Can Modifications Make Electric Pressure Cookers ‘Minigrid Friendly?’

Abstract

A large fraction of the developing world utilizes biomass fuels for cooking. Air pollution from these stoves represents a significant health hazard. Electric cooking has been identified as a potential method to deliver clean, cost-effective, cooking in the developing world, with particular emphasis on electric pressure cookers (EPCs) that are more energy-efficient than cooking in unpressurized vessels. Most EPCs in use today are designed for fast, on-grid, cooking using large heating elements, and it is unclear how these large, cyclic, power loads would impact minigrids. This study uses an electro-thermal model to investigate how a range of EPC power ratings would impact their use in minigrids. Results indicate that the lower efficiency of lower-power units increases minigrid energy requirements in a non-trivial way relative to higher-power units. Finally, this study also indicates that periods of higher power consumption for higher-power units occurs infrequently, and thus minigrids may be capable of handling EPCs for cooking staples such as rice and beans.