About the publication

PowerGen Renewable Energy is a leading developer and operator of microgrid renewable energy systems across sub-Saharan Africa. To date PowerGen has connected over 15,000 homes and businesses to renewable, reliable AC power across Tanzania, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. This MECS-TRIID project falls under PowerGen’s broader mandate to empower its customers with equipment, financing and training needed to adopt productive uses of energy (PUE) and move up the energy ladder. With MECS’ support, PowerGen has conducted a first-of-its-kind, real-world test of electric cooking in the context of a rural African microgrid. Under the scope of this project, Electric Pressure Cookers (EPCs) were delivered to customers at 2 microgrid sites in the Singida region of central Tanzania. These sites were targeted for the study because they offered significantly lower electricity rates compared to most rural microgrids, thereby making the EPCs cost-competitive with relatively inexpensive and ubiquitous charcoal.