Colloquia

Summary

Baking is among the most energy-intensive activities. In Bamako, the capital city of Mali, the bakery sector consumes 60% of the city's wood imports, contributing to significant deforestation and energy inefficiencies. Implementing electric cooking at the business level could mitigate these problems, depending on the technical and economic capacities of individual bakeries. For this thesis, eCooking is defined as the act of baking with an electric oven. Limited research exists on the large-scale potential of eCooking in this context. 

This thesis aims to assess the techno-economic feasibility of eCooking in bakeries of Bamako. A case study was done with the goal of extending its application to other businesses in the sector. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving data collection on energy consumption and bread production from the bakery, combined with meteorological data from the PVGIS tool to size a hybrid PVDiesel generator system. Semi-structured phone interviews with stakeholders and a SWOT analysis provided insights into the perceived techno-economic challenges of eCooking. 

Findings indicate that while all electric appliances currently used in bread production could be more efficient, the optimal approach is to replace only the oven and mixer, thus reducing daily energy demand. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), the levelized cost of bread-making (LCBM), the payback period (PP), and the net present value (NPV) were calculated. Stakeholder feedback highlighted affordability and electricity supply reliability as key factors for transition. A sensitivity analysis was done and variables linked to operation costs and bread sales volume were found to have the most impact on the system's economic feasibility. 

The proposed system was found to be techno-economically feasible. However, the thesis was limited by the collection of data online thus impacting the accuracy of the bakery’s energy consumption, bread production, and the available area for the system's installation.