Challenges persist, but Kerala at pivotal juncture for transition to electric cooking, notes new study

Amid concerns about LPG shortages driven by the West Asia crisis and the reported spurt in demand for electric cooking (e-cooking) appliances, a new study suggests that Kerala is at a pivotal juncture for “a State-wide transition” to e-cooking.

With near-universal electrification and a robust policy environment, Kerala has the ‘foundational pillars’ for such a shift, although it would not be automatic, says the study, ‘Kerala: Readiness Assessment Study for E-cooking.’ According to it, the projected impact on the State’s electricity grid is “substantial but manageable.”

Power demand

Using a multi-pathway adoption scenario for the State, the study says the total annual electricity consumption from e-cooking could touch 1020 gigawatt-hours (GWh) by 2030. “The key finding is that this realistic 2030 adoption scenario would create an additional peak power demand of approximately 942 megawatts (MW), with the highest coincident peak occurring during the evening at approximately 758 MW,” it says.

Conducted by Development Environergy Services (P) Ltd, the study emerged from a collaboration between the State Power Department’s Energy Management Centre – Kerala (EMC) and the Global Electric Cooking Coalition under the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme. Incidentally, the study was not undertaken against the backdrop of the ongoing LPG crisis. The context for it, rather, was the EMC’s ‘Anganjyothi’ programme for equipping anganwadis with energy-efficient cooking appliances, EMC director R. Harikumar told The Hindu.

To arrive at its conclusions, the study looked at the State’s residential segment and institutions. The latter covered anganwadis, schools, hospitals, Kudumbashree units, religious institutions, hostels, prisons, and military stations. Across segments, LPG remains the dominant cooking fuel in Kerala, especially in the residential and commercial cooking contexts. That said, firewood too contributes a share in the overall baseline energy demand.

The study placed Kerala’s baseline cooking energy demand at approximately 102.57 million gigajoules (GJ) per year. In this, LPG accounted for approximately 1.06 million tonnes annually, domestic pumped natural gas (PNG) approximately 7 million standard cubic metres (MMSCM) a year, and around 3.32 million tonnes firewood.

Solar-based cooking

The study recommends leveraging solar power-based cooking during the daytime and strategically managing the higher electricity demand between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. At the same time, the State would also have to overcome barriers posed by cooking appliance prices, inconsistent after-sales infrastructure, and a “profound lack of consumer awareness,” the study notes.

“By prioritising the creation of a reliable service network, launching targeted awareness campaigns, and replicating proven deployment models, Kerala can build on its initial successes and confidently accelerate its transition to a clean, modern, and sustainable cooking energy future,” it says.