Optimising upscale of improved energy technologies

Factors influencing the large-scale uptake by households of cleaner and more efficient household energy technologies

This project is aimed at identifying factors that can facilitate more successful delivery of policies and programmes that promote improved solid fuel stoves (ICS) and/or clean fuels.

Demonstration of the use of a Philips fan stove in rural Kenya – adequate support during the and after the introduction of new technology is one key factor for effective use

This DfiD/3ie-funded mixed-methods systematic review aimed to identify factors that can facilitate more successful delivery of policies and programmes that promote improved solid fuel stoves (ICS) and/or clean fuels. The main objective of the review was to describe and assess the importance of different enabling and/or limiting factors that influence the large-scale uptake by households of cleaner and more efficient household energy technologies. These comprised five intervention areas: improved solid fuel cookstoves (ICS) and four clean fuels/energy sources, i.e. liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, solar cookers and alcohol fuels.

The review: (i) provides a framework consisting of seven domains of factors influencing large-scale uptake, distinguishing between short-term adoption and longer-term sustained use; (ii) gives a summary of existing knowledge relating to each of these domains, including interpretation of data with respect to equity; (iii) outlines a proposal for a tool to facilitate implementation of these findings in programme planning, and (iv) sets an agenda for essential primary research to better understand how policies and programmes to promote cleaner and more efficient household energy technologies must be designed in order to be successful.

Members

Carried out jointly with The University of Munich (Dr Eva Rehfuess), the University of Liverpool review leads were Professor Nigel Bruce, Professor Daniel Pope and Dr Debbi Stanistreet and the reviewer coordinator was Dr Elisa Puzzolo.

Funding

DfiD/3ie £80,000

Publications/ dissemination

Stanistreet D, Puzzolo E, Bruce N, Pope D, Rehfuess E. (2014) Factors Influencing Household Uptake of Improved Solid Fuel Stoves in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Qualitative Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2014; 11: 8228-8250


Rehfuess E, Pope D, Bruce N, Puzzolo E, Stanistreet D. (2014) Enablers and barriers to large-scale uptake of improved solid fuel stoves: a systematic review. Environ Health Perspec 2014; 122: 120-130


Puzzolo E, Stanistreet D, Pope D, Bruce NG, Rehfuess EA. (2013) Factors influencing the large scale uptake by households of cleaner and more efficient household energy technologies. A systematic review. EPPI-Centre, University of London.


The research group was awarded the David Sackett Prize for Evidence Based Medicine (Munich 2014) for the impact of the review. We are currently working with DFID, WHO, UN Global Alliance of Clean Cookstoves (GACC) and other partners to develop the proposed planning and evaluation tool to take forward the implementation of these findings.

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