Template:305inprogress
Background
The energy used for conventional cooking comes from a variety of sources: wood, gas, oil, coal, electricity, etc. Though “solar cooking” seems to be its own category, it is the basis for all the rest. The Sun’s energy powered the growth of the tree; plants and animals buried on the ocean floor a hundred million years ago anaerobically decomposed to produce crude oil; the fission of ancestor Suns produced the heavier elements used for electrical conduction…
The difference between using these conventional materials and using pure solar energy is the number of transfers the energy has undergone (as well as the byproduct of usage, of course). To use gas, for instance, the Sun shines, the tree grows, the animal eats, the fungus feasts, the gas burns, and then the pot heats. To use pure solar energy, as with a Solar Cooker, the Sun shines… and then the pot heats. Simple, straight-forward, and much more efficient for the purpose of cooking food for human consumption.
There is a whole spectrum of Solar Cooker designs, each with their own unique benefits, costs, and appropriations. For a wide variety of styles, see [ ].
Opportunities Abound
An umbrella is a mighty appropriate tool in Humboldt County, as is a cooker that utilizes a clean renewable resource (though when is that not appropriate?).
As a student taking Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University in the spring of 2009 with access to incredible human resources (Bart Orlando and Lonny Grafman), I couldn’t imagine a better time or place for me to cooperatively design, build, test, and enjoy an umbrella solar cooker — a Sunbrella!
Amazing opportunities for growth present themselves at every angle of this project, fore I am able to…
- Make connections and friendships with community members
- Work cooperatively with incredible teachers and students
- Expand my knowledge of ways to utilize the Sun’s energy
- Refresh my math skills and learn to apply it to engineering
- Recycle materials for another generation
- Build upon the collective’s information resources
- Integrate social, economical, and ecological responsibility in a DIY project
- Make a wiki-webpage
- Inspire others to do the same and recognize their bounty of opportunities
Project Requirements
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Design
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Costs
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| row 2, cell 1 | row 2, cell 2 | row 2, cell 3 |
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Discussion
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Next Steps
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Conclusions
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Contact details
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