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Direct solar power: Difference between revisions
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The LOW←TECH MAGAZINE article mentions: "''A study of direct solar refrigerators in very sunny regions (Texas and New Mexico, USA) showed that they maintained their cooling capacity for 6 or 7 days without power supply. The units operated year-round with solar panels of only 80W to 120W."<ref>Ewert, M., et al. “Photovoltaic direct drive, battery-free solar refrigerator field test results.''” Proceedings of the solar conference. American solar energy society; American institute of architects, 2002.</ref> | The LOW←TECH MAGAZINE article mentions: "''A study of direct solar refrigerators in very sunny regions (Texas and New Mexico, USA) showed that they maintained their cooling capacity for 6 or 7 days without power supply. The units operated year-round with solar panels of only 80W to 120W."<ref>Ewert, M., et al. “Photovoltaic direct drive, battery-free solar refrigerator field test results.''” Proceedings of the solar conference. American solar energy society; American institute of architects, 2002.</ref> | ||
=== The cooker === | |||
A single hot plate on a conventional cooker needs 1,000 watts of electrical power. A LOW←TECH MAGAZINE article describes the inefficiencies of the process of cooking using heat: "''The cooking process is similar to heating an uninsulated building with all the doors and windows open''".<ref>https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2014/07/if-we-insulate-our-houses-why-not-our-cooking-pots/</ref> | |||
A cooker using direct solar power packs the cooktop with thermal insulation. | |||
The LOW←TECH MAGAZINE article notes: "''Researchers at US California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) built the first solar electric cooker in 2015. Their 12-volt device, which has since been further developed, needs only a 100W solar panel to work. It boils a litre of water in an hour. With a full day of sunlight, it can cook almost 5 kg of beans, rice, stew or potatoes.''"<ref>http://sharedcurriculum.peteschwartz.net/solar-electric-cooking/</ref> | |||
"''Cooking after sunset is possible by using a cooking pot with a much thicker bottom (5-10 kg). Cal Poly’s research team managed to bring the temperature of that solid heat storage to 250°C in five hours with a 100W solar panel. They were then able to boil a litre of water in three seconds after sunset. In another test, they stir-fried 1 kg of vegetables in two minutes. The ideal configuration consists of two cooking pots: one with and one without heat storage. Thus, an electric solar cooker can cook both slowly and quickly, depending on the time of day and the dish.''"<ref>https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1747&context=mesp</ref> | |||
== Heating == | == Heating == | ||