Latest update January 8th, 2025 3:34 AM
Latest News
- Govt. still reviewing previous bids for Amaila Falls project – PM
- Deadline for completion of Linden to Mabura road extended to October 2025
- ‘All hell will break out’ if Gaza hostages aren’t released’—Trump warns
- High Court finds CAL, airport handlers liable for 2016 collision at CJIA
- 24% of complaints made to Labour Ministry in 2024 were against security companies – Min. Hamilton
Solar cookers are an excellent alternative energy option – GEA
By Rabindra Rooplall
Daily cooking has always required fire, fuel gathering and frequent attention to be sure food cooks evenly, doesn’t burn and stick to the pot in which it is being cooked. This has been the case from the beginning of time and still is for many today. Even if the gathering of fuel, for example wood, is not an issue, the purchase of it is as it can be, and often is, costly, according to the Guyana Energy Authority (GEA).
Solar cooker
Solar food cookers use an arrangement of reflectors to concentrate solar energy on a cooking vessel.
The agency’s Public Communications Officer Taiwo Williams explained that solar cookers eliminate some of the preceding concerns and are an alternative energy option in comparison to traditional cooking stoves. Through the use of solar thermal energy, the energy created by converting solar energy into heat, a solar cooker uses the energy of direct sun rays to heat, cook or pasteurize food or drink. Simply put, it is a device that allows you to cook food using the sun’s energy as fuel.
Though there are different types and variations of solar cookers, the basic principles of all solar cookers are:
a) Concentrating sunlight: A mirror, or reflective metal, is used to reflect the sunlight so that it is concentrated and the energy is intensified.
b) Converting light to heat: Parts of the inside of the cooker are painted black. Black surfaces absorb and retain heat which is important for keeping the cooker hot.
c) Trapping heat: Isolating the air inside the cooker from the air outside the cooker makes an important difference. A plastic or glass cover creates a greenhouse effect within the oven to make sure that the heat is allowed in but cannot escape.
Williams explained that the advantages to be derived from solar cooking are endless. Solar energy (as it relates to solar cookers) uses free energy from the sun without producing pollution in the form of greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to global warming. The use of solar cookers therefore guarantees an alternative, renewable, independent and inexpensive source of fuel.
Additionally, she underscored that the system allows for foods to be slowly and thoroughly cooked. According to an article titled ‘Solar Cookers- How to Make Use and Enjoy’, recent studies indicate that foods cooked at moderate temperatures can be healthier as slow cooking helps to retain flavour, moisture, nutrients, and makes meats tender. Though solar cooking takes about one hour more than the normal cook time, there is no need to watch, stir or worry about the food being burnt. Pots are easy to clean as food does not stick on the inside and there is no soot on the outside.
“Solar cooking is a simple, safe, and convenient way to cook. Solar cookers use no fuel therefore they cost nothing to operate. Hence, its usage helps to reduce fuel costs, air pollution, and slow down deforestation caused by the cutting down of trees to obtain firewood for cooking.”
The GEA noted “While solar energy cannot entirely replace traditional fuels, the use of solar cookers can significantly reduce their use. This in turn would aid in reducing the dependence on imported fossil fuels which help to contribute to global warming. The GEA intends to continue the promotion and distribution of solar cookers by extending similar exercises in hinterland communities that are still heavily reliant on fire wood and other types of biomass to meet their daily cooking needs.”
The Energy Access at community level for Millennium Development Goals Achievement in Hinterland Areas, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Project, implemented by Office of the Prime Minister, aims to provide energy services, electricity or cleaner fuels in rural areas to all Hinterland villages at the community level by 2015.
Under this Project, the GEA assisted Office of the Prime Minister in the promotion and distribution of five hundred and seven (507) solar cooking stoves to five Hinterland communities – Powaikoru (Region One), Kangaruma (Region Seven), Tuseneng (Region Eight) and Shulinab and Rupertee in Region Nine. Each household in these five communities received one complete solar cooker to supplement their traditional or adopted method of cooking.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The Horse Racing Authority Bill will solve nothing!
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The Horse Racing Authority Bill of 2024, though ostensibly aimed at regulating horse racing... more
Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- It has long been evident that the world’s richest nations, especially those responsible... more
Weekend Cartoon
