Clean Cooking and Productive Energy (Part 2) with Abhishek Jain (CEEW)

Distributing Solar

In this episode, we speak with Abhishek Jain from CEEW in India. We speak about Clean Cooking, and Abhishek shares his top 12 (not-so-obvious) findings about the Productive Energy Use industry.

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CEEW: company website

Abhishek Jain's Nature article on LPG and clean cooking

Abhishek Jain: 12 (not so) obvious insights about distributed renewables for productive use

Show notes:

(2:00) What is the need for clean cooking and why solid fuels are an issue; the public health impact of solid cooking fuels

(5:00) The clean cooking solutions that are available: Biogas, LPG, Electricity, Natural Gas (BLEN); the contentious research around improved cookstoves in contrast to clean cooking

(7:30) India's focus on LPG to provide clean cooking solutions; LPG's history in India and its penetration to rural India

(11:00) Affordability as the most significant barrier to widespread adoption to clean cooking; cultural and behavioural elements to changing behaviour; 50% of rural households are now using LPG

(13:30) Four key recommendations: 1) Additional nudges and incentives are required 2) Community norms are very important 3) Households with cattle are less likely to transition 4) Household with irregular incomes are less likely to transition to LPG

(19:00) Fuel stacking, and using multiple sources of energy

(21:40) 12 (not so) obvious insights about distributed renewables for productive use

(21:40) 1. The market opportunity is BIG

(24:10) 2. But the market is hard-to-capture

(26:00) 3. It’s a game of value, not volume

(27:55) 4. Energy efficiency is the key

(29:40) 5. End-user financing and service-oriented business models would be game-changing

(31:30) 6. For manufacturers: It is hard to survive on a single product

(33:00) 7. For deployers: Sustaining a single product portfolio would be unviable

(33:00) 8. To survive on a single product — vertical integration is the way to go

(33:00) 9. There are no big manufacturers for most productive use appliances

(35:10) 10. Market signals are weak. Only the perseverant and networked can succeed

(36:45) 11. Distribution channels are not apparent, but existing

(38:30) 12. Keep in mind the big picture: A new rural economy

(39:00) The impact of COVID-19, the potential to focus efforts on a rural economy; impact of disruption in value chains; the potential to innovate during COVID-19; the trauma of returning to rural areas during COVID-19 lockdown.