Clean cooking refers to cooking using clean fuels such as solar thermal and PV-based energy, electrical energy, as well as energy-efficient devices to help reduce environmental consequences, improve the health and well-being of communities, and advance gender equality goals. While there is a considerable emphasis on accelerating the decarbonisation of global energy systems from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the enduring global problem of lack of access to clean cooking is mostly overlooked. In India, the market for clean and electric cooking devices is quite limited and is currently mostly dominated by Chinese imports (up to 75%). But indeed, well-known Indian companies are progressively taking on the task of manufacturing electric cooking devices. As a result, the Indian electric cooker market has accounted for around INR 245 crores in 2020-21.
There are generally two market sectors in clean cooking: well-known brands and small & medium enterprises/entrepreneurs. The value of entrepreneurship is crucial for any sector for many reasons, ranging from assisting in the growth of societal change to advancing innovation into more efficient, low-carbon technologies. Similarly, when it comes to promoting clean cooking, entrepreneurship in the right direction has the great capacity to revolutionise the way we live and work on a local or national level. Presently, these small-and-medium enterprises /entrepreneurs are often overlooked because of either a lack of awareness among them about market access, in-house capacity building and skills development. The lack of information exchange between research institutions and business sectors dealing with clean cooking devices impedes entrepreneurship development in clean cooking device manufacturing in India.
In a similar vein, Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), through its India country partner Finovista, launched the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) in India to capture, bring to the forefront and support entrepreneurs in the field of energy efficiency, solar and electric-based clean cooking at local, regional, and national levels. The programme also aims to educate entrepreneurs on various industrial/commercial activity requirements for setting up business in the sector and to nurture innovation and strengthen their capacity. This simultaneously aligns with the Government of India’s vision of the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” & “Make in India” programme, and the “Go Electric” campaign, launched to promote electric vehicles and electric cooking uptake in India. Taking these as inspirations, the EDP programme aims to
provide an unrivalled platform for Indian enterprises to make India a global hub for clean cooking device manufacturing.
Potential entrepreneurs for the EDP programme were chosen through expert committee examination across two stages. Entrepreneurs chosen under stage I evaluation were received 6 weeks of training, to help them to develop skills and capacity in areas such as user-friendly product design, cost-effective manufacturing, market strategy, and business skills. By giving equal attention to technology, development, and commercialisation along with finance, marketing, taxation, and other statutory compliances, the programme further envisions a holistic approach for the development of entrepreneurs. To mentor the entrepreneurs, industry practitioners and experts from academia were identified uniquely. This was followed by Stage 2 evaluation to select the top three entrepreneurs based on pre-defined evaluation criteria, to assess their product development skills and approach to problem-solving, along with an assessment of business models, entrepreneurial capabilities, and company profiles. The entrepreneurs will
be supported in the 2nd stage through a grant of up to INR 2.50 lakhs each and one-to-one mentoring support. Entrepreneurs have submitted statements explaining the specific support areas for which they request one-to-one mentoring. Based on these statements, suitable mentors will be allocated to work with entrepreneurs on a weekly basis, whereby the one-to-one coaching will be provided in a live business environment and entrepreneurs will share and implement their respective business plans and ideas.
As a consequence of MECS’ EDP programme, entrepreneurs were provided with access to a broader platform and allowed to contact stakeholders from different fields viz., academia, industry, and government organisations. Entrepreneurs also created networking relationships with potential large-scale bulk procurement agencies to expand and collaborate. The programme is also expected to catalyse major governmental support and public and private investment in R&D and skills development in those enterprises. Programmes such as EDP are critical as they assist in identifying relevant clean culinary entrepreneurs, boosting entrepreneurs’ enthusiasm and ability to experiment with product and device development, receiving financial support, scaling up businesses, and providing opportunities for in-depth networking. In a nutshell, these clean energy-based entrepreneurial solutions and services have great potential to expand access to modern energy cooking services, enhance people’s health and well being, advance gender equality, contribute towards global decarbonisation targets and mitigate the devastating impacts of the climate crisis.