Beyond Irrigation: Turning sunlight into supper for Kenya's women and farmers
A pilot of secondary use of solar irrigation power for clean cooking
The pilot demonstrated that solar irrigation systems and associated batteries can power electric pressure cookers (EPCs) used by communities in rural Kenya, with small but promising reductions in use of traditional fuels and improvements to the lives of smallholders, particularly women and children. Technology design and behavioural changes would be needed to increase uptake and reduce reliance on other sources of cooking energy.
Key Messages
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Secondary use of solar irrigation power for cooking is feasible: rural households in Kenya used the provided EPCs and liked them, but technology design and behavioural changes would be needed to increase uptake and reduce reliance on other sources of cooking energy.
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To realize the potential of solar irrigation systems, policies can promote inclusive access to productive secondary energy uses, adequate battery storage, gender-equitable control over household energy assets, targeted financing or subsidies for EPCs, and training and behavioural support.
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Integrating gender analysis and household behaviour into energy access programs is essential for achieving equitable and sustained transitions to clean energy.
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Governments can work with businesses, consumers, and other stakeholders to better understand how to scale secondary use in different contexts and markets and to identify innovative technologies and financing models.
Energy from solar irrigation systems can be harnessed to expand access to clean energy, promote gender equality and social inclusion, and maximize public investments. A randomized controlled trial in Kenya found that solar irrigation systems with batteries could power EPCs. When offered for free, the EPCs were enthusiastically accepted and actively used, especially among educated households. Tentative reductions in solid fuel use and increased solar electricity consumption hint at positive synergies between clean cooking and solar irrigation systems. However, battery constraints, competing energy demands from lighting/TV, and gendered control of batter use (men) versus cooking choices (women) limited the realized impact. For businesses and policy-makers, these results underscore that the availability of technically compatible cooking devices needs to be supported with adequate power and behavioural interventions. Solar irrigation systems could support e-cooking more effectively if battery capacities align with multi-use demands or if cooking is scheduled during solar hours when generation is abundant.
Read more publications from this project:
- Beyond Irrigation: Harnessing the untapped potential of solar pumps | Lessons from a solar-powered milling pilot in Uttar Pradesh
- Ethnographic Research as a Tool for More Inclusive Just Transition Policies: Lessons from Mpumalanga, South Africa
- Coal Transition Impacts and the Approach to Inclusive Just Transition Policies in Indonesia
- Indonesia's Next Cooking Transition: Shifting to non-fossil cooking
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