Solar Home Systems for Clean Cooking: A Cost–Health Benefit Analysis of Lower-Middle-Income Countries in Southeast Asia

Jing Zhang, Roger Raufer and Lingxuan Liu
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Jing Zhang: Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
Roger Raufer: The Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
Lingxuan Liu: Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YX, UK

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Limited access to clean energy has long been an obstacle to livelihood improvement of populations mired in energy poverty. Cooking with traditional biomass contributes to high levels of indoor air pollution, thus imposing significant threats to public health. Due to the accessibility and affordability of clean fuels for rural residents, this study proposes that renewable solar energy be employed to supply power for induction cooking stoves (ICS) through solar home systems (SHS), and estimates both the costs and health benefits of upgrading to ICS and SHS in lower-middle-income countries (LMCs) in Southeast Asia. Disability-Adjusted Life Years and the value of a statistical life year were employed to estimate the health benefits of ICS-SHS. The results suggest that the health benefits brought by ICS-SHS alone can surpass the estimated minimum cost for an ICS-SHS in the six LMCs in Southeast Asia. This study provides a potential reference for getting other energy poverty regions involved with affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy, as well as simultaneously tackling indoor air pollution caused by cooking.

Keywords: energy access; indoor air pollution; induction cooking; solar home system; Disability-Adjusted Life Years (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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