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Solar E-Cooking with Low-Power Solar Home Systems for Sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Fernando Antonanzas-Torres

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of La Rioja, 26004 Logroño, Spain)

  • Ruben Urraca

    (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Via Fermi 2749, I-21027 Ispra, Italy)

  • Camilo Andres Cortes Guerrero

    (Department of Electrical Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota 111321, Colombia)

  • Julio Blanco-Fernandez

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of La Rioja, 26004 Logroño, Spain)

Abstract

The e-cooking feasibility was evaluated for two of the main staple foods across rural Sub-Saharan Africa (rice and maize porridge) considering basic solar home systems (SHS) of 100–150 W and using inexpensive market available low-power DC cooking devices (rice cooker and slow cooker). The coverage of e-cooking necessities was spatially evaluated for the African continent considering households of two, five, and eight people. While households of two people were able to be covered >95% of the days, the increase in e-cooking necessities implied that only larger PV generators (150 W) located in high irradiation sites (>2400 kWh/m 2 /year) were able to fulfill e-cooking, even in scenarios of households of five and eight people. Furthermore, the economic cost and the greenhouse gases emission factor (GHG) of e-cooking via small SHS were evaluated and benchmarked against traditional technologies with wood and charcoal considering three-stone and improved stoves and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookers. The GHG for e-cooking was 0.027–0.052 kgCO 2 eq./kg·meal, which was strikingly lower than the other technologies (0.502–2.42 kgCO 2 eq./kg·meal). The e-cooking cost was in the range of EUR 0.022–0.078 person/day, which was clearly lower than LPG and within the range of the cost of cooking with wood and charcoal (EUR 0.02–0.48 person/day). The results provided a novel insight regarding market available technologies with a potential of changing cooking conditions in this region.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando Antonanzas-Torres & Ruben Urraca & Camilo Andres Cortes Guerrero & Julio Blanco-Fernandez, 2021. "Solar E-Cooking with Low-Power Solar Home Systems for Sub-Saharan Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:21:p:12241-:d:673247
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gerber, Daniel L. & Nordman, Bruce & Brown, Richard & Poon, Jason, 2023. "Cost analysis of distributed storage in AC and DC microgrids," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 344(C).
    2. 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.

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