This report assesses countries’ access to renewables-based electric cooking to understand their current status and establish associated priorities to support the energy transition. Globally, around 2.3 billion people lacked access to clean cooking technologies and fuels in 2023. Despite substantial gains over the last decade, universal access to clean cooking …
In developing countries, biomass is used as a primary source of energy for cooking and water heating. Use of the biomass in traditional cook stoves creates serious health problems to rural women and children. Biomass gasification appears to have a significant potential for domestic cooking applications. However, due to some …
The fireless cooker is a little-used but valuable technology, comprising an insulated basket into which pre-heated food is left to cook in its own heat. During the recent Practical Action smoke alleviation project, the first fireless cooker demonstration used very smart baskets and expensive foodstuffs. The women felt it was …
Despite the numerous benefits associated with cleaner alternatives, the transition to improved fuels and stoves has not progressed hugely in Sub-Saharan Africa. Why is it that so often, well designed, efficient and clean stoves fail to penetrate the market in developing countries? In order to design effective policies and programmes …
This UNDP-WHO joint report draws attention to the global energy access situation and highlights that three billion people still rely on traditional biomass and coal, with a striking two million deaths per year associated with indoor burning of these solid fuels in unventilated kitchens. Almost two billion people need modern …
Access to modern forms of energy continues to elude the majority of households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and only about 30% of the population has access to electricity while 90% relies on traditional fuels for cooking and heating. The central question addressed in this review is whether or not SSA …
Indoor air pollution (IAP), especially through the smoke released when burning solid biomass fuel for cooking, is a major environmental health problem in Nepal. About 85 percent of Nepalese households are dependent on solid biomass fuels for cooking energy. Among households using such fuels, most cook in poorly ventilated kitchens …
There has been a growing interest in the issue of black carbon -- light absorbing carbon particles, also called soot in our world. It was earlier believed that these particles cooled the Earth, now scientists say the impact is the reverse. The particles absorb sunlight and warm up the atmosphere …
India has been arguing that it (and the rest of the developing world) should incur no expense in controlling emissions that cause climate change. In the face of heightened concerns about rapid climate change, that argument is increasingly losing force
Rema Hanna Posted: Tuesday , May 12, 2009 at 0001 hrs IST Indoor air pollution (IAP) is a serious health threat. Across India, 72.3 per cent of households use the traditional fuels of firewood, crop residue, or cow-dung cake (2001 Census). In rural areas, the reliance on traditional fuels is …
Simply replacing the chulha won't help, we have to help the poor use clean renewable energy. About 24 years ago, I was in a house in a small village some distance from Udaipur in Rajasthan. A government functionary was explaining how an improved chulha (stove) worked
Traditional stoves generate large quantities of smoke and suspended particulate matter while only 10-40% of released energy tranfers to pot. This research paper describes design steps with experiments carried out for charcoal stove named SEES to interlink energy efficiency and various design parameters. This paper describes design steps with experiments …
This report is primarily addressed at policymakers and others concerned about gender and energy issues in India. The ministerial structure as it relates to energy in India is given as an appendix for the benefit of readers both within and outside India. Typically, a gender audit exercise is carried out …
Historically, technology development for rural areas has followed tinkering approach or use of rudimentary technology. It is shown that very sophisticated science and technology is needed for producing devices for rural applications. This process can also result in fundamental research. Nevertheless, the availability of efficient devices for cooking, lighting and …
India is witnessing an increasing demand for energy in its rapidly expanding economy and is making large investments in exploration, fuel production, generation, transmission and distribution of power and in setting up a grid infrastructure. However, gender-based empowerment, the needs of women and their access to and control over energy …
Accurately determining stove use is important in assessing the impacts and dissemination dynamics of improved stoves programmes. It is also a key component in the calculation of emission reductions for trading carbon offsets, understanding changes in fuel use and estimating impacts on indoor air quality. This article outlines the use …
The evaluation of household energy programmes is a complex and demanding task, but also very important and worthwhile. In this article, a team from the University of Liverpool presents a range of issues that arose from a series of evaluation studies, together with an introduction to recently developed guidelines designed …
Many rural people in Tajikistan cannot afford to regularly buy products like fuel and agrochemical inputs. Instead, they rely on locally available yet increasingly scarce natural resources. One result is that large amounts of animal dung are used as fuel for cooking and heating. Simple modifications of local cookstoves are …
