October 2014:Bernie Müller is working on the development of a counter-current solar food dryer which saves 50% on space and materials compared to common solar tunnel dryers. Involved in the development are Faustine Odaba of NAREWAMA, John Amayo of SURE, Prof. Wilson Ogola of the Technical University of Kenya as well as some experts from Uganda.
Sun and Ice teaching integrated cooking in Haiti. - Sun and Ice
Mama Solar (Faustine Odaba) poses with the Alliance women in coffee
Solar Cookers and plastic waste recycled items made by NAREWAMA were on display.
1/2
1. On 4th October 2014, the Natural Resource and Waste management Alliance was invited to the launch of the Kenya Interfaith Network on Environmental Action(KINEA). The event that was held at Tangaza college in Nairobi and was attended by various universities, colleges, NGOs and different religion denominations, of which the guest of honour was Rt. Rev. Bishop Alfred Kipkoech Arap Rotich. The network engages in programs related to climate change and livelihood enhancement, which include faith-based institution promotion of tree growing, education for sustainable development(ESD), and sustainable agriculture and faith based wildlife conservation programs.
2. A training of Alliance of women in Coffee at the coffee plaza office in Nairobi on 25th September 2014. The women were trained in solar cooking, plastic waste recycling, and water testing. They learned of the need to be self-reliant and environmentally aware. The training was attended by 30 members.
3. At home in Nairobi, I spread the solar news when guests visited my home, and trained them in solar cooking, fireless cookers, and plastic bag recycling.
Heat-retention cooker receives world attention - The Wonderbag, created by Sarah Collins, is a product that combines cooking efficiency with a lively aesthetic. The company reports over 650,000 of the brightly colored heat-retention cooking bags have been distributed. Using the same amount of cooking fuel, three or more meals can be prepared with the Wonderbag compared to only one meal using traditional cooking methods.
Faustine Odaba poses for photo with the event organizers and facilitators.
Solar cookers and plastic waste recycled items made by NAREWAMA on display at Tangaza college.
1/2
On October, 4 2014, Natural Resource and Waste management Alliance was invited to the launch of Kenya Interfaith Network on Environmental Action (KINEA); a network of faith groups that are propelled by their faith values to care for environment. The event was held at Tangaza college in Nairobi and was attended by various universities, colleges, NGOs, and religion groups. The guest of honour was Rt. Rev.Bishop Alfred Kipkoech Arap Rotich, the military ordinariate of the Catholic church in Kenya. The event was attended by over a hundred participants. KINEA engages in programs related to climate change and livelihood enhancement which include: ,promotion of tree growing faith owned/ managed institutions and land, faith based education for sustainable development(ESD), and faith based sustainable agriculture and wildlife conservation programs.
Mama solar presents Roger Hains solar cooker and fireless cooker to Alliance of Women in coffee after training at the coffee plaza in Nairobi
Mama solar facilitating on the use of fireless cooker and solar cookers during training of Alliance of Women in coffee in Nairobi
Mama solar poses for a photo with participants (Alliance of women in coffee) after training at coffee plaza office in Naiobi
1/3
On September 25, 2014, a training of 30 NAREWAMA women was held at coffee plaza office in Nairobi. The women were trained on solar cooking, plastic wastes recycling, and water testing. They learned about the need to be self reliant and environment conservation.
Mama solar cooking with solar in her home in Nairobi.
Mama solar demonstrates how solar cookers and fireless cookers (insulated baskets) operates to guests at her home.
Mama solar of NAREWAMA displays fireless cookers, energy saving stoves, and recycled plastic wastes to guests at her home.
1/3
At her home in Nairobi, Faustine Odaba shared solar news with guests and trained them on solar cooking, fireless cookers, and plastic bags recycling.
Solar cooking in the Navajo nation - Raquel Redshirt presented her solar cooker design at the TEDxABQ 2014 conference in Albuquerque, NM on September, 6 2014. She stated that her solar cooker was a more health-conscious option in her community which has a high rate of diabetes.
Norwegian start-up tackles heat storage for solar cookers - Guro Seim, CEO of Morpho Solar, announced a breakthrough in the heat storage capabilities for solar cookers. They hope to have a production model ready within a year and a half. The breakthrough was recognized with a $8,000 USD award from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy this past August. The company will begin selling the cooker in Europe, and under an agreement with Cambridge, Mass.-based One Earth Designs in the United States. Read more...
Global Hope Network International has recently supplied 300 solar cookers to rural villagers in central Afghanistan at below cost. They used a charter bus to transport the cookers rather than a truck in order to reduce the likelihood of attack.
