Experts in New Delhi are pushing hard for changes in India’s cooking habits to help the country hit its net zero emissions target by 2070. At a recent event organized by the Chintan Research Foundation as part of the Modern Energy Cooking Forum 2025, speakers highlighted why decarbonising India’s cooking sector is a top priority.
India already encourages cleaner options like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), piped natural gas (PNG), compressed biogas (CBG), and electric cooking stoves. These steps mainly aim to cut down on harmful household air pollution. But the bigger issue? Greenhouse gas emissions from cooking rival those from aviation and shipping industries, yet they often fly under the radar.
Dr. Debajit Palit, head of climate change and energy transition at the foundation, stressed the need to shift the cooking sector toward low-carbon solutions. “The future is in a multi-fuel approach that boosts renewable energy-based electric cooking,” he said. He called for blending in compressed biogas, decentralized renewables, and reforms to electricity tariffs to make it all work.
Panelists agreed that clear policies, fresh financing ideas, and smart tech combos could unlock electric cooking’s potential across India. Alok Kumar, director general of the All India DISCOM Association and former power secretary, urged tying electric cooking into national energy plans. He wants tariffs that truly reflect grid costs to speed things up.
Kumar linked this to broader grid decarbonisation efforts, pointing to three key steps: fast-tracking digital tools like smart meters, factoring in full system costs, and adding large-scale battery storage. “Bringing electric cooking into India’s energy policy gives the sector clear direction,” he added.
Nidhi Sarin from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet talked about pairing renewable energy with storage to steady the grid and create chances for bigger-scale cooking in institutions. She pushed for group buying of electric appliances to slash costs and reach more people. “Cooking tools need to fit Indian kitchens and traditions,” Sarin said.
Jeevan Kumar Jethani, a senior director at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, spotlighted decentralized renewable systems for rural homes switching to electric cooking. He mentioned government programs like PM-KUSUM and PM Surya Ghar as affordable ways to roll out clean cooking in villages.
Dr. Umish Srivastava, executive director for R&D at Indian Oil Corporation, shared insights from their work on Surya Nutan, India’s first solar cookstove. He admitted costs and habits pose challenges but called decarbonising cooking a “low-hanging fruit.” “We can tackle India’s cooking emissions at a fraction of the price compared to aviation or shipping,” he noted.
Overall, the experts see policy tweaks, tech advances, and local solutions teaming up to make India’s cooking sector a key player in the clean energy shift. They also launched an issue brief, “Decarbonising India’s Cooking Sector,” put together by researchers from the foundation and Finovista.
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