Even at the age of 79, I am living proof of the old saying, "You learn something new every day." I recently met a man with a solar cooker on his roof. I don't think I've ever seen them and I wonder if I've ever heard of them. I have learned so much that I decided to share the information with your audience.
[Thanks to the staff of Solar Cookers International, a non-profit organization in Sacramento, California; To the viewers of the original comment and to this large readership, who have given me useful information. version.]
A solar cooker uses direct sunlight to cook food. Just as a closed car in the hot sun can reach very high temperatures, a solar cooker focuses on cooking the sun's rays. According to the interviewed experts, all types of food can be cooked in solar ovens. It goes without saying that any food cooked in a solar cooker will reduce the carbon footprint of the cook. It is not necessary to burn wood, natural gas or other fossil fuels to generate electricity. Every meal cooked by Solar Cookie is one step towards saving the planet.
Solar cookies come in all shapes and sizes. Some work as slow cookers, others as ovens, and some as woks. They can be assembled from simple raw materials such as aluminum foil and cardboard, but there are larger and more complex versions.
Here is a partial list of different solar cookies:
There are solar cookers, box solar cookers, parabolic solar cookers, vacuum tube solar cookers, solar cookers, giant solar cookers and Fresnel solar cookers. They are explained at the following URL: https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/category:solar_cooking_plan.
This link contains photos and descriptions of how these different kitchens work and how to build them.
My (silly) mind was blown when I learned that Solar Cookers International has identified over 4 million solar cookies worldwide. It is estimated that about 4 million solar cookies help more than 14 million people cook more than 7.7 billion meals. Of course, they are used in very sunny places like India, China and Africa. Solar Cookers International told me that solar cooking is being successfully implemented at an institutional level, for example in India, where the steam generated by the sun is used and then cooked. These systems can prepare hundreds of thousands of meals per day.
Here is a 2019 link on Solar Cooker Outlook in Indian Institutions: S Indora and TK Kandpal, “Solar Energy for Institutional Kitchens in India: Perspectives and Perspectives”. Environ Dev Sustain 22 , 7153–7175 (2020). available This site has many links to related research.
However, not only countries with year-round sunshine can use this technology. Interestingly, solar cookers are used in the Arctic, Canada (and up in New York, I've seen some solar cookers in upstate New York).
Solar cookies can be incorporated into home and community cooking and should not replace all existing cooking methods. Part-time solar cookers can help fight climate change, reduce air pollution and deforestation, protect biodiversity and improve health.
Our world is currently suffering from a shortage of fuel, which affects people's ability to cook. Communities that depend on fire suffer from deforestation. Due to deforestation, people have to go far to collect wood. Women in refugee camps who have to make such a journey are often exposed to violence outside the camp. Many of these fires use wood, garbage and animal waste. Garbage and garbage burning endanger the health of the cook and everyone around the fire.
Replacing wood stoves with solar cookers is not only an important part of the fight against climate change and deforestation, but also to reduce air pollution and prevent health problems for people who are forced to fight fires.
Solar cookies are easy to use and assemble. To purchase and/or make them, visit the Solar Cooking Wiki at https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Solar_Cooking_Wiki_(home)
You can use solar cooker to cook every day on the day you see your shadow. If there is shade, make sure the shade is below the kitchen or away from it. Put the food in a dark container with a lid, place the food in sunlight and turn the oven to the sun. Black containers absorb heat.
Solar cooking is simple and effective. You can put things like stews, vegetables, desserts or chicken tikka masala, for example, in the kitchen in the morning, prepare your day and have food waiting for you at lunch time. (And people who use solar cookies tell me the food is delicious.)
I am starting to learn this and I encourage those who were ignorant like me to learn. Although these stoves are useful for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint, they are especially important for those who suffer from fuel shortages in some parts of the world. . According to Solar Cookers International, a household in developing countries can avoid using one ton of wood for outdoor cooking per year, saving carbon dioxide emissions. These more than 4 million solar panels will prevent 30 million tons of carbon emissions over their lifetime. Using the Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas equivalent calculation, we calculated that eliminating 30 million tons of carbon dioxide is equivalent to driving no more than 76 billion miles.
During my oral presentation, I asked the audience to familiarize themselves with this text version. I suspect for most of the comments on this topic, few bothered to read the long version on the WAMC website. Hope this is not especially the case with this long version. Learning about solar cooking in more detail than word of mouth is an easy way to help save the planet, save lives in fuel-scarce regions, and reduce pollution and deforestation. While it has never been assembled in a solar cookie, word of mouth may encourage others to give it a try. However, perhaps some readers will try to agree that the food is very tasty and using a solar cooker is easier than you think.
Here are a couple more links that the folks at Solar Cooker International shared with me.
For more information, visit https://www.solarcookers.org/
Scroll down to see manufacturers near you: https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Manufacturers&_Suppliers
Michael Miropol is a professor of economics at Western New England University. With Howard and Paul Sherman, he is the author of the recently published second edition.
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