Solar Energy Transitions (SET): Inclusive e-cooking in sub-Saharan Africa

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Globally, 2.4 billion people still use firewood, charcoal or some other form of biomass for cooking, resulting in 3.2 million premature deaths in 2020---mostly women and young children---due to the serious health issues caused by indoor air pollution. Access to clean cooking, such as electric cooking to replace the uncontrolled burning of biomass, is critical to reduce deforestation, mitigate climate change and reduce health risks for users. In Rwanda, 1.9 million households still rely on wood and charcoal for cooking. To address the massive health problems caused by indoor air pollution---and met the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of modern, affordable, and safe energy for all---Rwanda has prioritised a clean cooking program aiming to provide new or improved access to clean cooking solutions to 500,000 households by 2026\.The uptake of solar electric cooking is seen as critical for Rwanda to meet its clean cooking target. Solar electric energy costs have fallen so much that, for many households, electric cooking using solar panels is expected to be cheaper than using charcoal. Our vision is that solar e-cooking will eventually accompany or become part of solar home systems, which have already become popular in many African countries for powering lights and small appliances. However, currently, there are no solar e-cooking systems available as part of Rwanda's clean cooking programme.The challenge now is to develop an affordable and marketable solar e-cooking system, available with a service and payment model that will appeal to a broad spectrum of potential end-users, without reinforcing existing economic disadvantage. To address this need, this project will bring together energy poor households with academic researchers, consultants in cook stove monitoring, a solar energy company and Rwanda's regional energy provider. Together, they will co-design a new highly marketable low-carbon, clean and affordable solar e-cooking system by integrating existing solar products to arrive at a new whole system design.This project will be a starting point in helping households transition away from traditional forms of cooking that are dependent on fossil fuels, giving communities the confidence to use e-cooking appliances and make purchasing decisions around off-grid solar e-cooking. By working towards establishing a solar e-cooking eco-system, SMEs and financiers will be encouraged to increase investment in producing a range of solar e-cooking products for the market, and governments will be able to provide more targeted support for solar e-cooking to achieve their clean cooking targets.