EKI Energy Services Ltd. (EKI) has secured a significant pilot grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to help distribute Indian Oil Corporation Limited’s (IOCL) Surya Nutan solar cookers. This initiative will bring the cookers to tribal and underprivileged communities across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Surya Nutan: A Solar-Powered Clean Cooking Solution
Developed and patented by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), the Surya Nutan cooker is manufactured at the Nashik-based facility of GHG Reductions Technologies, a subsidiary of EKI. It offers an innovative alternative to traditional mud or three-stone stoves.
The cooker can be used for boiling, steaming, frying, and making chapatis—all without producing smoke or indoor pollution. Powered by solar energy, it requires no maintenance, making it an ideal clean cooking solution for underserved communities. The technology integrates solar photovoltaic power, thermal storage, and a grid connection.
“We are thrilled to receive this support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This grant will allow us to scale up our efforts to provide clean cooking solutions to communities in need. The Surya Nutan has the potential to transform lives by improving health, reducing poverty, and empowering women,” said Manish Dabkara, Chairman and Managing Director of EKI Energy Services Ltd.
Grant to Assess the Impact of Solar Cooker Distribution
In addition to funding the distribution, the grant will allow EKI to evaluate the socio-economic impacts of bringing Surya Nutan to these regions. By collecting data on factors like reduced indoor air pollution, improved health outcomes, and enhanced livelihoods, EKI aims to better understand the cooker’s potential to promote equitable clean energy access.
As a groundbreaking green cooking solution, Surya Nutan offers a sustainable, smokeless, and flameless way to cook. It has the potential to improve millions of lives by reducing indoor air pollution, enhancing public health, and empowering communities.
Even before receiving the grant, EKI had already distributed 350 Surya Nutan solar cookers to underprivileged and tribal families in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district. That initiative, launched in January, marked Dhar as the starting point for an eco-friendly cooking transformation.
EKI Energy: A Global Leader in Carbon Mitigation and Sustainability
Founded in 2008 and listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), EKI Energy Services Ltd. is a global leader in Carbon Mitigation Project Development and Offsets Supply. The company became the first from India to list a Plastic Project with Verra—a prominent global accreditation standard based in Washington, D.C.—and is dedicated to moving the planet toward a net-zero carbon future.
EKI provides sustainable climate change solutions and carbon offsets that meet global standards like CDM, VCS, Gold Standard, GCC, IREC, TIGR, and more. With a focus on building a climate-resilient global economy, EKI offers strategic solutions to help businesses and organizations worldwide meet their climate goals.
The company’s services include Carbon Credit/Asset Management; Carbon Credit Generation, Supply, and Offsetting; Carbon Footprint Management; Sustainability Audits; and initiatives for Carbon Neutrality and climate-positive impact. Operating in over 16 countries, EKI serves more than 3,500 customers across 40+ nations and has delivered over 200 million offsets to date.
