Solar Food | Solar Energy | Solar Cooking | Alternative Energy | Conspiracy

Mar 04 2008

What is Solar Cooking?

Solar Cooking 1 comment

Solar cooking is a method of cooking food and boiling water using only the power of the sun and a solar oven or solar cooker. Solar cookers use no other fuel source except for the energy emitted from the sun.

The Sun and Solar Cooking Solar cookers concentrate the sun’s energy using various techniques such as the box, parabolic or trough design. All these designs in essence do the same job in that they heat food or boil water by concentrating the Sun’s energy onto a pot filled with food or water.

Solar cooking can be used to cook almost any kind of food, pasteurize water (water heated to 65C - safe to drink). The process of solar pasteurization kills 99% of the germs present in contaminated water.

The popularity of solar cooking is increasing in many market sectors, in particular the 3rd World where daily cooking for many requires fire, fuel gathering and frequent attention to food being cooked and the added cost of buying in conventional fuels such as coal, firewood or fossil fuels is forcing people to recognize the advantages and benefits of Solar Cooking.

Over 2 billion people, a third of the world’s population, rely on wood-fuelled fires to cook food.

Solar Cooking - Did you know!

Solar Cooking 3 comments so far

Each year almost 2 billion tonnes of wood is consumed worldwide for cooking.

50,000 people die every day from water-born diseases such as Cholera. The World Health Organisation 80% of all illnesses are spread through contaminated water.

Solar cookers save the labour of collecting sticks and branches for firewood. There is also a danger to women collecting firewood due to injuries from snake bites, critters and the high risk of being personally attacked.

Solar cookers save families money. Reduces the need to purchase firewood, charcoal, and kerosene. If a solar cooker is used regularly then it can help reduce cooking fuel costs by about 30-40%. This money can be used to fund education for children, as well as provide basic provisions and a better quality of life.

Build a simple solar cooker

Solar Cooking 4 comments so far

Here is a simple solar oven design which anyone can build, why not build one with a friend, child or as part of a school project. Then organize a ‘cook off’ to see who’s the fastest cook in the West. Make it a fun and educational experience for children by involving them and helping them understand alternative energy and the implications and rewards of harnessing technologies like solar cooking.

A solar cooker can be made with the most basic materials and of course the most important ingredient for your cooker - the sun. You will be amazed at how simple, fun and rewarding it is to cook food using only the power of the sun and a couple of hours of your time.