Page 2 - Supply-side Financing of Improved Biomass Cookstoves in India
P. 2
Discussion Paper
India’s previous national stove programme, the National Table 2: Classification of biomass cookstoves adapted from Kshirsagar et al. 2014)8
Programme on Improved Cookstoves resulted in the
development of nearly 60 improved stove models which aimed Classification of biomass cookstoves
at reduction in fuel wood usage and kitchen smoke. Despite the
high number of stoves disseminated in the field (~35 million), Classification parameter Types
it was found that these stoves were of poor quality due to a
predominantly unsupervised local production.4 The Ministry of Technology Traditional / Improved / Advanced
New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched the National
Biomass Cookstoves Initiative in 2009, with the hope to provide Type of draft Natural draft / Forced draft
energy services as clean as LPG, but through the use of biomass.
Focused on health benefits through reduction of indoor Combustion type Direct combustion / Gasifier
smoke, the initiative has introduced a series of pilot projects
to enable bottom-up programme deployment. The initiative Application type Domestic / Community
accords importance to careful testing, certification, and field
performance monitoring of stoves, which is known to be vital Purpose served Mono-function / Multi-function
for any successful cookstove programme.5 Recent years have
seen the emergence of newer and significantly improved stove Chimney used With chimney / Chimney-less
designs as well as dissemination programmes in the country.
Since these initiatives are primarily funded by private entities, Portability Portable / Fixed
cookstove manufacturing and dissemination is limited by lack of
capital/risk of investment at higher scales of business. For this Construction materials Mud / Cement / Metallic / Ceramic / Hybrid
reason, the penetration of improved cookstove technology in Fuel type
rural India has been disheartening. Fuel-wood / Charcoal / Agri-residue / Dung-cake /
Multi-fuel
In India, traditional solid biofuel is still widely used for
meeting cooking and space conditioning needs, particularly India are still underdeveloped, or at best ‘nascent’, owing to
by the poor. The more basic ICS which burn solid biofuels low demand, insufficient supply of appropriate technologies,
are natural draft (involving natural convection of air), which and unfavourable market environment. A significant cause
are simple to make and easy to use. However, studies have of inefficient improved cookstove markets is the lack of
shown that the performance of natural draft stoves from the appropriate technologies catering to the range of local
point of view of reduction in emissions from the baseline cooking practices and fuels, leading to unviable business and
(traditional stoves) has been abysmal.6 As opposed to this, distribution models.
factory-made forced-draft gasifier stoves are more efficient
and reduce emissions substantially. However their uptake by Case studies of successful cookstove markets across
rural households is hampered by high cost and the need for the globe provide evidence of a complex collective of
fuel processing.7
Traditional stove (62%)
Improved Cookstoves Market in India ICS (4%)
Kerosene stove (3%)
Considering that about 145 million Indian households LPG stove (28%)
depend on biomass fuels, such as wood, dung, or agricultural
residues for their daily cooking, there is a sizable potential Figure 2: Penetration of cooking technology in India by percentage users (National
demand for ICS in India. However, cookstove markets in Sample Survey, 64th round)
Table 1: Comparison of national improved cookstove policies in India
National Implementing Agency Year Key Strategy
Government subsidy-based mechanisms for dissemination of locally
National Programme Department 1985–2002 produced and cheap stove designs. Focus was primarily on fuel conservation
and secondarily, on indoor smoke reduction
for Improved of Non-conventional Energy Sources
Dissemination of efficient and low-emissions domestic and biomass
Cookstoves (NPIC) (DNES) through Technical Back-up Units cookstoves through a range of technology development, testing, technology
deployment, biomass processing, and cookstove delivery models
(TBUs) and NGOs
National Biomass Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, 2009–ongoing
Cookstoves Initiative GoI through State Nodal Agencies, NGOs,
(NBCI) Self-help Groups, and entrepreneurs
2 MAY 2015
India’s previous national stove programme, the National Table 2: Classification of biomass cookstoves adapted from Kshirsagar et al. 2014)8
Programme on Improved Cookstoves resulted in the
development of nearly 60 improved stove models which aimed Classification of biomass cookstoves
at reduction in fuel wood usage and kitchen smoke. Despite the
high number of stoves disseminated in the field (~35 million), Classification parameter Types
it was found that these stoves were of poor quality due to a
predominantly unsupervised local production.4 The Ministry of Technology Traditional / Improved / Advanced
New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched the National
Biomass Cookstoves Initiative in 2009, with the hope to provide Type of draft Natural draft / Forced draft
energy services as clean as LPG, but through the use of biomass.
Focused on health benefits through reduction of indoor Combustion type Direct combustion / Gasifier
smoke, the initiative has introduced a series of pilot projects
to enable bottom-up programme deployment. The initiative Application type Domestic / Community
accords importance to careful testing, certification, and field
performance monitoring of stoves, which is known to be vital Purpose served Mono-function / Multi-function
for any successful cookstove programme.5 Recent years have
seen the emergence of newer and significantly improved stove Chimney used With chimney / Chimney-less
designs as well as dissemination programmes in the country.
Since these initiatives are primarily funded by private entities, Portability Portable / Fixed
cookstove manufacturing and dissemination is limited by lack of
capital/risk of investment at higher scales of business. For this Construction materials Mud / Cement / Metallic / Ceramic / Hybrid
reason, the penetration of improved cookstove technology in Fuel type
rural India has been disheartening. Fuel-wood / Charcoal / Agri-residue / Dung-cake /
Multi-fuel
In India, traditional solid biofuel is still widely used for
meeting cooking and space conditioning needs, particularly India are still underdeveloped, or at best ‘nascent’, owing to
by the poor. The more basic ICS which burn solid biofuels low demand, insufficient supply of appropriate technologies,
are natural draft (involving natural convection of air), which and unfavourable market environment. A significant cause
are simple to make and easy to use. However, studies have of inefficient improved cookstove markets is the lack of
shown that the performance of natural draft stoves from the appropriate technologies catering to the range of local
point of view of reduction in emissions from the baseline cooking practices and fuels, leading to unviable business and
(traditional stoves) has been abysmal.6 As opposed to this, distribution models.
factory-made forced-draft gasifier stoves are more efficient
and reduce emissions substantially. However their uptake by Case studies of successful cookstove markets across
rural households is hampered by high cost and the need for the globe provide evidence of a complex collective of
fuel processing.7
Traditional stove (62%)
Improved Cookstoves Market in India ICS (4%)
Kerosene stove (3%)
Considering that about 145 million Indian households LPG stove (28%)
depend on biomass fuels, such as wood, dung, or agricultural
residues for their daily cooking, there is a sizable potential Figure 2: Penetration of cooking technology in India by percentage users (National
demand for ICS in India. However, cookstove markets in Sample Survey, 64th round)
Table 1: Comparison of national improved cookstove policies in India
National Implementing Agency Year Key Strategy
Government subsidy-based mechanisms for dissemination of locally
National Programme Department 1985–2002 produced and cheap stove designs. Focus was primarily on fuel conservation
and secondarily, on indoor smoke reduction
for Improved of Non-conventional Energy Sources
Dissemination of efficient and low-emissions domestic and biomass
Cookstoves (NPIC) (DNES) through Technical Back-up Units cookstoves through a range of technology development, testing, technology
deployment, biomass processing, and cookstove delivery models
(TBUs) and NGOs
National Biomass Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, 2009–ongoing
Cookstoves Initiative GoI through State Nodal Agencies, NGOs,
(NBCI) Self-help Groups, and entrepreneurs
2 MAY 2015
