Cooking Solar Oven - How Solar Cooking Technology Saves Lives

Cooking solar is making a huge impact in societies where hunger, poverty and disease are taking their toll. Over the past few years solar cooking technology has been made easy, accessible and affordable.

Poverty stricken communities, many of them in vast refugee camps, are now using this technology to overcome some of the basic problems they face on a daily basis. These include lack of firewood or other fuel for cooking, and the spreading of killer diseases via insafe drinking water.

So how does this technology work? One of the most basic - and effective - types of solar cooking system now in use in these communities is a solar concentrator panel.

This concentrator consists of a carboard shape lined with a reflective foil pasted onto the board. It is then cut out into a shape that, when folded and assembled, resembles a lopsided parabolic dish.

It stands on the ground, and has a level inner surface where the cooking pot is placed. The pot should be black to absorb as much sunlight as possible, and is usually also covered in a clear plastic bag which traps the heat around the pot.

In many African countries where this technology is gaining widespread acceptance, there is an abundance of sunlight. More often than not there is also widespread danger of killer diseases spread through unsafe drinking water in these areas. This solar cooking system generates enouigh heat for pasteurizing water, thus preventing many child deaths.

It also saves women from walking for hours every day to find scarce firewood, therefore this simple but effective technology can make a huge positive impact on the daily lives of families trapped in the most dire circumstances.

You can see these cooking solar ovens in action at SolarCookers.org. For a more advanced concept of harvesting solar energy, but also something you can build yourself, visit Energy-Saver-diy.com

At Energy-Saver-DIY.com you will find a great introduction to solar power, detailed plans for building your own solar cell panels, a guide showing how to fix the solar panels to your roof professionally, electrical wiring plans and a solar calculator to show you how many panels you will need.