A review of the behavioural change challenges facing a proposed solar and battery electric cooking concept

Brown, Edward D.; Leary, Jon

doi:10.12774/eod_cr.browneetal

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…It explores the compatibility of a range of eCooking solutions with current and aspirational cooking practices of key consumer groups across the Global South. It builds upon previous work by Brown and Leary [12] that laid the foundation for what has now become the MECS programme's Behavioural Change Workstream. The paper aims to inform researchers and practitioners working directly on the MECS programme, as well as those in the converging clean cooking and electrification sectors more broadly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Early work on eCooking tended to focus on electric hotplates as the most viable appliance in developing country contexts [12,28], however the role of energy-efficient appliances has become increasingly apparent [4,5]. Energy-efficient appliances can offer a more convenient modern cooking experience, whereas hotplates offer a similar user experience to a familiar charcoal stove.…”

Section: The Role Of Energy-efficient Appliancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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eCooking: Challenges and Opportunities from a Consumer Behaviour Perspective

et al. 2021

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New opportunities are opening for electric cooking (eCooking) as a cost-effective, practical and desirable solution to the twin global challenges of clean cooking and electrification. Globally, momentum is building behind the transformative potential of eCooking to achieve a range of environmental and social impacts. However, cooking is a complex, culturally embedded practice, that results in an array of behavioural change challenges that must be understood and overcome for these new opportunities to translate into impact at scale. The Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme was designed to explore this space and pilot innovative new eCooking services with the potential to rapidly scale. This paper reflects upon the programme’s key learnings to date on the behavioural change dimension of eCooking. It consolidates what we now know on the subject and highlights the gaps that remain, where further investigation is needed. The evidence shows that the uptake of eCooking can be hindered by (often false) perceptions around cost, taste and safety, the high cost and steep learning curve for new appliances, the lack of awareness/availability/after-sales service for energy-efficient appliances and the reluctance of male decision-makers to authorise appliance purchases. However, it also shows that the convenience and potential cost savings offered by energy-efficient appliances can offer an aspirational cooking experience and that uptake could be driven forward rapidly by urbanisation and changing lifestyles.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: The Role Of Energy-efficient Appliancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

eCooking: Challenges and Opportunities from a Consumer Behaviour Perspective

et al. 2021

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“…A cooking appliance is paired with a battery, which can be charged either by solar photovoltaic panels (PV-eCook) or an electrical grid (Grid-eCook) [23]. In 2013, Batchelor proposed that by 2020 the monthly repayments on such a battery-supported cooking system would be comparable to the cost of cooking with charcoal in many developing regions [24], a proposal supported by three UK Government commissioned reports [25][26][27]. Detailed in-country work by the eCook project has shown that there is strong potential for electric cooking in a wide range of national contexts, including Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Bangladesh [21] [23] [28][29].…”

Section: Electric Cooking For Developing Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unlocking electric cooking on Nepali micro-hydropower mini-grids

Clements

Silwal²,

Pandit

et al. 2020

Energy for Sustainable Development

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Electric cooking has the potential to improve quality of life for people who cook using biomass, both by improving health by eradicating harmful emissions and by removing the need to collect fuelwood, thus freeing up time for other activities. This paper reports on a study that introduced electric cooking as an alternative to biomass-based cooking in 10 households in Simli, a rural Western Nepali community, to assess its feasibility in rural offgrid contexts. Quantitative and qualitative data from a cooking diary study and electrical mini-grid data were collected, assessing the compatibility with micro-hydropower grids and Nepali cooking practices. Datasets of Nepali cooking practices and meal energy requirements were generated, revealing that generally two meals are cooked per day and that, on average, electric cooking consumes 0.25 kWh/day and 0.14 kWh/meal. Participants simplified their cooking practices and found chapati hard to cook on the induction hobs due to inexperience with the cookers. Conversely, dal and rice were found to be easy and fast to cook in pressure cookers on the hobs, leading to a switch from cooking chapati-vegetables based meals to dal-rice based meals. Fuel stacking was common, with participants reverting to their biomass stoves to cook chapati, and due to a lack of reliable electricity supply. Participants found that the transition to electric cooking provided more time for households, due to the reduction in length of time to cook a meal and less time required to collect firewood, and enjoyed cooking on the stoves due to elimination of indoor air pollution. The electrical data analysis showed that control issues, voltage instability, and limited microhydropower plant capacity provide obstacles for electric cooking, especially as it becomes more widely practiced. Nepali people typically cook at the same time as peak demand for electricity, exacerbating the problem of limited capacity in villages like Simli. Only three households continued to use their electric stoves regularly due to a lack of reliable electricity supply, showing that widespread adoption of electric cooking is currently unfeasible. The running costs of electric cooking were lower than the effective labour time costs of fuelwood collection, but initial capital expenses for the electric cooking system and monthly electricity costs are a further barrier to adoption in rural Nepal.

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“…Cost and lagging infrastructure are broadly recognized as the main barriers, but knowledge gaps and perceptions such as beliefs about ICS technologies at the community level must also be addressed to optimize adoption and use [13]. There is no universal strategy for a successful clean cookstove campaign; decisions regarding stove adoption seem variably influenced by a complex interplay of factors including cultural appropriateness, household preferences, incentives, ICS household governance and management, and socioeconomics [14]. Understanding these attributes at the community-level regarding improved cookstoves could be the most important step to solving the puzzle of successful clean cookstove adoption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of Improved Biomass Cook Stoves: Case Study of Baringo and West Pokot Counties in Kenya

Wamalwa¹,

Okoti²,

Mutembei³

et al. 2022

JSBS

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Biomass cookstove improvement has been a global active research area for many decades and has resulted into much progress towards cleaner and more efficient energy conversion cooking devices. Irrespective of the perfection and development of improved cookstoves, many households in Kenya are still using three stone cookstoves. In Baringo County, 71.8% used three stone cookstoves. The focus of research needs to change towards adoption of improved cook stoves. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in rural, peri-urban and urban households regarding current cookstoves types in relation to fuel use categorized as improved and un-improved in Baringo and West Pokot counties. Biomass was the primary fuel in the two counties used in the form of firewood and charcoal at average of 70% and 26% respectively. The main un-improved cookstoves in the two counties were three stone and metallic jiko. The two were commonly used in Baringo County with 28.5% of the households using metallic stove. Whereas in West Pokot, Chepkube was the main cookstove used for cooking at 47.8% seconded by improved three stone at 36.6%. The use of un-improved cookstove was popular in Baringo County at 77.6% while infamous in West Pokot County at 21.7%. The results showed that West Pokot County is more conscious to energy related issues unlike Baringo County. The difference in dynamic of the two Counties in terms of land ownership, access to biofuel, social groupings, availability of cookstove installers and improved jikos could be the reason.

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A review of the behavioural change challenges facing a proposed solar and battery electric cooking concept

Cited by 6 publications

References 48 publications

eCooking: Challenges and Opportunities from a Consumer Behaviour Perspective

eCooking: Challenges and Opportunities from a Consumer Behaviour Perspective

Unlocking electric cooking on Nepali micro-hydropower mini-grids

Adoption of Improved Biomass Cook Stoves: Case Study of Baringo and West Pokot Counties in Kenya

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