India's Clean Cooking Shift

The report 'India's Clean Cooking Shift' by the International Institute for Sustainable Development argues for a diversification of India's clean cooking energy sources to reduce reliance on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG). It proposes a 'twin-track' strategy: scaling electric cooking (e-cooking) in urban and peri-urban areas and biogas in suitable rural areas to address issues of affordability, import volatility, and service gaps.

• While LPG and PNG have improved clean cooking access, they are limited by affordability for low-income households, uneven last-mile delivery, and fiscal pressures caused by import dependence and global price volatility. Additionally, many households engage in 'fuel stacking,' using solid fuels alongside LPG/PNG, which limits health and welfare benefits.
• The report proposes a 'twin-track' diversification strategy to move beyond a single-solution reliance: scaling e-cooking in urban and peri-urban areas where electricity access is stronger, and scaling biogas in rural areas where feedstock is available and maintenance ecosystems can be sustained.
• For rural biogas adoption, the primary obstacle is the high upfront cost. Success depends on strong delivery systems, including timely installation, after-sales service, and local troubleshooting capacity. Scaling requires addressing land constraints, seasonal productivity drops in cold regions, and a lack of trained technicians.
• E-cooking is currently more cost-effective to operate than LPG/PNG for most urban Indian households under current electricity tariffs. With strong policy support, e-cooking could reduce LPG demand by 50% by 2050 and result in cumulative subsidy savings exceeding INR 2 trillion.
• Increasing e-cooking adoption requires better appliances tailored to Indian cooking practices, consumer financing for upfront costs, improved electricity reliability, and distribution performance.

APA

Alsulaiman,, S. M. K. S. L. (2026). India's Clean Cooking Shift. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/india-clean-cooking

Chicago

Alsulaiman,, Sunil Mani,Gunjan Kohli,Shruti Sharma,Gaurav Limaye,Abdurahman. India's Clean Cooking Shift. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/india-clean-cooking.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alsulaiman, |first1=Sunil Mani,Gunjan Kohli,Shruti Sharma,Gaurav Limaye,Abdurahman |title=India's Clean Cooking Shift |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=16 February 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/india-clean-cooking |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alsulaiman2026indias, author = {Alsulaiman,, Sunil Mani,Gunjan Kohli,Shruti Sharma,Gaurav Limaye,Abdurahman}, title = {{India's Clean Cooking Shift}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/india-clean-cooking}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }