Box Solar Cooker

A Box Solar Cooker is basically an insulated box with a glass cover and a top lid which has a mirror on the inside to reflect sunlight into the box when the lid is kept open. The inner part of the box is painted black. Up to four black painted vessels are placed inside the box with the food to be cooked. The cooker takes 1 ½ to 2 hours to cook items such as rice, lentils and vegetables. The cooker has also been used to prepare simple cakes, roast cashew nuts, dry grapes, etc. It is an ideal device for domestic cooking during most of the year except the monsoon season and cloudy days. It, however cannot be used for frying or chapattis making.

Advantages

• Solar Cooking involves no recurring expenses on fuel.

Solar energy is absolutely free.

Cost of the solar cooker can be recovered easily through saving on fuel bill in few years.

A box solar cooker if used regularly can save 3 to 4 LPG cylinders per year.

• It saves time. You are free to do other things while food cooks in the solar cooker.

• There is no fear of scorching the food.

• It ensures a better and more nutritious cooked food because of its slow cooking design.

• It is durable and simple to operate.

• It does not pollute the environment and conserves conventional energy.

• It is an asset to the household and a pride to its owner.

Cost & Availability

Solar cookers are available both with and without electrical back up in different sizes and features. Cooker with an electrical back up has the advantage of cooking food during non-sunshine hours/cloudy days with very nominal consumption of electricity. The cost of the cooker varies from Rs. 1000 to 2500 depending on its size & features. A normal size family cooker is sufficient for a family of 4 to 5 members. It has a life of 15 to 20 years and pays back the cost in 3 to 4 years. Community box solar cookers are also being manufactured by some of the manufacturers which can cook food for 20 to 25 people.