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PatrickHenry · May 28, 2005, 04:24 pm

I recognize that this forum is populated by people with computer access, hence appropriate technogy is not a high priority for many here. But for those in the developing world, solar cooking can make a real difference in their quality of life.

http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrapr05.htm is a recent issue of the solar cooker review.

The benefits are many, the drawbacks few. The tech is not expensive and can pasteurize water, preventing many health problems. There is no smoke from wood fires which is a real problem in many poor nations, often leading to pulmonary disease. Gathering firewood is a burdensome chore for many impoverished families, often pre-empting time spent on education or other more productive endeavors. If purchased, firewood may consume precious income that is needed for development. Often whole countrysides are denuded of vegetation in the effort just to cook meals, resulting in erosion, habitat destruction, etc. Solar cooking adds nothing to the CO2 content of the atmosphere. It would even be PC, if a bit inconvenient, for us wealthy folks living in sunny areas to cook with solar.

Anybody else interested in appropriate technology on this forum?

tman_ndsu08 · May 28, 2005, 04:48 pm

I think solar eletricity generation should be invested in.

PatrickHenry · May 28, 2005, 04:55 pm

Different topic entirely, tman. But I agree with you re: renewable electric sources.

Any interest in the solar cooking subject?

moustache · May 28, 2005, 05:04 pm

how much exactly does it cost...because in the poorer nations collecting firewood is free.

It does sound like a good idea.

PatrickHenry · May 28, 2005, 05:13 pm

As little as three dollars, moustache. Please read the source I posted. Gathering firewood may cost no cash, by is very tiring and time consuming. Time is valuable if the proper productive strategies are applied...

moustache · May 28, 2005, 05:20 pm

ah, well I do agree with you then. These solar cookers do look like they would do some good for the less fortunate.

and I agree that collecting firewood is time consuming, I was just wondering if they cost 3 dollars or 30 dollars.

tman_ndsu08 · May 28, 2005, 06:30 pm

Quote:

Quote by: PatrickHenry

Different topic entirely, tman. But I agree with you re: renewable electric sources.

Any interest in the solar cooking subject?

You can't cook without heating elements which require electricity. So really, we're talking about the same thing.

PatrickHenry · May 29, 2005, 12:03 am

Did you check any of this out, tman? This technology is for people who are presently cooking with wood. Making heat with the direct rays of the sun involves reflecting and capturing solar energy in the food. Some designs are as simple as aluminum foil and cardboard backing shaped into a reflector that directs the infrared at the cooking vessel.

tman_ndsu08 · May 29, 2005, 09:58 am

Infrared waves have less energy than visable light. You might as well try to cook your food under a light bulb.

You need heat to cook food, not light.

PatrickHenry · May 29, 2005, 12:55 pm

Let's see, tman. Did you ever play with a magnifying glass when you were a child? Using it to focus the solar rays and SET THINGS ON FIRE? Ever open up your car door and sit on a vinyl seat that burned your backside?

Sheesh, tman! Solar cookers work! They are proven technology! They are a low cost way for the impoverished people of this world to advance.

Isn't there anyone reasonable on this forum who wants to discuss this subject?

tman_ndsu08 · May 29, 2005, 06:02 pm

I have seen very small things (like insects) cooked by a magnifying glass since it concentrates all the light striking the lens surface onto one small point.

In fact, this is a very convenient way to start wood on fire.

I don't see how this could ever be practical for large scale cooking needs unless you plan to eat cooked ants one at a time.

moustache · May 29, 2005, 06:55 pm

we can use the sun's energy to heat things--our houses, the water in our houses, the food in a solar cooker, and so on. This is called solar thermal energy.

check this website out tman
[http://www.mickiesplace.com/solarcooking.htm

tman_ndsu08 · May 30, 2005, 01:43 pm

This is not as efficient as simply generating electricity with solar cells and then using the electricity to power heating elements.

moustache · May 30, 2005, 01:53 pm

Are you going to pay for the solar cells?

These solar cookers cost around 3 dollars each.

tman_ndsu08 · May 30, 2005, 02:15 pm

Hell no I'm not paying for any of it.

Nathan Struth · Nov 8, 2005, 04:20 pm

I believe solar cooking is the cooolest way to cook food, I have a parabolic reflector of my own that costed abotu $20.00 It can start paper and wood on fire, melt holes through stuff, And if you put a pot with water on the broad focus, you can boil water and make rice with a bunch of other stuff in it, food tastes great! I'm also trying to use it as a water pump. This would be a great way to solve world cooking crises and sotp the burning of hydrocarbons like wood.

