Perros, Tash;
(2023)
The potential for pay-as-you-go liquefied petroleum gas to accelerate access to clean cooking in Rwanda and Kenya.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Globally, there are 2.4 billion people who still cook with biomass fuels such as wood and charcoal. This is estimated to cause four million deaths per year as well as a wide range of climatic, environmental and social impacts. Numerous clean cooking fuels are available but remain inaccessible to low-income consumers due to affordability barriers. An emerging solution targeted at the urban poor is pay-as-you-go (PAYG) liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), consisting of an internet-enabled valve that allows customers to purchase small amounts of gas at a time. Very little is known about PAYG LPG stove users, their patterns of fuel use, and whether PAYG LPG can help realise the full benefits of clean cooking. This thesis addresses these gaps using data from surveys, interviews, stove use monitors and PAYG LPG meters to examine cooking practices in PAYG LPG pilots in Kigali, Rwanda (n=78) and Kisumu, Kenya (n=149). It also contains a literature review of fuel stacking (n=100) that formed the basis for designing and testing interventions (n=19) to promote exclusive PAYG LPG use in Kisumu. Finally, it consists of semi-structured interviews (n=20) with key industry stakeholders that examine the place of PAYG LPG in the wider clean cooking ecosystem. The findings show that PAYG LPG successfully reaches a low-income demographic who otherwise cannot afford clean fuels. Both pilots saw high levels of primary fuel adoption that resulted in financial, time and health benefits to users. These impacts were enhanced through the provision of pressure cookers and frying pans, showing that cooking transitions could be accelerated by accompanying equipment interventions. However, low margins and a fragile business model may inhibit PAYG LPG’s ability to scale and remain affordable to target customers. If these limitations can be addressed then this technology could play an important role in advancing energy access across sub-Saharan Africa.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | The potential for pay-as-you-go liquefied petroleum gas to accelerate access to clean cooking in Rwanda and Kenya |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2023. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | Clean cooking, Energy access, Pay-as-you-go, Liquefied petroleum gas, sub-Saharan Africa, Mixed methods |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > The Bartlett Sch of Const and Proj Mgt UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10166607 |
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