Md. I. A.
Ansari
Department of Agricultural Engineering
(e-mail: irfan26200@yahoo.com)
Solar Cooking
• Presently fossil fuels are commonly used for
cooking foods across the globe.
• The demand of energy for cooking is
continuously increasing due growth in
population.
• Cooking with solar energy is one of the
promising solutions for meeting energy
demands.
• The devices which are used for cooking food
utilizing solar energy is called solar cookers.
Solar Cooker
• Principle : Sunlight is converted to heat energy
that is use for cooking purpose.
• This is done as follows:
Concentrating sunlight.
Converting light to heat.
Trapping heat
• Employs greenhouse effect for cooking.
Types of Solar Cooker
Panel Cookers
• Panel cookers resemble an open, three sided box.
• The bottom and side panels of the box are covered
with shiny material creating reflectors.
• The sun rays hit the shiny panels and are redirected
into the center of the box.
• A “heat trap” is used in the center of the box to
capture the sun rays.
• Heat traps can be made from anything that is clear
and allows the UV rays to pass through.
• The black painted cooking container is placed inside of
the heat trap.
• The reflective panel directs sunlight onto a dark colored
pot.
• Due to greenhouse effect, solar radiation is converted
into heat energy and heat energy is trapped and heat the
container.
• The temperature can reach between 121° C to 149°C.
• This type of cooker is good for general cooking of rice,
pasta, soups, meats, vegetables, casseroles, etc.
• In bright sunlight the food is ready within 2-3 hours.
Box Type Solar Cooker
• Among different types of solar cookers,
box type solar cookers are the most
common, simplest, low cost and useful for
cooking meals of a family of 3-6 members.
• It is sometimes called as solar oven.
• Cost: Rs. 1400-3000 depending upon
make and model.
Box Type Solar Cooker
• An insulated metal box painted black from
inside.
• Glass cover over box
• A plane mirror reflector
• Metal container painted black from outside
Working Principle
• When the box with glass cover is placed in
the sunlight, the glass cover allows the
short wave solar radiation to pass into the
box.
• Most of these radiations are absorbed by
black surface of the box and the box
becomes hot.
• But, after sometime when the black surface
becomes hot it starts radiating out heat in
the form of long wave infra red rays.
• But, the glass sheet cover placed over the
box does not allow the heat radiated by
the black surface to go out from the box.
• In this way, the glass cover enables the
cooker to trap the heat inside it by
exploiting the greenhouse effect.
• Usually, a plane mirror reflector is also
attached on the top of the box.
• The plane mirror reflector increases the
efficiency of solar cooker by reflecting
more and more sunlight inside the box.
Solar Box Cooker
• 500X 500 mm aperture
• Cooks rice, dal in 1- 2 hrs
• Cheap easy to use
• Max temp 1200C
Merits of solar cooker
No orientation to sun is needed.
No attention is needed during cooking.
No fuel, maintenance and recurring cost.
Simple to use and fabricate.
No pollution.
Demerits of solar cooker
Cooking can be done only when there is
sunshine.
Quick cooking is not possible.
• It cannot be used during rainy season or
cloudy conditions.
All types of foods cannot be cooked.
Can not be used for baking and frying
• A solar cooker is used to cook 1 kg of rice
in which 2 kg water is used. Rice is cooked
in aluminium vessel weighing 0.5 kg. The
initial temperature is 30 °C and the required
cooking temperature is 100 °C. The specific
heat of rice, water and vessel are 3.8 kJ/kg
°C, 4.18 kJ/kg °C and 0.9 kJ/kg °C
respectively. The average solar radiation
during cooking is 700 W/m2. The total area
for solar radiation collection is 1.12 m2. The
time taken for cooking is 1.5 h. Compute
the thermal efficiency of solar cooker.
Solution:
Total heat energy required for cooking rice =
[mass of rice x specific heat of rice + mass
of water x specific heat of water + mass of
vessel x specific heat of vessel) x ∆T
=[(1 x 3.8) + (2 x 4.18) + (0.5 x 0.9)] x (100-
30)
= 882.7 kJ
• Assume that 30% more energy is required
throughout the period of cooking.
• Then, total heat energy required for
cooking= 882.7+882.7 x 0.3= 1147.51 kJ
• Total input solar energy =available solar
radiation x area x time
• =700 x 1.12 x 1.5 x 3600 J= 4233600 J= 4233.6
kJ
• Thermal efficiency of solar cooker= [Heat
energy used for cooking x 100]/ Input solar
energy
• =[1147.51 kJ x 100]/ 4233.6 kJ=27 %
Parabolic Solar Cookers
• In comparison to solar box and panel cookers,
parabolic cookers can reach much higher
temperatures and can cook more quickly.
• Parabolic solar cookers are shaped like parabolic
satellite dishes.
• The dish is covered with a shiny material that makes
the entire surface reflective.
• Because of the parabolic shapes and with the aid of
reflecting material quite a lot of solar energy is
concentrated in the focal point.
• Consists of a large parabolic reflector and
cooking pot holder
• The cooking pot is placed at the focus of
the reflector.
• • The pot surfaces are blacked to improve
the absorption.
• A very high temperature of between 200
ºC and 300 ºC can be reached.
• It is suitable for baking, frying, roasting
and grilling.
Different Types of Solar Cooker in Use
Solar Parabolic Cooker