5010 · Nov 8, 2005, 05:15 pm

I encountered solar cooking info when looking around for other solar energy info and was very impressed with the low cost and simplicity of the designs. I want to try making one for my next camping trip. It won't work on a cloudy day, of course.

And Nathan's idea of a parabolic reflector sounds interesting too. I bet one could be built easily out of clay with reflective paint. Just put the clay slab onto a wheel and suspend a piece of string from 2 vertical fixed points above the wheel and pull the string tight to determine the height to cut across the slab. Am I getting the geometry right?

PatrickHenry · Nov 9, 2005, 05:03 am

Quote:

Quote by: 5010

Am I getting the geometry right?

Uhh, no. A suspended string is a catenary. A parabola could be drawn with with a pencil on a piece of cardboard, then cut out and used to shape the clay, though...

jose · Nov 9, 2005, 06:37 am

this link is to a research area near my home http://www.sunseed.org.uk/

and next year these guys will come from America to Granada http://www.solarcookers.org/

what a great way to help people in poor countrys and help the envioromentat the same time

RickSp · Nov 9, 2005, 09:23 am

Quote:

Quote by: PatrickHenry

The benefits are many, the drawbacks few. The tech is not expensive and can pasteurize water, preventing many health problems.

Kinda hard to grill a hamburger at midnight.

Quote:

Quote by: PatrickHenry

Anybody else interested in appropriate technology on this forum?

I am looking into put solar panels on my roof. The state of New Jersey has incentives to help defer the installation costs. My main concern so far is that it may make maintaining my roof prohibitively expensive. I have contacted several vendors who seem too busy to get back to me. As it is a spring-time project anyway, I have some time to look into it.

May 28, 2005, 04:24 pm	#1 (permalink) (top)
PatrickHenry 9/11: Inside Job Location: Hawai'i, Big Island Posts: 10,438	Solar cooking I recognize that this forum is populated by people with computer access, hence appropriate technogy is not a high priority for many here. But for those in the developing world, solar cooking can make a real difference in their quality of life. http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrapr05.htm is a recent issue of the solar cooker review. The benefits are many, the drawbacks few. The tech is not expensive and can pasteurize water, preventing many health problems. There is no smoke from wood fires which is a real problem in many poor nations, often leading to pulmonary disease. Gathering firewood is a burdensome chore for many impoverished families, often pre-empting time spent on education or other more productive endeavors. If purchased, firewood may consume precious income that is needed for development. Often whole countrysides are denuded of vegetation in the effort just to cook meals, resulting in erosion, habitat destruction, etc. Solar cooking adds nothing to the CO2 content of the atmosphere. It would even be PC, if a bit inconvenient, for us wealthy folks living in sunny areas to cook with solar. Anybody else interested in appropriate technology on this forum? "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." -- John Adams

May 28, 2005, 04:55 pm	#3 (permalink) (top)
PatrickHenry 9/11: Inside Job Location: Hawai'i, Big Island Posts: 10,438	Different topic entirely, tman. But I agree with you re: renewable electric sources. Any interest in the solar cooking subject? "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." -- John Adams

May 28, 2005, 05:04 pm	#4 (permalink) (top)
moustache Conservative Location: P-Town, OR Posts: 446	how much exactly does it cost...because in the poorer nations collecting firewood is free. It does sound like a good idea. Q: What's a conservative? A: A liberal who made it through adolescence.

May 28, 2005, 05:13 pm	#5 (permalink) (top)
PatrickHenry 9/11: Inside Job Location: Hawai'i, Big Island Posts: 10,438	As little as three dollars, moustache. Please read the source I posted. Gathering firewood may cost no cash, by is very tiring and time consuming. Time is valuable if the proper productive strategies are applied... "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." -- John Adams

May 28, 2005, 05:20 pm	#6 (permalink) (top)
moustache Conservative Location: P-Town, OR Posts: 446	ah, well I do agree with you then. These solar cookers do look like they would do some good for the less fortunate. and I agree that collecting firewood is time consuming, I was just wondering if they cost 3 dollars or 30 dollars. Q: What's a conservative? A: A liberal who made it through adolescence.

