Current Events

Solar Kitchens

The use of solar power in community kitchens is a fast spreading trend that builds upon the cooking movement’s focus on efficiency and sustainability.

From its most basic forms to complex and advanced heating devices, solar power is a progressive answer to the energy demands made by collective kitchens.

In India there are currently few energy options available for cooking: kerosene oil, firewood, animal dung, coal, and crop residues. Since such resources produce harmful emissions and are not always available, authorities are starting to promote the use of solar power as a safe and affordable alternative to these more traditional cooking methods. These new developments are the product of a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project funded by Factor Consulting + Management AG. The project initially established 10-12 solar community kitchens through India-based Ghadia Solar Energy Systems and now provides hot meals for about 30,000 people daily.

Although some solar cookers are expensive, many community kitchens are recognizing the long term fiscal and environmental benefits of the systems, and are purchasing the devices by pooling their members’ money. There are even solar powered cookers designed for community use. The ‘community solar-cooker’ collects enough energy to cook for 35-40 people, and the ‘solar steam cooking system’, depending on its size, can cook for thousands of people in a relatively short period of time. As a result of these developments and the Indian government’s subsequent support of solar-powered cooking systems, many community kitchens are sprouting up across India.

Resources Used

• “Community Solar Cooker.” Gujarat Energy Development Agency.
  URL: http://www.geda.org.in/solar/so_slr_cooker_comconcept.htm
  (12 August 2004).
• “Concentrating Solar Cookers.”
  URL: http://mnes.nic.in/ann1.htm
  (12 August 2004).
• Götz, Michael, Ulrich Oehler°, and Françoise Hänggi°. “Perspectives of Solar Cooking.” Presented at the Millennium Conference on Energy, Environment & Clean Mobility, Geneva, 2000.
  URL: http://www.cuisinesolaire.com/E/Clean%20Energy%202000.htm
  (11 August 2004).
• Inghal, Dr. A.K. “India’s Solar Cooking Program.” Solar Cooker Review. March 2003. URL: http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scrmar03.htm#India
  (6August 2004).
• “ULOG: Community Kitchens.”
  URL: http://www.ulog.ch/english/u_commu.html
  (11 August 2004).