Baseline Scenario: Tradition and Need

In many remote villages across India, access to reliable energy and clean cooking remains an unmet need. For decades, communities have heavily depended on firewood and biomass fuels for daily cooking. Women, who are often the primary caregivers, walk 2-3 kilometres each day to collect firewood from rapidly depleting forests. This practice not only accelerates deforestation but also exposes families to hazardous indoor air pollution, leading to severe respiratory illnesses and other health complications.

Beyond firewood, many households rely on kerosene and other biomass fuels for lighting and heating, further exacerbating environmental degradation and increasing household expenses. Due to economic hardships and geographical isolation, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) adoption remains low, trapping these communities in unsustainable and harmful cooking practices.

For the last four years, GHE has been working towards providing improvised clean cooking solutions to these communities. The goal is to transition them from traditional cooking methods towards more sustainable options, benefiting both indoor and outdoor environments. However, convincing communities to switch from their centuries-old cooking traditions to modern methods is not always easy.

GHE has deployed improvised clean cookstoves in more than 1,500 villages over the past three years, particularly among underprivileged tribal communities in the Garo region of Meghalaya. While improved cookstoves offer a transitional fix, they do not eliminate firewood dependence. A more sustainable and long-term approach involves the adoption of Electric Pressure Cookers (EPCs) powered by solar energy. These modern cooking solutions significantly reduce environmental impact while enhancing health and economic well-being.

By transitioning to solar-powered EPCs, families can eliminate firewood usage for cooking, reducing deforestation, indoor air pollution, and carbon emissions. Each household receives a solar-powered EPC along with a basic home lighting kit, which includes  LED lights. To ensure smooth adoption, community members are trained in EPC usage, troubleshooting, and cooking techniques.

As you travel toward Namsai, the road winds through lush tea gardens and dense forests, introducing a land where nature and culture intertwine.

Transition Process: From Awareness to Adoption

Transition and behavioural change depend on three interlinked key factors: social acceptance, economic conditions, and awareness generation. GHE has been actively distributing and deploying improvised clean cookstoves in the last few years, gaining valuable insights into behavioural change and adaptation. From the outset, the approach has been to understand the needs of the community through local stakeholder consultations. The process of implementation and adaptation has always been shaped by feedback and adapted accordingly.

For GHE, the introduction of improved clean cookstoves has been a learning curve in terms of adaptation and behavioural change. How? In the Garo region, the kitchen is a sacred place, and the traditional cookstove is the first thing they construct and the last thing they dismantle as part of their traditions. Understanding this cultural significance, GHE worked with communities to transition their traditional cookstove while making space for the improved cookstoves, a move that was widely accepted and marked the first phase of adaptation.

However, adaptation is not the only challenge in these regions. Economic conditions below the poverty line mean that most families cannot afford to procure clean energy sources at full price. To address this, GHE has been working on distributing clean cookstoves for free or subsidizing a significant portion of the cost. The process of convincing, transitioning, and achieving behavioural change begins at various levels of conversation with stakeholders. Engaging with community leaders, women’s groups, and local decision-makers ensures that the transition to clean energy is not just an external intervention but a community-driven transformation.

Additionally, continuous monitoring and structured awareness training play a crucial role in motivating users along their transition journey. Regular follow-ups, awareness workshops, and technical support help reinforce the benefits of clean cooking solutions, ensuring long-term acceptance and sustained usage.

Fostering Community Ownership for Sustainability

For any project to succeed, community ownership is paramount. Clean energy solutions are most effective when beneficiaries have a stake in their adoption, whether through monetary contributions or in-kind support. A sense of ownership not only enhances the value of the intervention but also ensures long-term sustainability.

During the initial baseline assessment and stakeholder consultations, GHE actively explores ways for beneficiaries to contribute, strengthening their commitment to adopting modern technology. While the majority of the intervention costs are subsidized through GHE and its funding partners, a nominal contribution from the beneficiaries reinforces their engagement and responsibility in the transition process.

A subsidized financing model plays a crucial role in bridging this affordability gap by allowing underprivileged households to invest in renewable energy solutions in manageable phases. Instead of bearing the full cost upfront, an impossible burden for many, the structured payment plan enables families to spread their investment over time with 50-75% of cost subsidized through an external partner. This phased approach empowers them to transition to modern cooking technologies without disrupting their limited household budgets.

By making clean cooking financially viable, this model:

Reduces the Initial Cost Barrier: Many low-income families cannot afford a lump-sum investment in solar-powered clean cooking. A structured payment plan lowers the entry cost, making the transition more accessible.

Promotes Financial Inclusion: Households that might otherwise be excluded from clean energy adoption due to economic hardship can now participate in the transition.

Encourages Sustainable Investment: When families contribute financially, even in small amounts, they develop a greater sense of ownership and responsibility for maintaining and utilizing the technology efficiently.

Strengthens Long-Term Economic Benefits: Reduced firewood dependence translates to cost savings, improved health outcomes, and increased time for income-generating activities, particularly for women who traditionally spend hours collecting firewood.

Scaling Up: Toward Carbon-Neutral Communities

Building on the success of the pilot, GHE is now taking the next step, introducing solar-powered EPCs in fully off-grid villages. This initiative will drive a complete transition to clean energy, significantly lowering firewood dependency while improving environmental sustainability and clean cooking.

The adoption of solar-powered EPCs aligns with the broader goal of establishing carbon-neutral villages. By addressing community energy needs, this initiative paves the way for integrated carbon projects that support sustainable livelihoods and eco-tourism.

As the program expands, GHE has the opportunity to leverage various financing mechanisms to ensure the long-term sustainability and accessibility of EPCs for low-income households:

• Gap Financing: There is potential to tap into CSR funds and carbon financing to bridge the affordability gap for vulnerable communities. These funding sources can subsidize EPC costs, making them more accessible to families that would otherwise struggle to afford them.
• Microfinance Partnerships: Collaborating with local microfinance institutions presents an opportunity to provide affordable financing options. Families could contribute a small upfront amount and pay in manageable installments, easing financial strain while enabling a transition to clean cooking solutions.
• Lease-to-Own Model: A flexible financing approach can be introduced, where families make an initial contribution of 5%-10% of the EPC cost. A lease-to-own scheme would allow them to use the EPC while making incremental payments, with ownership transferred after a defined period. This model ensures immediate benefits while accommodating different income levels.