By Seema Patel, Program Manager for Fuels, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Peter George, Director of Enterprise Development and Investment, Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves

A handful of innovative companies may soon transform how low-income consumers purchase and pay for cooking fuel. By providing energy services on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis, enterprises are leveraging technology-focused business models to overcome the affordability barrier previously faced by consumers unable to afford the upfront cost of household energy products.

Traditionally, one of the biggest challenges in switching from solid fuels to cleaner-burning fuels such as liquified petroleum gas (LPG) or ethanol is the initial cost of the stove and the inaccessibility of small quantities of fuel. A series of recently-announced innovations – including smart fuel canisters and mobile money payment systems – aim to enable both stove financing and the sale of clean fuel in more affordable quantities.

This post is part of the “SDG Solutions” series hosted by the United Nations Foundation, Global Daily, and +SocialGood to raise awareness of ways the international community can advance, and is advancing, progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. As the international community prepares to gather at the UN for the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development from July 10-19, this series will share ideas and examples of action. Previous posts in the series can be found here.