The Hidden Side of Energy Access: Clean Cooking

Stagnating progress on this development agenda costs the world an estimated 2.4 trillion USD per year. In this four-part learning series, you will familiarize yourself with core concepts in the clean cooking sector, uncover the nuanced and contextual nature of accessing modern cooking solutions, learn about innovative financing approaches, and discover recommendations for actors seeking to make clean cooking a reality for households across the world.

The course features four distinct learning modules. Module 1 will introduce the topic, define MECS, and describe the Multi-Tier Framework. Module 2 will describe current access rates around the world and uncover demand- and supply-side barriers to adoption. Module 3 will explain the evolution of the sector, define the ‘least-cost, best-fit’ approach, and explore examples of national clean cooking programs. Finally, Module 4 will conclude with a course recap and recommendations for a range of sectoral actors seeking to drive MECS access forward.

Week 1: Making the Case for Modern Energy Cooking Services

This week will begin with an introduction to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7.1 – “ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services”. You will uncover the negative effects of the continued reliance on biomass fuels on basic stoves on health, gender, the environment, and our climate. You will also be introduced to the costs of inaction, estimated at 2.4 trillion USD per year. Furthermore, you will explore the Multi-Tier Framework (MTF), an innovative tool to assess household access rates and describe progress on the SDG7 agenda in a more contextual and nuanced way.

Week 2: Assessing the Supply and Demand for MECS __

This week will map the trends in fuel use around the world, while also learning about factors that influence household adoption of modern solutions. The supply side of MECS will be described, including a broad overview of the ecosystem of actors in the clean cooking sector and industry economics.

Week 3: Creating Enabling Environments for MECS __

This week will describe the evolution of the clean cooking sector, culminating in the current approach of assessing access to MECS in a more nuanced, contextualized way by applying the MTF. You will be introduced to national clean cooking programs and the ‘least-cost, best-fit’ approach, which seeks to tailor MECS solutions to user needs, local market conditions, and comparative advantages.

Week 4: Designing Recommendations for MECS __

This week will deep dive on various sector-wide recommendations to drive progress on the clean cooking agenda. More specific recommendations for national governments, donors and development partners, and private investors/entrepreneurs will also be described.