34
Overall, LPG is widely considered to be one of the best avail- able transitional short-term fuels. The IEA projects that LPG will be the leading fuel in achieving universal access to clean cooking, accounting for 45 percent of those gaining access. 60 Some also argue that LPG can eventually (and somewhat seamlessly) be replaced by bioLPG, made from renewables including biomass, biogas or waste from agricultural prod- ucts and animal fats. BioLPG is chemically and functionally identical to fossil fuel LPG and can be produced, distributed
and consumed with existing LPG distribution and storage in- frastructure, cylinders and stoves. 61 The technology is, how- ever, still in a nascent stage and requires public funding to support research and development. 62 Just like LPG, bioLPG offers cleaner air with low NOx, SOx and particulate matter but has an even lower carbon footprint (up to 80 percent) than conventional LPG. 63
BOX 3: INDIA’S NATIONAL LPG CAMPAIGN
India’s recent national campaigns on clean cooking have been among the most successful in the world. The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) scheme, launched by the government in 2016, has distrib- uted over 100 million LPG connections to poor households, substantially supporting LPG access. 64 Under the program, customers receive subsidies to help cover the upfront cost of the stove, the cylinder deposit and a certain number of subsidized refills each year. Consumers can book refills through mul- tiple channels, including mobile applications such as WhatsApp, with the cylinders delivered to their doorstep. The convenience is thought to be a key success factor for the program. PMUY also under- takes public education and awareness campaigns to help overcome behavioral barriers. A novel aspect of the approach is that LPG connections are registered in the names of the adult women of the household, affording them greater decision-making power.
However, survey evidence shows that more than a third of the households who received an LPG stove continue to use traditional cooking methods in par- allel (fuel stacking). There are concerns that the continued use of solid fuels negates many of the health benefits that PMUY was intended to provide. The prevalence of fuel stacking suggests contin- ued challenges with affordability and the gradual nature of the transition. Without subsidies, a typ- ical rural household would need to spend around 7 percent of their monthly household expenditures on LPG, which is about 40 percent more than tradi- tional fuel. When the subsidy program was discon- tinued in 2020, as part of broader subsidy reform, it led to a decline in LPG usage. It was subsequently reinstated for the poorest households. Since 2015, the government has run the “Give It Up” campaign, persuading 10 million wealthier households to vol- untarily renounce their access to LPG subsidies. 65
60 International Energy Agency (2023) ‘A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All – A Special Report of the World Energy Outlook, https://www.fao.org/wood- energy/search/detail/en/c/1646461/#:~:text=User%20Guide-,A%20Vision%20 for%20Clean%20Cooking%20Access%20for%20All%20%E2%80%93%20 A%20Special,the%20World%20Energy%20Outlook%20(2023)&text=The%20 report%20presents%20country%2Dby,to%20the%20needs%20in%20Africa 61 GLPGP (2020) ‘Assessing Potential for BioLPG Production and Use within the Cooking Energy Sector in Africa’, https://mecs.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2020/09/GLPGP-Potential-for-BioLPG-Production-and-Use-as-Clean- Cooking-Energy-in-Africa-2020.pdf 62 GLPGP (2020) ‘Assessing Potential for BioLPG Production and Use within the Cooking Energy Sector in Africa’, https://mecs.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2020/09/GLPGP-Potential-for-BioLPG-Production-and-Use-as-Clean- Cooking-Energy-in-Africa-2020.pdf
63 Liquid Gas UK, https://www.liquidgasuk.org/about/biolpg
64 Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Mani, S., Jain, A., Tripathi, S. et al. (2020) The drivers of sustained use of liquified petroleum gas in India, Nat Energy 5, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32719732/
65 Liquid Gas Europe, https://www.liquidgaseurope.eu/liquid-gases/
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