Electric cooking can improve health, reduce climate impacts, and boost business models for universal electrification
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Since 2020, EarthSpark has partnered with Modern Energy for Cooking Services (MECS) program of Loughborough University on several research projects and electric cooking ("eCooking") trials.
The most recent effort, "Validating eCooking in Planning and Operations of Solar Microgrids in Haiti" unfolded through 2026 in the context of Haiti’s evolving national energy landscape. Communities were feeling an increasingly urgent need for solutions that improve energy access and reliability, reduce dependence on charcoal, and empower local institutions. Across technical modeling, consumer finance assessments, institutional consultations, and operational fieldwork, the project consistently reveals that eCooking is uniquely positioned to advance EarthSpark’s mission of delivering clean, affordable, reliable energy. The work draws extensively from advanced microgrid modeling conducted with the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), internal financial mechanism reviews, community-level institutional engagements, and the organization’s operational adaptation following the Tiburon microgrid fire. Four themes emerged throughout the project:
Download the full PDF report here. EarthSpark's first project with the Modern Energy for Cooking Services (MECS) team from Loughboro University in 2020 piloted two models for electric cooking in rural Haiti. The first type of installation was completely off-grid using the SUNSPOT technology. The second type of installation offered 'electric kitchens' to existing customers of EarthSpark's solar-powered microgrid in Les Anglais, Haiti.
The study was small, but the results were powerful:
Download the full report here. Read the executive summary here. |
In this video from the launch of EarthSpark's clean cooking pilot, Haitian cuisine is held up as delicious and diverse. Energy systems and cooking technologies are advancing around the world, and microgrid developers in Haiti have a unique opportunity to advance access to both clean, reliable electricity and clean electric cooking at the same time, multi-solving for broad health, climate, and economic benefits.
eCooking on minigrids - webinarIn 2025, the Modern Energy for Cooking Services (MECS) program of Loughborough University hosted a webinar series, "eCooking in off-grid contexts."
EarthSpark's president, Allison Archambault, presented on EarthSpark's experience and vision for eCooking in the Haitian minigrid context. "What we found was that eCooking had the potential to be the 'killer app' of minigrid design and operations that also delivered very important benefits to our customers," shared Archambault. Watch the full session below. |
This mother relished the time she saved when she switched from charcoal to electricity.
EarthSpark International’s 2020 electric cooking pilot in Haiti is part of a growing body of evidence that electric cooking in the energy access context is not only promising from a customer adoption standpoint, but also a significant opportunity to tear down the silos of Sustainable Development Goal 7 ("Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all"). Indeed, if every new grid or microgrid electricity connection had not only a light bulb and plug but also an electric kitchen, both clean cooking and electricity access would likely advance more quickly and efficiently with greater benefits to people and planet.
Incentives and subsidies will remain necessary, but less so than if the two silos continue functioning separately. More work is needed on business models and incentive structures, but the path now seems visible for an integrated approach to SDG 7, especially where grid or microgrid electricity services are currently being planned or expanded. |
If every new grid or microgrid electricity connection had not only a light bulb and plug but also an electric kitchen, both clean cooking and electricity access would likely advance more quickly and efficiently with greater benefits to people and planet. EarthSpark has written a memo to those working on Sustainable Development Goal 7 with a review of the most recent research on electric cooking for energy access and key findings from our 2020 pilot project in Les Anglais.
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What are the advantages of electric cooking? Hear from people in Haiti who have made the switch! "Whether it's cooked over firewood or with electricity, it's Haitian food!" says one happy chef.
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Posted June 17, 2021: Happy Haitian Flag Day, to one and all! From EarthSpark Operations Manager Jean Thaylord: "Flag Day is the day in Haiti that's just about joy -- school parades, national pride -- it's a lot of fun!" Take a little trip to a roadside restaurant in our video and ask - what if electricity could do more in Haiti? We're full of hope and joy this #FetDrapo and wishing you the same!
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National pride, novel fuel : What would a "Kwison Elektrik" community look like?
Do you have a childhood meal that brings warm memories? Is there an aroma of a meal that can transport you 'home'?
Food connects people across time and space. Who is cooking Haitian cuisine with electricity? Well, a few dozen people in Les Anglais are now, but many others around the world are too. Check out this electric pressure cooker Soup Joumou recipe by Haitian food enthusiast Manie Cheri who runs Love for Haitian Food as a great example. Just as people around the world switching to renewable energy are part of the energy transition, people around the world cooking Haitian food with electricity are what we've come to think of as the "Kwison Elektrik" community. We're sharing photos, recipes, and stories on instagram, facebook, and twitter, and - if you love Haitian food and are either new to electric cooking or a pro - we'd love for you to add your photos and stories by tagging @kwison_elektrik or using #kwisonelektrik ! 
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