EKI Energy Services Limited announced today it has received a pilot grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to distribute indoor solar cooking devices in tribal and underprivileged regions across India.
The grant will support the implementation of ‘Surya Nutan’ solar cooker projects in selected districts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
The shares of EKI Energy Services Limited were trading at ₹221.00 down by ₹8.15 or 3.56 per cent on the BSE today at 1.19 pm.
The Surya Nutan device, developed and patented by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), is manufactured at GHG Reductions Technologies’ Nashik plant, a subsidiary of EKI.
The smoke-free, maintenance-free solar cooker combines solar PV, thermal storage, and grid power connection, capable of performing traditional cooking functions including boiling, steaming, frying, and making chapatis.
EKI has already distributed 350 Surya Nutan cookers to underprivileged and tribal families in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district since January 2024.
The grant will enable the company to assess the socioeconomic impacts of the distribution, including factors such as reduced indoor air pollution, health outcomes, and livelihood improvements.
The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, announced at India Energy Week 2023, to reach three crore households with solar cook-tops in the coming years.
EKI Energy Services, founded in 2008, pecialises in carbon mitigation projects and offset supply.