Solar Ovens:Opportunities for Refugee Camps and for India. Based on the field experience of Tchad Solaire, Jewish World Watch and other humanitarian organizations in several refugee camps of Eastern Chad, the presentation provides useful insights on why and how to promote solar cooking, together whit fuel-efficient stove cooking and heat retention cooking, both in refugee camps and in India.

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28. Panel Solar Cooker (1/2)
Jewish World Watch, “Solar Cooker Project”, Best Practices Manual, 2012
Least expensive type of solar cooker;
Reflects sunlight into the entire suface of
a cooking pot painted black on the
outside with non-toxic paint;
Can reach temperatures of 120 °C
(Cookit in tropical regions) or of more
than 130 °C (Copenhagen Solar Cooker
Light) in temperate climates;
Cookit panel, made of cardboard and
aluminum foil glued on it, has been used
for thousand of refugees in Chad. It
must be protected from moisture.
Public Domain
Source,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Solar-Panel-Cooker-in-front-of-hut.jpg

29. Panel Solar Cooker (2/2)
Jewish World Watch, “Solar Cooker Project”, Best Practices Manual, 2012
Public Domain
Source, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Solar-Panel-Cooker-in-front-of-hut.jpg
Women → simmering food for several hours
and attending to other duties;
Men → preparing tea during the day;
No danger of burning the food → children can
be left alone to take care of the Cookit;
Requires only slight rotation towards the sun
every hour or two;
In equatorial desert regions:
- meat can be cooked in two to three hours;
- beans can be cooked in three to four hours;
- rice, peas e la farina di mais in 60 – 90 minuti;
Nell'introdurre questa nuova tecnologia, gli istruttori devono ripetutamente dimostrare tutti
questi aspetti e fornire follow up di lungo termine per assicurare che le donne nella comunità
hanno fatto della cucina solare un elemento permanente della propria routine giornaliera;

30. Box Solar Cooker
Jewish World Watch, “Solar Cooker Project”, Best Practices Manual, 2012
Insulated box made of cardboard, wood, metal or plastic;
Usually painted black on the inside;
Large glass or plexiglass window on top to let in sunlight;
Like panel cookers, box cookers can be left unattended for
hours to cook food and pasteurize water. There is no danger of
burning food;
Just few adjustments for tracking the sun;
Bulkier and usually more durable than panel cookers;
Can also reach higher temperatures (177° C and higher) and can
sometimes hold more than one pot;
Some have aluminum rflectors on the outside;
There are hundreds of thousands of box cookers in India alone. Some of them are built in
factories, but can also be easily made with local materials;
Public Domain
Source,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:
Minimum-Solar-Box-Cooker.jpeg

31. Parabolic Solar Cooker
Jewish World Watch, “Solar Cooker Project”, Best Practices Manual, 2012
Can reach much higher temperatures
(maximum of 260 °C and above) than
the other solar ovens (powerful as an
open fir or a gas burner);
Concentrate solar radiation on the focus
of the parabola;
Frequently adjusted to follow the sun
(best every 15 min);
Can be used from sunrise to sunset even
in freezing temperatures;
Hundreds of thousands of families in
China and India use parabolic solar
cookers;
There are also large institutional
parabolic reflectors for cooking in
community kitchens at schools, health
centers, bakeries and orphanages;
Public Domain
Source,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:%22Sungril
%22_solar_cooker_photo1.jpg

35. Key Points to Consider when Introducing a Solar Cooker
Jewish World Watch, “Solar Cooker Project”, Best Practices Manual, 2012
“People in traditional societies, like people everywhere, may be resistant to change. A woman's
daily cooking routine, no matter how inefficient, is not something she will be willing to give up or
modify without a good deal of persuasion.
Because women will continue to use other methods to cook their food, it is important to present
solar cooking not as a replacement for traditional cooking methods but as a complement to these
methods. Over time, as village women become engaged in the process and aware that they are
using less fuel, their cooking habits will begin to change”.
Potential initial intimidation by the technology.
Regard solar ovens as strange devices.
Women may be reluctant to express their worries in public.
Facilitated, open-ended discussions will allow them to share their
concerns with trainers and the neighbors in order to come up with group
solution.
Women can think that food will taste
different when it doesn't produce smoke.
They may also worry that their husband
and children will not like the food.
For example, ugaly maize meal (similar
to mashed potatoes).
Source wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yawo_food_staples_-
_ugali_and_usipa.jpglicence
CC BY-SA 4.0

36. Key Points to Consider when Introducing a Solar Cooker
Jewish World Watch, “Solar Cooker Project”, Best Practices Manual, 2012
“School age children are among the best candidates
For training and demonstrating solar cooking
technology since they seem open to new ideas
And they love competition. Solar cooking can be
introduced as part of thir science classes in school.
It is essential to allow sufficient time for cooking
trial and error – initially with small, representative
groups in a new community – bfore proceding with
the large-scale introduction of solar cooking technology.
Motivated teams of women should be selected for
training from each sector of a village or camp.
They will be the ones to carry out follow-up training,
solve problems, monitor local usage, conduct periodic
demonstrations and provide repair services.
Women must see solar cookers in operation and have the opportunity to serv solar cooked food
to their families before they will be willing to adopt this new technology [...]
Trainers should provide ingredients and close supervision during the introductory phase. A
neighborhood or village festival where everyone can sample solar cooked food is an excellent way
to introduce the concept to the whole community and allow family members to taste the food
before the mother brings a solar cooker into their home.
Source Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericpgreen/ 4791637775/
Licence CC BY - NC - SA 2.0

37. Key Points to Consider when Introducing a Solar Cooker
Jewish World Watch, “Solar Cooker Project”, Best Practices Manual, 2012
“If the family of community leaders are observed
using solar cookers, the rest of the community is far
more likely to copy this behavior”.
Engage local male and female leaders in
discussions with the rest of the community
on the main issues, that is: hard
labor for females, erosion and deforestation.
This in order to understand the long term
implications of the traditional cooking habits.
If possible, involve regional and national leaders.
Beginning of solar cookers not immediate: need
of subsidies.
Transition from work based on harvesting of food and charcoal towards solar
cooking manufacturing, use and repair.
Not competition among humanitarian organisations and ngos → integrated solar
cooking.
United Nations Chad
“Ndoki”
Source Flickr.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/unchad/24480173370/
Licence CC BY - NC - ND 2.0

38. Grazie per l'attenzione!
Sentinelle dell'Energia – SELENE – Associazione di Promozione Sociale
www.grupposelene.net
info@grupposelene.net
M: +39/3407711315
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SentinelleDellenergia/