Mr. Juan James Mandy will present his APS as per the details:

Date: 29th December 2025 (Monday)

Venue: C-TARA Conference Room No.1

Title: Comparison of Institutional Cooking Energy Systems Relevant to Rural India

Guide: Prof. Anand. B. Rao

RPC Members: Prof. Bakul Rao, Prof. Anish Modi

Abstract:

Cooking is an energy intensive activity that plays a very important role in the daily lives of people. Cooking is carried out majorly in two types of kitchen set up i.e., household and institutional. The current study is focused on cooking energy systems in an institutional kitchen. Institutional cooking energy systems meet large and continuous cooking energy demands in rural India, yet they have received far less research attention than household cooking energy systems. The impact of institutional kitchens extends to schools, health sectors, religious centres etc., Further, it is also important in the current scenario to look at the energy transition from conventional fuels to clean cooking energy alternatives. This study examines institutional cooking energy systems through a systematic literature review supported by preliminary field visits to institutional kitchens. The proposed objective is to compare cooking energy systems throughout its life cycle that are technically feasible, economically viable, and are relevant to rural India. A comparative assessment of cooking energy systems needs to be carried out using economic, technical, environmental, and user-centric criteria. The key factors influencing the cooking energy system choice such as geographic and climatic conditions, type and scale of institution, availability of local resources, financial capacity, and access to subsidies or support mechanisms needs to be identified with the help of field work and more extensive literature review.  

The study further proposes to analyse the major barriers and drivers affecting the adoption of institutional cooking energy systems. These include infrastructure limitations, operational and maintenance challenges, fuel supply constraints, and issues related to user experience, awareness, and social acceptability. Based on the outcomes of this research, the study also proposes to have a structured decision-making framework to support the systematic selection of cooking energy systems for institutional kitchens. The proposed framework is intended as a practical tool for experts, policymakers etc. to evaluate and prioritise cooking energy options based on varying rural conditions. Thus, enabling a more effective and sustainable deployment of institutional cooking energy systems in rural India.