<p>Traditional biomass-burning stoves are used for cooking and heating across the globe, and the smoke these stoves generate results in household air pollution that poses a significant risk to human health. In the past decades, there have been many efforts to promote the adoption of improved cookstove designs, but uptake and adoption are often low due to high costs, supply chain challenges, and incompatibility with local cooking practices. This paper presents survey results from rural villages in Uttarakhand, India regarding routines and opinions on cooking and space heating. Significant findings include the dual use of liquified petroleum gas and biomass fuels, the interconnected and seasonal nature of cooking and space heating, the cultural significance of traditional cookstoves, and the use of locally available materials in cookstove construction and maintenance. Comparisons of these surveys' findings to previous investigations on energy access in the Himalayan region show many common trends, but also reveal regional differences. The paper concludes that due to the significance of culture and context in cookstove design, understanding users' needs and preferences and working with local communities are integral parts of designing suitable energy solutions. These results provide a case study which agrees with existing literature on the importance of participatory design in global development.</p>

Understanding Household Energy Challenges in Himalayan Communities Using Participatory Design Approaches

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IDETC-CIE/IDETC-CIE2021/volume/85369

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