Page 27 - Apmor 2018

technology energy

A Perspective on the Value of

Cooking with Off-grid Power

By Mahesh Bhave
rural India, which comprises 69 percent of the
nation’s population as per 2011 census, we
have had no ‘clean cooking fuel’ strategy until
recently. Instead, we only had an “efficient-
cook-stove” strategy. … As per a recent
large-scale study by the Council of Energy,
Environment and Water (CEEW), a think-tank,
the coverage of efficient cook-stoves in the
sample states is not more than 1 percent!”
Electricity for Cooking: Competes with
Biomass Burning and LPG Use
Thus, the question of whether and how
electricity-based cooking substitutes for a)
biomass burning and for b) LPG use deserves
attention.
The strategy document continues, “An
advantage of the electricity-based solution is
that it can make use of solar power in both
urban and rural areas. The solution may be
particularly attractive in remote rural areas
where electricity grid may take time to reach
but sunshine is plentifully available and solar
energy may be easier to provide.”
The speculative and wishful tone of the article
was justified in April 2016. But such is the pace
of advance in battery and solar photovoltaics
Cooking with a sunoven technologies that a year later on March 29,
hy should rural electrification households without a clean cooking solution 2017, a team of us in San Diego cooked a meal
efforts worldwide — in Africa, India, so that a strategy based on LPG alone may take for four using solar panels, Li-ion batteries,
WCentral and South America — isolate a long time.” and a resistive hob. Miraculous though this
cooking from other core applications such as On April 3, 2017, the Government of experience was, technically this is simple. The
critical question is: Can this solution be scaled,
lighting, fans, phone charging, and TV? Why India’s Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas economically?
can’t electricity for cooking be included in the announced that 32.5 million LPG connections
overall solution? Why should the alternative were released in FY 2016-17. With this, the
to biomass burning — charcoal, dung, wood, national LPG coverage is now estimated at 72.8
kerosene — which causes 1.3 million untimely percent with 198.8 million active consumers in The strategy paper states,
deaths due to smoke inhalation in India, only urban and rural areas. “According to a NITI Aayog study,
be LPG? This was the point made in Niti Aayog’s the consumption of 8 to 10 LPG
excellent strategy document by Dr. Arvind This translates into ~ 23 million tons/year cylinders (14.2 kg each) per
Panagariya and Mr. Anil K. Jain, “Electricity of LPG consumption, ~ 50 percent of which year is equivalent to electricity
and Clean Cooking Strategy for India,” April 11, is imported. Assuming 11+ million tons of consumption of nearly 4 kWh per
2016. imports at ~ $430 per ton means India’s import
bill surpasses $5 billion per year. With demand day. This implies that at prevailing
The report notes, “The announcement in rising at ~ 10 percent per year, this expense will electricity prices, the electric
Union Budget (2016-17) of extending LPG continue to climb. solution costs about the same as
connections to 50 million BPL (Below Poverty
Line) families in the next 3 years is a major While LPG for cooking strategy is expensive, the LPG solution at the crude oil
step forward. However, there is a total of over the clean-burning cookstoves strategy is price of around $60 per barrel.”
120 million [some estimate over 200 million] ineffective. States the strategy report, “…for

AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol 21, Issue 20, 2017 | 27