Comments on: Cooking up Solar Solutions

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:46:34 +0000

It’s an interesting point Arun, but I’m not sure where this idea that solar cooking takes place on rooftops comes from…solar water heating certainly, but cooking? Look at the picture.

By: Arun Malhotra

Arun Malhotra — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:24:59 +0000

To me one factor inhibiting wide adoption of solar cooking is that cooking happens in a hot sun on a rooftop. This is inconvenient from traditional cooking standpoint.
What if the cooking and solar energy collection be separated?
Have you explored using large solar parabolic collector for concentrating solar energy. This should heat the thermal fluid to (400- 500deg F) that is collected in insulated storage as in solar water heater. The heated thermal fluid then can be piped to hot plate serving as heat exchanger for cooking.
The benefits are immense:
1. Stored energy can be used when required
2. The cooking can still happen in kitchen and hot plate can be dual type. i.e use solar when available and use gas or electricity when solar heating is not sufficient.
3. Parabolic collector can be larger than 2m the practical limit you experience when cooking happens at the focal point. No risk of damage or spillage.
etc. etc.

Arun

By: PericleanScholar

PericleanScholar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:12:01 +0000

I am a strong believer in the benefits of solar cookers. My organization is starting up efforts to bring this cheap technology to Ho, Ghana and surrounding areas by partnering with scientists at Ho Polytechnic Institute. I would be interested in learning more about how solar water pasteurization was first introduced to the Zouzgu village as we might want to follow a similar, culturally sensitive model. Please let me know what you know about this case specifically or who I could talk to for more information. Thank you.

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:34:11 +0000

There are lots of reasons every house shouldn’t have solar paneling for electrical generation, at least paneling based on current technology. Solar paneling for heating water is a different matter, however.

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:33:17 +0000

Did you remember to chop up the cabbage first? It doesn’t take 3 hours to get a pan of water boiling and all you need is a pan of boiling water to cook vegetables in minutes.

By: The Chemist

The Chemist — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:55:29 +0000

Solar alone isn’t our energy future, but it will definitely be a part of that future. Hell, if we could get it cheap and efficient enough, there’s little reason every house and building shouldn’t have solar paneling for electrical generation.

By: terppsicore

terppsicore — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:10:48 +0000

they sell small solar ovens here in Portugal at alternative markets, but I gave up buying one when I learned the average cookin time for a cabbage, for instance, was 3 hours. There is definitely room for improvement.

By: Jona Earth

Jona Earth — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:25:48 +0000

I think solar power has been around for a very long time now and has been thought of as a bit of a white elephant in the past, but I still believe there is a future in solar energy and that it will only get better and better as technology progresses.

By: jranck

jranck — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:39:14 +0000

Cooking up Solar Solutions — Sciencebase Science Blog http://bit.ly/GXacB

By: ResearchBlogging.org

ResearchBlogging.org — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:22:51 +0000

Cooking up Solar Solutions http://tinyurl.com/mg9v9q