The in-depth qualitative exploration of the 16 shortlisted countries in the GMA report revealed more about the value that that eCook could add to the existing national infrastructure in each particular place. We chose 3 to undertake further market study.
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Tag Archives: solar cooking
What we will/are doing in each country
This global market assessment has shown that there are considerable opportunities for eCook in its various forms, in a great many countries. The viability scores vary according to the convergence of the different factors, and no single country presents the ideal market conditions for eCook across all sectors of its society. Instead, each country has its own unique market dynamics and understanding these is absolutely vital in order to tailor prototype designs and marketing strategies to that particular context. Read more…
Target market segments
PV-eCook and Grid-eCook have very different target markets. PV-eCook is targeted at regions where no grid infrastructure exists (nor is it likely to in the near future), i.e. rural off-grid HHs. From a system-level perspective, Grid-eCook offers the ability to rebalance and reinforce weak grid infrastructure. As a result, the key target market segments are expected to be those living at the fringes of the grid, where the infrastructure is weakest, i.e. urban slums or rural grid-connected HHs .
The opportunity for Grid-eCook sits across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Choropleth plots showing viability scores Grid-eCook. Darker shading indicates most viable country contexts Read more…
The opportunity for PV-eCook sits mainly in Africa.
Choropleth plots showing viability scores PV-eCook. Darker shading indicates most viable country contexts.
New eCook Global Market Assessment report available.
The aim of the global study is to support a strategic long-term mix of interventions that seek to pre-position research and knowledge such that when the pricing of components and systems reaches viability, donors, investors, the private sector and civil society can take rapidly eCook to scale.
Why the Tesla Powerwall could save millions of lives
The recent announcement of a ‘Powerwall’ by Tesla may seem as though it has little to do with development in Africa or Asia, or alleviation of poverty. At $3500 dollars per unit for what the press are calling ‘very expensive electricity’, it may seem that this high tech management of power loads within a household is far removed from the slums of Kibera in Kenya or the rural areas of Uganda that have no access. However, yesterdays announcement is actually really good news and a good step forward in a potentially new transformative story being written about cooking.
20 months ago I as a researcher noticed the price trends in Solar Photovoltaics and Batteries. I projected forward to 2020, and something wonderful happened on paper…….
The cookstove/solar divide.
Investment in new technologies has produced a large volume of work over the last 30 years on improved biomass cookstoves. This work has led to large scale projects with accompanying emissions standards. At the same time, the reduction in price and the use of LEDs had led to a similarly large volume of work on solar lighting. At our current tipping point we find that rarely do these two bodies of specialisation overlap. Few if any have begun to ask if ‘solar electric cooking’ is even viable. There is a legacy of thought that needs to be tackled by actor networking and solid research.
Solar Electric Cooking 