Analysis of energy, CO2 emissions and economy of the technological migration for clean cooking in Ecuador

TL;DR

This study evaluates the environmental and economic impacts of Ecuador's shift from LPG to electric induction stoves, highlighting significant CO2 emission reductions and cost savings under the national efficient cooking program.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of CO2 emissions and economic benefits of migrating to electric stoves, demonstrating the viability of renewable energy for cooking in Ecuador.

Findings

US$ 1.162 billion annual savings in subsidies

Reduction of 1.8 tCO2 per year in emissions

Viability of renewable energy for efficient cooking

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the CO2 emissions and economic impacts of the implementation of the National Efficient Cooking Program (NECP) in Ecuador, which aims to migrate the population from Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)-based stoves to electric induction stoves. This program is rooted in the current effort to change Ecuador's energy balance, with hydroelectric power expected to generate 83.61% of national electricity by 2022, ending the need for subsidized LPG. For this analysis, the 2014 baseline situation has been compared with two future scenarios for 2022: a business-as-usual scenario and an NECP-success scenario. This study demonstrates the viability of migration from imported fossil fuels to locally-produced renewable energy as the basis for an efficient cooking facility. The new policies scenario would save US$ 1.162 billion in annual government expenditure on cooking subsidies, and reducing CO2 emissions associated to energy for cooking in 1.8 tCO2/y.