Tracking the Adoption of Electric Pressure Cookers among Mini-Grid Customers in Tanzania

Ansila Kweka, Anna Clements, Megan Bomba, Nora Schürhoff, Joseph Bundala, Erick Mgonda, Mattias Nilsson, Elliot Avila and Nigel Scott
Additional contact information
Ansila Kweka: A2EI, 10999 Berlin, Germany
Anna Clements: Gamos Ltd., Reading RG1 4LS, UK
Megan Bomba: Nexleaf, Los Angeles, CA 90025, USA
Nora Schürhoff: A2EI, 10999 Berlin, Germany
Joseph Bundala: A2EI, 10999 Berlin, Germany
Erick Mgonda: A2EI, 10999 Berlin, Germany
Mattias Nilsson: A2EI, 10999 Berlin, Germany
Elliot Avila: A2EI, 10999 Berlin, Germany
Nigel Scott: Gamos Ltd., Reading RG1 4LS, UK

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 15, 1-24

Abstract: “Are electric cooking appliances viable clean cooking solutions for mini-grids?” To help answer this question, the Access to Energy Institute (A2EI) set up a pilot project in six different mini-grid locations around Lake Victoria in Tanzania and gave 100 households an electric pressure cooker (EPC) to use in their homes. Each EPC was connected to a smart meter to collect data on how the EPCs were used. The paper presents findings from a study designed around the A2EI pilot project that aims to provide an understanding of cooking practices, the adoption of electric cooking over time, and to assess the potential for electric cooking to substitute traditional cooking fuels. Through collaboration with the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) program, Nexleaf Analytics, and PowerGen, the pilot has generated data on electrical energy consumption from 92 households in six remote areas as well as a comprehensive range of other datasets gathered from 28 households in two of the locations. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of this data. It starts with an analysis of cooking practices in these communities—dishes cooked, utensils used for cooking, and choice of fuels. It goes on to examine fuel stacking behavior, and finally, it examines how people have integrated EPCs into their cooking practices before the highlighting key impacts associated with using EPCs. The answer to the original research question will be useful for different stakeholders such as utility companies, mini-grid operators, electric cooking appliance manufacturers, the clean cooking sector, and international organizations.

Keywords: electricity; electric cooking; fuel stacking; mini-grids; Tanzania (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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