Research by geographers at Loughborough University has helped to shift the global focus on electricity provision for Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), from technical innovation to ‘contextual approaches’. Research has also overturned conventional wisdom that electric cooking cannot be developed in low-income communities.
Issue
The burning of biomass (wood, plants, animal waste) is a global health and environmental problem. Providing 'access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all' (UN SDG7), particularly modern cooking services, would help solve this global health and energy crisis.
Approach
The Loughborough team transformed existing knowledge and practice about SDG7, sustainable energy, and Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) in the Global South. This has been achieved through participatory research in partner communities, interviews with key political, policy and commercial stakeholders, large-scale surveys, and quantitative modelling.
Impact
The research has transformed investment strategies for SDG7 within UK and international governments, non-governmental organisations, and investment banks. The team’s research prompted the redirection of investment away from cleaner solid cooking fuels to Modern Energy Cooking Systems. For example, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office invested £39.8 million in the Loughborough Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme. The team’s research also instigated a transformation in the investment strategies of international organisations (e.g., World Bank), shifting them towards support for electric cooking.
The MECS programme includes a significant £17.5 million component, designated for the team to invest into MECS business and market development ventures. These initiatives include partnerships with innovative financial service providers and a significant Challenge Fund of £7.5 million. Until July 2020, the Challenge Fund had invested £1.48 million in supporting 43 companies to develop MECS productions, services, and market development in the Global South. For example, Burn Kenya, the only modern cookstove manufacturer in Sub-Saharan Africa, received £200k from the Challenge Fund to support market and product development.
More information:
Institution: Loughborough University
Researchers: Professor Ed Brown, Dr Simon Batchelor, Dr Jonathan Cloke, Dr Jonathan Leary, Dr Long Seng To