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Solar Cooker

OHF Solution

Solar Cooker

Challenge

According to WHO, around 2.4 billion people worldwide (around a third of the global population) cook using open fires or inefficient stoves fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal, which generates harmful household air pollution. Household air pollution was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths per year in 2020, including over 237 000 deaths of children under the age of 5.The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually.

Potential Solution

Solar Cooker is an excellent idea to use the sun to cook or boil or pasteurize water. However due to clouds, unless combined with a heat storage medium like Phase Change Material, it can only be used in areas where the sun is bright and sunny all day long.

How it Works?

A Solar Cooker works by harnessing the power of the sun to heat and cook food. It typically consists of a reflective surface, such as a parabolic mirror or a set of flat mirrors, which concentrate sunlight onto a cooking vessel. The vessel is usually made of dark materials that absorb the solar energy and convert it into heat, which then cooks the food.

Our Experience

While the Solar Cooker is not practical for use on days with cloudy weather or at night, it is possible to enhance its efficiency by incorporating Phase Change Material (PCM) as a heat storage medium. By lining the Solar Cooker with PCM, it can retain heat and be utilized for cooking even during the night. A good example of this is in India and Nepal, where PCM-cookers are used to prepare warm milk tea during chilly nights.