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November 19, 2008

John Grandinetti's Indirect Solar Cooker

Mr. Grandinetti's oven can be made for about $21 dollars and here's the kicker: he is giving it away. He doesn't want to sell the plans, he wants a company to take it and mass produce it for third world countries so that forests won't need to be cut down for things like cooking fires. A noble idea indeed. It will be interesting to see if any company, anywhere steps up and takes him up on his offer.

John Grandinetti is a solar contractor out of Honolulu, and the owner of Grand Solar Inc. This isn't his first foray into the solar cooking/pasteurization field. He also has created similar devices for the purpose of pasteurizing water in the late 90's for third world installations in Tanzania and Guatemala.

This is an Indirect Cooker.

According to SolarCooking.org:

Indirect cookers separate the solar energy collection element from the cooking area, using a heat transport medium to bring the collected energy into the cooking area. Hypothetically a solar collector could be placed several feet away from the cooking area by using this technique. This would allow the collection elements to be placed on the roof, for example, with the cooking area located within the home.

SolarCooking.org also says:

In 2008 John Grandinetti publicized his Evacuated Tube Indirect Solar Cooker, which has some similarities to the Whiller indirect solar cooker. Grandinetti's design replaces the finned pipe with an evacuated tube solar collector as the collector element, and uses vegetable oil instead of water as the heat transport medium. With these changes and some other refinements, the design provides a practical solar appliance. Tests have indicated the unit can reach cooking temperatures (300°F) with 1 hour of morning sun at tropical latitudes. Cooking, water pasteurization and autoclaving can be readily achieved throughout the remainder of the solar day, with cooking times similar to an electric stove. Frying, baking, boiling and steaming have all been successfully accomplished.

Other related links

http://www.developingworldsolar.org/
http://www.safewatersystems.com/solar_water_pasteurizers

November 17, 2008

Solar Water Heating and Solar food drying

We wish they would have offered a little more instruction and a little less music in this video, but nonetheless, looking at their models, you can start to get some good ideas for both drying your food in a solar dryer, and heating your water using nothing but the sun.

Frankly, the music gets a bit annoying after a bit... but did you see how simple the model is for solar heating of the water? Pretty cool.

November 08, 2008

Solar Pizza Box Cooker Failure: Chocolate Chip Cookies

I sped this video up to make it go a bit quicker. But basically, this is my last attempt at using this pizza box cooker. I was attempting to make chocolate chip cookies using the pizza box solar cooker, but it just didn't work, and I ended up cooking them inside in the oven.

November 07, 2008

Baked Apples: Solar Cooker Desserts

Baked Apples
Baked apples can be cooked in a solar cooker too
Carrie has made us baked apples on a few occasions, and I have absolutely loved it. Now, too much sugar (or really, even a medium amount of refined sugar), may not be all that good for you, or for the environment, depending on where the sugar, apples, and cinnamon came from, and depending on how they were grown. So do a little research to know what you're eating before you're eating it.


  • Apples

  • Sugar, brown and white

  • Cinnamon

Do not peel apples. Core. Fill cavity with sugars. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Place in dark pan. Cover and bake in solar cooker for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Source: SolarCooking.Wikia.com

As with all recipes for solar cookers, your cooking times may vary, depending on the sun, your solar cooker, the temperature of your solar cooker, your location on the planet, and any other number of factors. Just remember that this should be fun to experiment with. Try a few different recipes, note the position of the sun in the sky, and try to make sure your solar cooker stays pointed at the sun the whole time it is cooking. Note how long it takes food to cook in your cooker, at your location, during the time of year you are cooking your food, and adjust the recipes accordingly.

November 06, 2008

Pizza Box Solar Cooking

Another great video about how to make a pizza box solar cooker

family urban homestead. This family has started a homegrown revolution by being the change they wish to see by living the solution.

On today's show urban homesteader, Anais, show us how to build a simple sun oven using a pizza box. With this diy sun oven you can use the sun's free energy to cook your own food.

