Development of cooking sector in rural areas in India—A review

• Published in: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 44 - 53
• Main Authors: Bansal, Mohit, Saini, R.P., Khatod, D.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alternative fuels. Production and utilization; Applied sciences; Biogas; biomass; combustion; Cook stoves; Cooking; Cooking fuel; Devices using thermal energy; Economic data; Energy; Energy economics; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipments, installations and applications; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; General, economic and professional studies; greenhouse gas emissions; greenhouse gases; issues and policy; liquid petroleum gas; Natural energy; rural areas; Solar cookers; Solar energy; Solar thermal conversion; urban population; India; Asia; Biogas; Cooking; Cooking fuel; Cook stoves; Solar cookers; Solar cooking device; Renewable energy; Alternative motor fuel; Solar energy; Rural area; Market penetration; Wasteless technology
• ISSN: 1364-0321; 1879-0690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2012.09.014

Energy for cooking is a major concern of consumers and policy makers in India. Most of the cooking in rural India is done using biomass. Traditional biomass stoves cause significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to formation of products of incomplete combustion. As far as urban population is concerned, around 95% of the population has access to LPG as cooking fuel at subsidized rates. To increase accessibility of LPG to rural areas is economically incompetent option when compared with the solar and biogas as other options available in rural areas. In this paper, an effort has been made to review the developments occurred in cooking sector rural areas in Indian context. The work carried out on different cooking fuels and cook stoves has been presented in order to use renewable energy sources and to identify the barriers of their dissemination. The status of cooking sector in India and the initiatives taken by the government of India has also been discussed and presented in the paper. It has been observed that the government of India is running several programs for the promotion of solar and biogas as cooking fuels in rural areas and it has succeeded to an extent.