We are delighted to invite you to the 5th session of the Talk Series – Phase IV on Modern Energy Cooking titled “Cooking-to-Grid (C2G)”. This session will be conducted virtually and is being organised by the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) Programme, UK, through its in-country partner Finovista.

Affordability of electricity and lack of liquidity are said to be key barriers to the adoption of electric cooking in many households in India. In many parts of the country, the reliability and quality of household grid electricity supplies are also not adequate. However, recent increases in generating capacity are changing this. In addition, the integration of renewable sources of energy in grid has added another factor leading to variations in power availability. The power quality will sometimes be too low to run anything other than a light bulb. These possible technical issues underpin the potential use and benefits of supporting electric cooking with batteries. Cooking-to-Grid (C2G) is a transformative concept that reimagines battery-based cooking systems in households not just as electricity consumers, but as decentralised energy assets that can actively support the power grid. As electric cooking appliances gain traction, there is a timely opportunity to integrate energy storage into these systems. Homes equipped with battery-enabled cookstoves or cooking devices could collectively function as a vast network of distributed storage units.

These batteries can be charged during periods of low grid demand or surplus renewable energy production and later used for cooking or to feed stored electricity back into the grid during peak demand hours. Battery storage support can greatly extend the utility of a solar electric cooker, allowing it to cook morning and evening meals, before and after the sun has set, and to cook on cloudy days. To carry out these smart functions, a modern battery storage system usually includes an inverter, sensor, and computerized control systems to coordinate power generation and decide when to store the energy or release it back to the grid, opening up various commercial options. Lithium-ion seems to be the technology of choice at this moment in time; however, a variety of grid-scale storage technologies are under development, such as a technology based on regenerative fuel cells, in which energy is stored as hydrogen gas, for storing energy at grid-scale.  Unlike mobile battery applications such as electric vehicles, C2G focuses on stationary, household-based energy storage. Other benefits of access to grid electricity and with battery support enhance the possibility of running additional low-power energy services like lights, radio, mobile phone charging, etc.

This deployment opens up a unique pathway to scale up battery research and development, driven by demand related to cooking. As battery-powered cooking solutions become more widespread, they could stimulate mass procurement, encourage domestic use of batteries, and lead to innovations that enhance performance and drive down costs through economies of scale. This could attract private and government investment in a way that other clean cooking solutions have not. Such advancements would not only accelerate the clean cooking transition but also create a ripple effect across sectors like electric mobility, where high battery costs remain a major challenge. By creating a robust demand for affordable, high-performing batteries, C2G could emerge as a vital enabler of a broader clean energy transition, strengthening the links between household cooking, grid resilience, and the growth of the global battery economy.

This session will spotlight the role of battery-based eCooking systems in enabling distributed energy storage, delve into the technological and policy enablers of C2G, and explore the synergies between clean cooking, grid resilience, and battery innovation. The panel will also examine business models, scalability opportunities, and international examples of distributed energy storage via household appliances.