Mauritanian solar cooked pizza is prepared at a Solar Clutch workshop. - Solar Clutch
Increased demand and success for solar cooking in Mauritania - Solar Clutch has teamed up with Lutheran World Federation to introduce solar cooking to refugees entering Mauritania to escape the civil unrest from neighboring Mali. The number of new refugees to Mauritania has stressed available solar cooking resources. With a group of ten instructors, the Solar Clutch team developed a system to quickly train new instructors by having students demonstrate their new skills back to the group. They also encouraged using fuel-efficient cookstoves when good sun was not available. Tasty local recipes were successfully solar prepared. Again, an example of a group doing a lot with limited resources. Read more at: Solar Cooker Report Mauritania, April 2014
Solvatten users in Songot, Turkana, located in north western Kenya - Solvatten
Thanks to a generous grant from the Erling Persson Family Foundation, SOLVATTEN has launched a safe water campaign for Kakuma, Kenya. Erling Persson was the founder of H&M and today Stefan Persson, his son, is the chairman of the family's philanthropic foundation. The Turkana campaign aims to reach more than 100,000 people and is being implemented by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Read more news...
September 2014: Hawaii company awards solar energy grants - Hawaii Pacific Solar (HPS), a Maui-based solar PV design and installation company, has awarded two education grants totaling $2,718 for solar energy-related projects at Hokulani Elementary School and King William C. Lunalilo Elementary School, both Kaimuki Complex schools. A $500 grant was awarded to Aiea Elementary School to build a solar oven out of recycled products using renewable energy. Read more...
September 2014: Remba, the island without wood, welcomes solar cooking - Friends of the Old (FOTO) staff Seline and Pamela went on a four day work trip to Remba Island, Kenya to promote solar cooking and water testing. Remba Island is on Lake Victoria and is rocky and very remote. There is no firewood or charcoal on Remba Island and must be imported from Mbita by boat. The scarcity of firewood on the island combined with plenty of sunshine makes solar cooking and water pasteurization an ideal solution for the locals. Interest was high at the demonstration and local residents bought the available supply of CooKits and fireless baskets. See more photos of their trip...
September 2014: Bhubaneswar: The state government will provide solar chullahs to 500 households inside Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary. This was done to reduce load on firewood, which the villagers collect from the sanctuary. There are around 5,000 households in the reserve, but initially 10% will be provided with the solar cooking device. The panchayati raj and forest departments will jointly conduct survey to identify the families to be given the chullah. A private party will donate the chullahs to the forest department. - Read more... - Times of India
Septemeber 2014:Youtube: 100 parabolic cookers & 100 clean cookstoves for low income families On August 19th till 21st (2014) Solar Serve supplied 100 parabolic cookers & 100 clean cookstoves for low-income families in three villages near Hoi An city with the support of a recycling shop in Sliedrecht (Holland).
September 2014:Bolivia Inti-Sud Soleil reported the following data on their distribution of solar cookers, water heaters, heat retainer cookers, rocket stoves, and solar food dryers:
Bolvia: 6,378 solar cookers since 2000 and 30 water heaters since 2013.
Puno, Peru: 3,835 solar cookers since 2001.
Arequipa, Peru: 3,533 solar cookers since 2005.
Chile: 2,193 solar cookers since 2003, 883 heat retainer cookers since 2006, 1,007 rocket stoves since 2009, and 28 solar dryers in 2011.
Argentina: 473 solar cookers, 1,241 rocket stoves, and 62 heat retainer cookers between 2008 and 2012.
September 2014:Alex Kee was recently interviewed in Singapore Makers in the Meet a Maker feature. His green interests, including solar cooking, are varied. Read the interview: Meet a Maker: Alex Kee
September 2014: Sanjib Rout, Chairman of the C.V. Ramen College of Engineering, is currently working with some of the remote villages around Odisha, India to introduce solar cooking. This will eliminate the need for firewood collection for seven months of the year, helping to save time and expense for the villagers. The added benefit is less stress on their local environment. Currently they have distributed fifty solar cookers.
September 2014: Raquel Redshirt presented her solar cooker design at the TEDxABQ 2014 conference in Albuquerque, NM on September, 6 2014. She stated that her solar cooker was a more health-conscious option in her community which has a high rate of diabetes. Read more...
Successful Kickstarter for The Sun Juicer - Congratulations to Leonel Gotlibowski and The Sun Juicer on their successful Kickstarter campaign! They set a goal of $15,000 and raised a total of $19,152. They describe the Sun Juicer as an emergency ultralight, compact, parabolic solar cooker. Read more...
Update on Jewish World Watch Solar Cooker Project - Jewish World Watch published their Summer 2014 Solar Cooker Project newsletter. It offers background information on their refugee camp projects, highlights of the latest developments, and how to support it moving forward. Jewish World Watch reports that it has distributed approximately 128,000 CooKits with participation rates of 75% to 100% in the camps where they have worked: Kounoungou, Mile, Oure Cassoni, Touloum, and Iridimi. They also plan to provide an additional cooking pot for 10,000 families. Read more...
