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Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology pp 9486–9509Cite as

Solar Cookers and Dryers to Conserve Human and Planet Health

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Definition of the Subject

Based on the 31 years of experience, the author in this entry will like to inform the use of different types of cookers and some driers to cook, bake, and fry meals and dehydrate agricultural products using solar energy . These simple and practical devices and use of clean fuel will not only save conventional fuels but will also help in the reduction of pollutants and thus global warming.

Introduction

Food processing is the integration of various processes to get the required product of given quality at the right time, using the minimum fuels and minimizing the adverse impact on the environment. Conventional fuels like oil, coal, and biomass are used to achieve this, spending expensive budget and creating deforestation, air pollution, and global warming.

There is no simple solution to revert this global warming; however, as mentioned by Al Gore 2007, shared Nobel Prize Winner for peace, some possible steps are conservation of energy, recycling of materials,...

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Abbreviations

Electric storage cookers:

Solar cooker with the short-term storage of electricity for cooking during cloudy period.

Global warming:

Heating of the planet due to the use of fossil fuels and other unplanned human and agricultural activities.

Heat storage cookers:

Solar cooker with the short-term storage of heat for cooking during cloudy period.

Hybrid solar cookers:

To cook, bake, and fry meals using clean and free solar energy plus conventional-fuel-like electricity or gas during night and cloudy period.

Indoor solar cooking:

Cooking inside the house using solar energy.

Multipurpose cookers:

Modified solar cooker to cook, bake, and fry meals and heat water, purify water, and dry agricultural products.

Multivoltage solar-electric cooker:

Solar cum electric cooker with 12-VDC electricity (direct current) and 110-VAC electricity (alternating current) cooker.

Solar cookers:

To cook, bake, and fry meals using free and clean solar energy.

Solar dryer:

Dehydrate agricultural and marine products using solar energy for long-term storage.

Bibliography

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Acknowledgments

The author is thankful to Solar Cookers International, Sacramento, CA, USA; the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy; Red Iberoamericana de Coccion Solar de Alimentos, Salta, Argentina; and Network on South South Cooperation on Renewable Energy Technology, Italy/England, for the invitation at their meetings, where good information was exchanged from participants of different countries for research and dissemination. The author is also thankful to Tec. Carlos Delgado for constructing some of these cookers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Energia Solar, Department of Physics, Universidad Nacional, Apdo 728, Heredia, Costa Rica

    Dr. Prof. Shyam S. Nandwani

Authors
  1. Dr. Prof. Shyam S. Nandwani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shyam S. Nandwani .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. RAMTECH LIMITED, Larkspur, CA, USA

    Robert A. Meyers

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Nandwani, S.S. (2012). Solar Cookers and Dryers to Conserve Human and Planet Health. In: Meyers, R.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_691

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