At a household level, it is likely that electric cooking may increase overall electricity consumption. There is also a risk that due to the progressive tariff scheme in Morocco, some households could be moved up to a higher consumption bracket, and pay more per unit of electricity, therefore a revision to the tariff system might be necessary to promote the transition, and avoid excessive increases in household energy bills.
For rural households that rely on a combination of butane and firewood, EPCs could provide an overall financial saving to monthly cooking costs, unless a battery is required for grid reliability reasons, in which case utility funding or other forms of financial support are likely to be required. The key benefit for these households would be to eliminate their use of firewood for indoor cooking, to increase air quality and improve health.
Rural off-grid households, who collect firewood for free and do not have access to the butane distribution system nor to the electricity grid, would see significant upfront costs for a PV and battery system powering cooking and other appliances, however this could cut their fuelwood consumption by approximately half, bringing some health and socioeconomic benefits and slowing deforestation.
At a national level, if 50% of butane-consuming households were to adopt an EPC and shift half of their cooking to electricity, butane consumption could be reduced by up to 28 000 tonnes potentially leading to significant savings to the public budget.
It is likely that financial support will be required to support households in acquiring this new equipment, particularly in off-grid cases, as well as a careful assessment of existing subsidy and incentive schemes. Support also may be required for developing alternative business models such as on-bill financing and/or bulk procurement.
While the analysis and findings of this project suggest that EPCs are likely to bring significant benefits, many uncertainties remain, and need to be the subject of further research. In particular, much wider field trials and extensive stakeholder engagement are required in order that the different characteristics of Moroccan households are more accurately represented and appropriate mechanisms for deployment of EPCs are identified.
