In seeking to spark a new approach to clean cooking, the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme researches the socio-economic realities of a transition from polluting fuels to a range of modern fuels. Whilst the research covers several clean fuels, the evidence is pointing to the viability, cost effectiveness, and user satisfaction that energy efficient electric cooking devices provide.

Significant progress has been made in access to electricity in the last decade, but these gains are sometimes disconnected from the enduring problem of clean cooking. By integrating modern energy cooking services into the planning for electricity access, quality, reliability and sustainability, MECS hopes to leverage investment in renewable energies (both grid and off-grid) to address the clean cooking challenge. The MECS programme is led by the Sustainable Transitions: Energy, Environment and Resilience Centre (STEER Centre), within the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Loughborough University. It is funded through UKAid as a key Ayrton challenge and guided by the direction of the Ayrton framework.