For more about these urban homesteaders visit www.PathtoFreedom.com

November 05, 2008

Solar Cooking Workshop in Nyala, Darfur

Nyala was the headquarters of the Daju empire, which was established around Jebel Um-Kurdós, until the fall of the Daju rule at the end of the 15th century, according to an account of sultan Daju Kassi Furok or Kassifrogé who mounted the Antelope from Darfur then perished in Dar Sila.

When Great Britain conquered the Sudan, the British Commander in Chief met Sultan Adam Suleiman in 1932, seeking his advice for his knowledge of the best places in terms of availability of water sources and land topography in order to establish the British Administration Headquarter in Darfur. Sultan Adam Suleiman had chosen Nyala city for that purpose. However, many sites of ancient antiquities, pottery, engraved pictures of battles, horses, animals and hunting are still awaiting for further scientific archaeological work at Jebel Daju. The most important archaeological sites undiscovered yet are Nari, Kedingnyir, Dobo, Simiat Hills, Jebel Keima, Kalokitting, Jebel Wara, and Jebel Marra itself.

During the ongoing Darfur conflict, thousands of internally displaced persons have gathered near the city in the hopes of protection.

As the women look for firewood around the displacement camps they face the danger of rape and abduction. Solar cooking offers an alternative to using firewood for cooking.

November 03, 2008

Green Power Science: Pasta Cooked through a Fresnel Lens

The pasta cooker is 4 inch stainless steel cooker.

It uses a wooden 2x4 pirate plug, and uses the swelling of the water to create the seal.

November 01, 2008

Bander Beyla: Successful Solar Cooking in Somalia

Bander Bayla was the first village in Somalia to be helped after the tsunami with solar cookers. Stoves were distributed to over 950 people. See pictures of this beautiful, remote, tsunami affected village.

Man cooking with a solar cooker

Bander Beyla is an old, well-established but small and isolated fishing town on the Indian Ocean about 200 km south from the tip of the Horn of Africa. In December 2004, part of the town was destroyed by the tsunami.

Driving over dirt tracks to reach the coast, after many kilometers of flat dry land, a breathtaking view of a small bay, a town and a beach with white breakers suddenly opens up below. This is Bander Beyla, wedged between sculpted brown hills and the turquoise blue Indian Ocean with white breakers crashing onto silver sand beaches.

Sun Fire Cooking in partnership with Horn Relief and funded by the United Nations is distributing 950 solar cookers to this tsunami-affected town. Bander Beyla is credited with being the first solar cooking village in the world and has been a model for a forward for many places where sun is plentiful, but where people curently rely on charcoal and wood for daily cooking.

To read more about this project, visit http://www.tucacas.info/sunfirecooking/benderbaylasolar/index.htm

Bander Beyla: Successful Solar Cooking in Somalia

Bander Bayla was the first village in Somalia to be helped after the tsunami with solar cookers. Stoves were distributed to over 950 people. See pictures of this beautiful, remote, tsunami affected village.

Man cooking with a solar cooker

Bander Beyla is an old, well-established but small and isolated fishing town on the Indian Ocean about 200 km south from the tip of the Horn of Africa. In December 2004, part of the town was destroyed by the tsunami.

Driving over dirt tracks to reach the coast, after many kilometers of flat dry land, a breathtaking view of a small bay, a town and a beach with white breakers suddenly opens up below. This is Bander Beyla, wedged between sculpted brown hills and the turquoise blue Indian Ocean with white breakers crashing onto silver sand beaches.

Sun Fire Cooking in partnership with Horn Relief and funded by the United Nations is distributing 950 solar cookers to this tsunami-affected town. Bander Beyla is credited with being the first solar cooking village in the world and has been a model for a forward for many places where sun is plentiful, but where people curently rely on charcoal and wood for daily cooking.

To read more about this project, visit http://www.tucacas.info/sunfirecooking/benderbaylasolar/index.htm