Visit To MGIRED -- Solar Cookers

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On 23rd November, 2009, our entire class of 7th semester BT students were taken for a visit to MGIRED (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Energy and Develpoment).
The primary focus of this visit was biofuels. And most interactions revolved around how biofuels are made from non-edible oil (edible oil is not used for the sake of food security)...
But what fascinated me the most were the solar cookers. I initially mistook them for a sattelite dish, much to the amusement of my friends, but then, I got very much involved with the solar cookers, and lost track of time there.
This was the first one that I saw, which I mistook for a sattelite dish.

And another one...
Both of them belong to a class of solar cookers designated as "Curved Concentrator Cookers" or "parabolics". They cook fast at high temperatures but they also require frequent adjustment and supervision for safe operation.

Then I saw these cookers... The "Box Cookers" or "Heat Trap Boxes"...


I tried to take a shot without having myself in the reflector, but it just did not happen...



These cook at moderate to high temperatures and accomodate multiple pots. The mirror reflects sunlight onto the pots, which lie under the transparent cover. The transparent cover serves to retain heat.



And when we actually lift the transparent cover, we can see the pots clearly in the photo...











Notice that the pots are dark, shallow, thin and metallic, with dark, tightly fitting lids. Their interior, however, is white.




Rice, dal, vegetables, etc. can be cooked.

And as the notice above the cooker claims, food cooked in a solar cooker will be nutritious and healthy. It takes 1-2 hours for the food to be cooked, and the approximate cost of this "box type" cooker is Rs. 2500.

The cooker requires around 20 min of sunlight for every hour it operates, and so its okay if the sun hides behind clouds and stuff like that... As long it does not rain!

ENDNOTE: I'd like to thank our teachers and the administration at our college for organising this visit and I also want to thank my friends who made these photos possible.

References for technical content and for further information and FAQs on solar cookers:-
http://www.solarcookers.org/basics/how.html and http://www.solarcooking.org/solarcooking-faq.htm

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