batchelor, 2021. "Modelling the Costs and Benefits of Modern Energy Cooking Services—Methods and Case Studies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-28, June.
    7. Jon Leary & Bridget Menyeh & Vimbai Chapungu & Karin Troncoso, 2021. "eCooking: Challenges and Opportunities from a Consumer Behaviour Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-27, July.
    8. Noah Ver Beek & Elvin Vindel & Matthew Kuperus Heun & Paul E. Brockway, 2020. "Quantifying the Environmental Impacts of Cookstove Transitions: A Societal Exergy Analysis Based Model of Energy Consumption and Forest Stocks in Honduras," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-22, June.
    9. Susann Stritzke & Carlos Sakyi-Nyarko & Iwona Bisaga & Malcolm Bricknell & Jon Leary & Edward Brown, 2021. "Results-Based Financing (RBF) for Modern Energy Cooking Solutions: An Effective Driver for Innovation and Scale?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-39, July.
    10. Shafiqa Keddar & Scott Strachan & Bartosz Soltowski & Stuart Galloway, 2021. "An Overview of the Technical Challenges Facing the Deployment of Electric Cooking on Hybrid PV/Diesel Mini-Grid in Rural Tanzania—A Case Study Simulation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, June.
    11. Eduardo Sánchez-Jacob & Andrés González-García & Javier Mazorra & Pedro Ciller & Julio Lumbreras & José Ignacio Pérez-Arriaga, 2021. "Joint Optimal Planning of Electricity and Modern Energy Cooking Services Access in Nyagatare," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-24, July.
    12. Shafiqa Keddar & Scott Strachan & Stuart Galloway, 2022. "A Smart eCook Battery-Charging System to Maximize Electric Cooking Capacity on a Hybrid PV/Diesel Mini-Grid," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-21, January.
    13. Gianluca Coccia & Alessia Aquilanti & Sebastiano Tomassetti & Pio Francesco Muciaccia & Giovanni Di Nicola, 2021. "Experimental Analysis of Nucleation Triggering in a Thermal Energy Storage Based on Xylitol Used in a Portable Solar Box Cooker," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-21, September.
    14. Shafiqa Keddar & Scott Strachan & Stuart Galloway, 2022. "Bridging the Affordability between Battery-Supported Electric Cooking and Conventional Cooking Fuel," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-13, December.
    15. Neto-Bradley, André Paul & Choudhary, Ruchi & Bazaz, Amir, 2020. "Slipping through the net: Can data science approaches help target clean cooking policy interventions?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    16. Collen Zalengera & Long Seng To & Richard Sieff & Alison Mohr & Aran Eales & Jon Cloke & Hannah Buckland & Ed Brown & Richard Blanchard & Simon Batchelor, 2020. "Decentralization: the key to accelerating access to distributed energy services in sub-Saharan Africa?," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 10(3), pages 270-289, September.
    17. Robert Van Buskirk & Lawrence Kachione & Gilbert Robert & Rachel Kanyerere & Christina Gilbert & James Majoni, 2021. "How to Make Off-Grid Solar Electric Cooking Cheaper Than Wood-Based Cooking," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-21, July.
    18. Alison Pye & Sara Ronzi & Bertrand Hugo Mbatchou Ngahane & Elisa Puzzolo & Atongno Humphrey Ashu & Daniel Pope, 2020. "Drivers of the Adoption and Exclusive Use of Clean Fuel for Cooking in Sub-Saharan Africa: Learnings and Policy Considerations from Cameroon," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-24, August.
    19. Simon Batchelor & Ed Brown & Nigel Scott & Matthew Leach & Anna Clements & Jon Leary, 2022. "Mutual Support—Modern Energy Planning Inclusive of Cooking—A Review of Research into Action in Africa and Asia since 2018," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-29, August.
    20. Nigel Scott & Melinda Barnard-Tallier & Simon Batchelor, 2021. "Losing the Energy to Cook: An Exploration of Modern Food Systems and Energy Consumption in Domestic Kitchens," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, July.
    21. Simon Batchelor & Ed Brown, 2021. "Editorial for Special Issue: “Clean Energy Innovations: Challenges and Strategies for Low and Middle Income Countries”," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-7, December.
    22. Jensen C. Shuma & Estomih Sawe & Anna Clements & Shukuru B. Meena & Katarina Aloyce & Anande E. Ngaya, 2022. "eCooking Delivery Models: Approach to Designing Delivery Models for Electric Pressure Cookers with Case Study for Tanzania," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-31, January.
    23. Stritzke, Susann & Trotter, Philipp A. & Twesigye, Peter, 2021. "Towards responsive energy governance: Lessons from a holistic analysis of energy access in Uganda and Zambia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 148(PA).
    24. Ansila Kweka & Anna Clements & Megan Bomba & Nora Schürhoff & Joseph Bundala & Erick Mgonda & Mattias Nilsson & Elliot Avila & Nigel Scott, 2021. "Tracking the Adoption of Electric Pressure Cookers among Mini-Grid Customers in Tanzania," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-24, July.

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