May 28, 2005, 04:48 pm	#2 (permalink) (top)
tman_ndsu08 BANNED Posts: 5,021	I think solar eletricity generation should be invested in.

May 29, 2005, 12:03 am	#8 (permalink) (top)
PatrickHenry 9/11: Inside Job Location: Hawai'i, Big Island Posts: 10,438	Did you check any of this out, tman? This technology is for people who are presently cooking with wood. Making heat with the direct rays of the sun involves reflecting and capturing solar energy in the food. Some designs are as simple as aluminum foil and cardboard backing shaped into a reflector that directs the infrared at the cooking vessel. "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." -- John Adams

May 29, 2005, 09:58 am	#9 (permalink) (top)
tman_ndsu08 BANNED Posts: 5,021	Infrared waves have less energy than visable light. You might as well try to cook your food under a light bulb. You need heat to cook food, not light.

May 29, 2005, 12:55 pm	#10 (permalink) (top)
PatrickHenry 9/11: Inside Job Location: Hawai'i, Big Island Posts: 10,438	Let's see, tman. Did you ever play with a magnifying glass when you were a child? Using it to focus the solar rays and SET THINGS ON FIRE? Ever open up your car door and sit on a vinyl seat that burned your backside? Sheesh, tman! Solar cookers work! They are proven technology! They are a low cost way for the impoverished people of this world to advance. Isn't there anyone reasonable on this forum who wants to discuss this subject? "Arms in the hands of the citizens may be used at individual discretion for the defense of the country, the overthrow of tyranny or private self-defense." -- John Adams

May 29, 2005, 06:02 pm	#11 (permalink) (top)
tman_ndsu08 BANNED Posts: 5,021	I have seen very small things (like insects) cooked by a magnifying glass since it concentrates all the light striking the lens surface onto one small point. In fact, this is a very convenient way to start wood on fire. I don't see how this could ever be practical for large scale cooking needs unless you plan to eat cooked ants one at a time.

May 29, 2005, 06:55 pm	#12 (permalink) (top)
moustache Conservative Location: P-Town, OR Posts: 446	we can use the sun's energy to heat things--our houses, the water in our houses, the food in a solar cooker, and so on. This is called solar thermal energy. check this website out tman [http://www.mickiesplace.com/solarcooking.htm Q: What's a conservative? A: A liberal who made it through adolescence.

May 30, 2005, 01:43 pm	#13 (permalink) (top)
tman_ndsu08 BANNED Posts: 5,021	This is not as efficient as simply generating electricity with solar cells and then using the electricity to power heating elements.

May 30, 2005, 01:53 pm	#14 (permalink) (top)
moustache Conservative Location: P-Town, OR Posts: 446	Are you going to pay for the solar cells? These solar cookers cost around 3 dollars each. Q: What's a conservative? A: A liberal who made it through adolescence.

May 30, 2005, 02:15 pm	#15 (permalink) (top)
tman_ndsu08 BANNED Posts: 5,021	Hell no I'm not paying for any of it.

Nov 8, 2005, 04:20 pm	#16 (permalink) (top)
Nathan Struth don't care Location: NY Posts: 267	I believe solar cooking is the cooolest way to cook food, I have a parabolic reflector of my own that costed abotu $20.00 It can start paper and wood on fire, melt holes through stuff, And if you put a pot with water on the broad focus, you can boil water and make rice with a bunch of other stuff in it, food tastes great! I'm also trying to use it as a water pump. This would be a great way to solve world cooking crises and sotp the burning of hydrocarbons like wood.

Nov 8, 2005, 05:15 pm	#17 (permalink) (top)
5010 mostly harmless Location: USA Posts: 1,284	I encountered solar cooking info when looking around for other solar energy info and was very impressed with the low cost and simplicity of the designs. I want to try making one for my next camping trip. It won't work on a cloudy day, of course. And Nathan's idea of a parabolic reflector sounds interesting too. I bet one could be built easily out of clay with reflective paint. Just put the clay slab onto a wheel and suspend a piece of string from 2 vertical fixed points above the wheel and pull the string tight to determine the height to cut across the slab. Am I getting the geometry right? - solo (my site)

Nov 9, 2005, 06:37 am	#19 (permalink) (top)
jose Volcanic Erupter Location: España Posts: 2,586	this link is to a research area near my home http://www.sunseed.org.uk/ and next year these guys will come from America to Granada http://www.solarcookers.org/ what a great way to help people in poor countrys and help the envioromentat the same time