A CASE STUDY: SOLAR BASKET

By:Tarun Garg 401087004

PRELIMINARY NEED STATEMENT

Almost 95% of domestic energy consumption in poorer section is for cooking food & lightning at night. Therefore the need is to provide an alternative source of energy for domestic cooking for rural poor.

NEED ANALYSIS
What is the minimum temp. for cooking? What will be the target population? The fuel should not break any social taboos and food habits. The criteria among possible design will be first the cost and recurring cost, and the strain that the energy source puts on social and dietary customs.

DESIGN CONCEPTS
Brain-storming
Commercial sources, such as coal, kerosene, natural gas ,electricity, etc. Rural waste products, such as dung cakes or gobar gas, rice husk, hay and bagasse. Quick growing forest around villages. Use of solar energy.

ADVANTAGES
In villages, women have to travel less often to forage for firewood, thus keeping them closer to home and safe as a result. Cheaper than cooking with firewood or charcoal Reduced CO2 emissions Solar cookers can be easily constructed in a matter of hours after very basic training Solar cookers are generally light-weight

LIMITATIONS
It can take very long to cook a meal It is not always sunny Solar cooking can only be performed when the sun is strong enough during mid-day, however hot food may be required much earlier on in the day. Cooking has to be undertaken outside which may pose additional threats in developing countries Will not perform well in windy areas Can be inconsistent and may produce inedible food

FACTORS FOR COMPARING

Cost Convenience Safety Wind resistance Heating capacity Durability - repairs should be infrequent and easily performed Simplicity of instructions

HEAT PRINCIPLES
The basic purpose of a solar box cooker is to heat things up cook food, purify water, and sterilize instruments - to mention a few. A solar box cooks because the interior of the box is heated by the energy of the sun. Sunlight, both direct and reflected, enters the solar box through the glass or plastic top. Given two boxes that have the same heat retention capabilities, the one that has more gain, from stronger sunlight or additional sunlight via a reflector, will be hotter inside. Given two boxes that have equal heat gain, the one that has more heat retention capabilities - better insulated walls, bottom, and top - will reach a higher interior temperature.

HEAT GAIN
Greenhouse effect: This effect results in the heating of enclosed spaces into which the sun shines through a transparent material such as glass or plastic. Visible light easily passes through the glass and is absorbed and reflected by materials within the enclosed space. The light energy that is absorbed by dark pots and the dark absorber plate underneath the pots is converted into longer wavelength heat energy and radiates from the interior materials. Most of this radiant energy, because it is of a longer wavelength, cannot pass back out through the glass and is therefore trapped within the enclosed space. The reflected light is either absorbed by other materials within the space or, because it doesn't change wavelength, passes back out through the glass.