Neel (Neelaratna Geekiyanage)was born in 1950. After graduating in 1975 from People’s Friendship University in Moscow he became a mechanical engineer. For most of his career he was involved in adult training in the public sector. After retirement one day, he came across the website of Solar Cookers International (SCI). It was the beginning of his curiosity about solar cookers. He carried out various experiments on all types of solar cookers and finally realized that a solar box cooker is more suitable for use in Sri Lanka. Usually black or dark color pots are used in box cookers. But he invented a simple method on 01/10/2010 for cooking in any color pot, including reflective pots, successfully. His method is called ‘NG method’. He says that his method is a breakthrough of solar box cooking technology. When a piece of black cloth is laid on the reflective surface of the cooking pot, it will give the same result as the black pot. He believes that the NG method can be used not only for cooking food but also for various other industries. For example, when a large cooker is made, this method can make copra from coconut much faster and cleaner than the traditional method for extracting high quality coconut oil.
Women don’t have to wait near the box cooker in the hot sun while cooking. Box cookers are more suitable for poor families in the dry zone and tea estates in Sri Lanka for cooking their basic meals without the need for firewood or fuel oil. He is working on finding donor assistance to promote solar box cookers in Sri Lanka.
Contact : neelgee@gmail.com