August 2014
August 2014: Pierre-André Aubert is using the Simply Solar mobile solar kitchen unit with an 8m² Scheffler Reflector, mounted on a trailer, in summer 2014 to cook for variouse events in the south of France. He is a professional gourmet cook and is currently developing his own concept of solar catering. More info... -
Energy needs graph of the Ram Krishna Mission Student’s Home, Mylapore, Chennai, India - Ajay Chandak
Institutional solar cooker with heat storage allows cooking after sunset - Commissioned on October 26, 2013, the steam-based ARUN®100 solar cooking system at the Ram Krishna Mission Student’s Home, Mylapore, Chennai in India now allows early morning and evening cooking. The accompanying graph shows when they need to cook and when the mid-day sun recharges the system. Read more about it at: ARUN®100 with Thermal Storage at Ramkrishna Mission, Chennai - Ajay Chandak
3,484 children from 80+ schools participated in the previous world's largest solar cooking class in Mumbai.
The stage is set for the next world's largest solar cooking workshop - A Bhayander, India based NGO, Keshav Srushti, in a bid to spread awareness on solar cooking, will be gathering 25,000 students from 500 schools across Mumbai on January 15, 2015 to cook solar-powered dishes. Read more...
Solar Cookers International contributes data for US-Africa Leaders Summit - President Barack Obama announced August 6th, 2014 that the U.S. NGO community invested over $1.5 billion in Africa in 2013 and anticipates investing another $4 billion over the next three years. Solar Cookers International (SCI) was one of the members of the InterAction network collaborating to collect data on U.S. NGO aid spending in Africa. See information on SCI’s current projects and the news release.
Solar Cookers International is hiring! - Based on needs identified at the recent SCInet Solar Cooking Convention, SCI is hiring a full-time Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist to promote data collection and project evaluation practices within the global solar cooking sector. Read full job description.
Professor Nandwani (right) receiving the Energy Globe Silver Medal of Honor in 2014.
August 2014: Professor Shyam Nandwani was recognized by the Energy Globe Foundation for his work as Energy Globe Ambassador for Costa Rica since 2012 and awarded the Energy Globe Silver Medal of Honor.
August, 2014: Update on Solar Cooker Project - Jewish World Watch published their Summer 2014 Solar Cooker Project newsletter. It offers background information on their refugee camp projects, highlights of the latest developments, and how to support it moving forward. Jewish World Watch reports that it has distributed approximately 128,000 CooKits with participation rates of 75% to 100% in the camps where they have worked: Kounoungou, Mile, Oure Cassoni, Touloum, and Iridimi. They also plan to provide an additional cooking pot for 10,000 families. More info...
August 2014:Central Valley Solar Cookers had a great solar cooker building work shop last month with 8 cookers built, We also held a work shop for a Reedley area 4-H group where 4 more cookers were built. Yesterday, we demonstrated solar cooking at the Black-pot Cook Off in Shaver Lake. There was a lot of smoke up there so cooking was challenging, but we got it done. At our last meeting we discussed getting our club more organized, starting with writing some by-laws. If you would like to help or have access to some by-laws we could use as a template please let me know. We hope to have an evening meeting soon to work on this; perhaps at a library in Fresno or Clovis. Also discussed was making members contact information available to other members. If you would like to be on an email list available to other members let me know and I well send out a group email to everyone who asks to be on the list.
August 2014: A group of volunteers from First United Methodist Church of Jamestown recently traveled to Moffit, N.D., to help fabricate solar ovens to be used in Haiti. The Moffit workshop is located at the home of Dave and Renae Silbernagel. Each year hundreds of volunteers fabricate and package solar oven parts in the Moffit and Volga, S.D., workshops, preparing them for shipment to Haiti. Teams of volunteers, under the direction of Jost, travel to Haiti each year to live in communities that have invited them. For 10 days, these volunteers work with Haitians to build ovens and educate people about solar cooking under the direction of the Montas and Raymonde Joseph of Haiti. Their goal is to deliver 2,300 solar ovens plus hands-on training to Haitian families every year.
August 2104: Steam heat storage system used for institutional cooking in India - Ram Krishna Mission Student’s Home, Chennai, India wanted to adopt solar cooking system for its hostel. However the desired cooking times and the availability of sunshine was not matching up. Breakfast is cooked at 4.00 a.m. and lunch cooking starts at 7.00 a.m., while dinner is cooked after 5.00 p.m. A steam-based system, the ARUN®100, with heat storage was designed and commissioned on October 26, 2013. Read more about it at: ARUN®100 with Thermal Storage at Ramkrishna Mission, Chennai - Ajay Chandak
April 2014: A molecular approach to solar heat storage Researchers MIT and Harvard University have posted promising results from experiments involving energizing photo-switching molecules, known as azobenzene, to store solar heat gain for extended periods. The molecules are then triggered much later to release their energy for uses requiring heat. Apparently the approach will not be effective for generating electricity, but cooking is a prime candidate. Read more at: A molecular approach to solar power.
August, 2014:TrinySol built and installed a series of reflectors in El Sauz, Mexico. The cookers are either 10-square-meters or 16-square-meters and can cook for up to 60 people, said Gregor Schäpers. More info...
,_Ajay_Chandak,_8-12-14.jpg){kind=link}
