ACE 1 Cook Stove for Cambodia: Efficient and Eco-friendly

We estimate that there are 2.7 million households in Cambodia cooking with biomass, the majority using traditional Lao stoves. Rural Cambodian households use kerosene lanterns for lighting, and are unlikely to be able to charge their phones at home, despite the proliferation of smartphones in recent years.

This represents a critical financial burden. Due to the inefficiency of commonly used items such as batteries, candles, kerosene, and charcoal, rural consumers spend a disproportionate amount of their monthly household expenditures on thermal energy and basic electricity/lighting, trapping them in a poverty cycle where small incremental purchases have a high premium. Traditional cooking methods also contribute to the deterioration of ecosystems as they require a lot of biomass, aggravating deforestation.

The clean cooking and off-grid energy sectors in Cambodia are small and diffuse, there is a need for modern, affordable, and sustainable solutions for accessing energy.