A high-power solar e-cooker: accelerating the transition to inclusive e-cooking in sub-Saharan Africa 

Partners: Coventry University (Lead), Meshpower Ltd, Rwanda Energy Group

Country: Rwanda

Technology: Modern cooking

Stage: Early

Stage: 9

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, Rwanda has prioritised a clean cooking program aiming to provide new or improved access to clean cooking solutions to 500,000 households by 2026.

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 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 solar e-cooking products, and governments will be able to provide more targeted support for solar e-cooking to achieve their clean cooking targets.