Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Clean Cooking - SEE Clean Cooking

Last checked on:
15 October 2024
Published on:
13 September 2024

The Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Clean Cooking (SEE Clean Cooking) programme uses a holistic, private-sector approach to promote affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern cooking solutions for all. The programme runs from 2021-2025 and has 3 core pillars: business development support, access to finance and enabling environment support.

What is SEE Clean Cooking?

The SEE Clean Cooking programme promotes clean cooking solutions such as biodigesters and higher-tier cookstoves (tier 3, 4 and 5) such as e-cookers and advanced biomass stoves. It supports key market actors, such as local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), government institutions and financial organisations. By promoting collaboration and innovative solutions, the programme plays a central role in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy for all. 

SEE Clean Cooking has 3 core pillars which support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the clean cooking sector:  

  1. Business development support via the Energy Enterprise Coach; 
  2. Access to finance, including results-based financing and innovation challenge funds, and;
  3. Enabling environment support.

Business development support

Business development support enables renewable energy enterprises to improve their business operations and access finance to scale innovations and business models that work. RVO designed the Energy Enterprise Coach (EEC) initiative to provide this support. The EEC offers skills development services and expertise to support the professionalisation, growth and development of clean energy SMEs.

Access to finance

By using public funding to reduce risks, increase profitability and make clean cooking solutions more affordable, SEE Clean Cooking aims to attract more private capital to the market. SEE Clean Cooking uses incentives and subsidies, such as results-based finance schemes and innovation funds, to help SMEs grow and scale. The programme also uses new credit schemes and financial models to tackle high loan interest rates and lower investment transaction costs.

Enabling environment support

SEE Clean Cooking collaborates with various agencies and sector organisations to develop a favourable, sustainable market for the growth and adoption of clean cooking solutions.  

SEE Clean Cooking components

SEE Clean Cooking currently has 2 components:  

  1. African Biodigester Component (ABC);  
  2. Higher Tier Cooking Component (HTCC).  

African Biodigester Component (ABC)

ABC aims to facilitate the construction and installation of 50,000 small-scale and 250 medium-scale biodigesters in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali, Niger and Uganda. This will result in energy access for at least 250,000 people and a yearly reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over 180,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. 

Higher Tier Cooking Component (HTCC)

HTCC aims to provide 600,000 people in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Uganda with access to higher-tier clean cooking solutions (tier 3 and up). To do this, HTCC focuses on strengthening the supply side of local markets. HTCC helps small and medium-sized enterprises improve their business operations, access finance for scaling and innovation, and create an enabling environment for clean cooking.

More information

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency carries out this programme in partnership with Energising Development. The European Commission, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) co-finance the SEE Clean Cooking programme. 

Questions about SEE Clean Cooking?

Email see-cc@rvo.nl

Commissioned by:
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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