SNV and partners CLASP, Renewvia, MECS, GIZ and UNHCR will implement a project to pilot the use of Electric Pressure Cookers (EPCs) with refugee and host community households and SMEs connected to the solar mini-grid in Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, Kenya. The project is funded under the Energising Development (EnDev) innovation window and will be implemented from 1 November 2021 to 31 October 2022.

Context

Almost all (94%) of the 258,000 people living in and around Kakuma and Kalobeyei (including host communities) use either a three-stone open fire or firewood and charcoal stoves for cooking with adverse effects on health and the environment.

Alternative fuel choices are limited, and most refugees spend a significant part of their income on fuel or (illegally) collect firewood around the camps. Progress has been made by introducing higher-tier cookstoves and alternative fuels in the local markets. However, most refugee and host community members still use the three-stone open fire and basic wood and charcoal stoves as the primary cooking approach.

Electric cooking in a mini-grid context can be a low-cost and clean alternative to biomass cooking and contribute to the financial sustainability of mini-grids due to increased power consumption. Electric Pressure Cookers (EPCs) are considered well suited in a mini-grid context due to their high efficiency and suitability for (unsupervised) preparation of staple meals during the daytime. The recently installed solar mini-grids in Kalobeyei present an opportunity to introduce EPCs to households and microbusinesses (eateries).

Objective

The project, implemented by SNV in partnership with CLASP, will pilot the use of EPCs with 100 refugee and host community households and microbusinesses connected to the solar mini-grids in Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and Kalobeyei town, Kenya, to gain insight in:

• The potential for cooking with EPCs for mini-grid users in a displacement setting;

• The requirements and potential barriers to developing a market for EPCs in low-income mini-grid settings.

Project targets

The project targets up to 75 households and 25 eateries connected to the mini-grid in Kalobeyei. With an average household size of 5.8 people, the project will seek to impact the lives of 435 people and 25 microbusiness owners.

Project activities

The project activities are focused on product identification & distribution, sensitisation & training, increasing affordability, data collection & analysis and learning & knowledge dissemination. All activities are implemented in close collaboration with project partners.

Product identification & distribution and sensitisation & training

The project will select a distributor and work together to identify a suitable EPC product to distribute to households and microbusinesses in Kalobeyei through targeted awareness-raising, marketing activities and end-user training.

Increasing affordability

The EPCs will be offered through various payment plans to address the affordability barrier and gain insights in consumer willingness and ability to pay for EPCs.

Data collection, analysis, learning & knowledge dissemination

The project will conduct a baseline and endline study on cooking behaviour and electricity use with EPC customers through surveys and smart meters. The findings from the baseline and endline study and the overall experiences in introducing EPCs in Kalobeyei will be captured in a key findings report, including a roadmap for scaling EPCs across mini-grids and displaced communities and other low-income settings. The findings will be disseminated through various channels and events collaborating with project partners.