Solar Cooking
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==News and recent developments==
 
==News and recent developments==
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[[File:Parabolic solar cooker (Demo)|thumb|right|300px|The [[PRINCE - 40]] is demonstrated at the rural schools.]]
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[[File:WORT_training_demonstration,_1-5-13.jpg|thumb|300px|A field demonstration of the [[PRINCE - 40]] parabolic cooker.]]
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*'''January 2013: Parabolic community solar cookers used for midday meals in rural schools''' - [[WORT]] is a nonprofit organization that has been operating in five Indian states since the early nineties. They have untaken a unique solar cooking project targeting Zilla Parishad primary schools in the Sangamner and Akole taluka of the Ahmadnagar district. The objective was to find ways to help prepare their midday meal. Currently, twenty-three solar cookers are in service. After a careful study of all options, it was decided to deploy the [[PRINCE - 40]] [[parabolic solar cooker]], designed by [[Ajay Chandak]], for the pilot installation in fifty-three villages across three states – {{State|Maharashtra}}, {{State|Andhra Pradesh}}, and {{State|Madhya Pradesh}}. Most of the schools where these cookers are installed are using them as main source of energy for the mid-day meals. Read more about the project at: [[Media:Parabolic-Cookers-for-Mid-day-Meal-Schemes-in-Rural-Schools.pdf|Parabolic Cookers for midday meals in rural schools]]
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*'''December 2011:''' We are getting amazing feedbacks from end users for installations carried out for the [[PRINCE-40]] solar community cookers, with the help of NGOs like WOTR and MPSSS. It looks like these organizations will expand the program and we should see few hundred systems in schools in next year. You will find a few more models of community solar cookers from us in coming year.
 
*'''December 2011:''' We are getting amazing feedbacks from end users for installations carried out for the [[PRINCE-40]] solar community cookers, with the help of NGOs like WOTR and MPSSS. It looks like these organizations will expand the program and we should see few hundred systems in schools in next year. You will find a few more models of community solar cookers from us in coming year.
   

Revision as of 22:11, 5 January 2013

Ajay Chandak

Ajay Chandak pictured on right

Professor Ajay Chandak is the founder of Prince India, a non-governmental organisation in Dhule, India.

We have completed an ambitious project that consisted of the manufacture, transport, installation, and commissioning for 300 community cookers at tribal schools in the Indian state of Maharashtra. These are 2.3 m diameter parabolic cookers designed by us. The order was placed by the state government on 14 February 2007 and the project was completed by 31 March 2007. M/s Essential Equipments, one of our trainees, executed the project. This is the single largest solar cooking project in the world, for dish cookers, with the installation of over 1200 m2 of aperture area in just 45 days.

We conduct many training programs for developing manufacturers of parabolic cookers and our efforts are succeeding. I believe that the technology will propagate faster if we can make it accessible to all.

I am teaching in a private engineering college in Dhule. During one meeting with the college management recently, I persuaded the chairman to organise an international renewable energy festival. He promised to contribute some 30-40% of funds for such an event. My idea for the festival are as follows:

Ajay Chandak balcony model

Ajay Chandak's balcony model concentrating solar cooker

  1. To organise solar cooker design competition: We will keep all the technical details and many designs and design plans available on our website. Many good resources are already available on our website, www.solarcooking.org, and will be augmented. We will ask all prospective participants (most of them are likely to be engineering students) to refer to this literature and design some solar cookers of their own. All these cookers will be displayed and will be tested during the conference event and prizes will be given for the good designs. Criteria for awards will be like efficiency, cost, convenience, capabilities etc. Prizes will be awarded for the commercial and amateur categories. Separate prizes will be given for panel, oven and concentrating cookers.
  2. To have project presentation competition: Prospective participants will be encouraged to visit good sites like 'Tirupati', 'Shirdi', 'Smoke free village', etc. These participants are expected to prepare a story on the project including photographs, videos, interviews, etc., and present the same during the competition. I am expecting many engineering students to get involved in the competition. It will encourage them to study good renewable energy sites in detail and present the material at the competition. Such an exercise can generate interest in renewable energy in the minds of the young.
  3. To conduct a training program and present lectures by experts: As all participants coming for the event are expected to be budding engineers and science students, we plan to conduct a training program on 'Entrepreneurship opportunities in Renewable Energy' for them. I am already conducting such program for some students with fair success. Lectures from experts like Deepak Gadhia and others will also be organised during the event.
Solar-cooker-design-Ajai multiple-

International solar cooker evaluation: July 2011 - June 2012

  • Originally announced as a one-time event Oct. 11-13, 2011 with a related conference, the solar cooker competition has been cancelled, and instead there will be a year-long opportunity for having solar cookers and fuel stoves tested free, starting this month. India’s Promoters and Researchers in Non-Conventional Energy (PRINCE) group have updated standards for solar cookers, developed in conjunction with input from SCWNet members. These universal testing standards will be used to evaluate the cookers by simulating real world conditions. Designers, manufacturers, NGOs and individuals are invited to submit solar cookers for testing, and need not be present for the tests. While there will be no cash prizes, solar cookers will be rated on thermal performance, cost of manufacture and transport, and user convenience. Send cookers anytime between now and June 2012 to: Prof. Ajay Chandak, PRINCE, Shamgiri, Opp Swagat Lodge, Agra Road, Deopur, Dhuli – 424005, Maharashtra, India. Include your usual instructions for consumers. If you wish your cooker returned, please arrange to cover return shipping costs. After testing, entrants will be contacted with results, and have the option of omitting their information in the publicly listed ratings. No reply from entrants within two weeks or so after receiving their results will be taken as consent to publish. Other questions? Email: renewable.india@gmail.com.

News and recent developments

Parabolic_solar_cooker_(Demo)

Parabolic solar cooker (Demo)

The PRINCE - 40 is demonstrated at the rural schools.

WORT training demonstration, 1-5-13

A field demonstration of the PRINCE - 40 parabolic cooker.

  • January 2013: Parabolic community solar cookers used for midday meals in rural schools - WORT is a nonprofit organization that has been operating in five Indian states since the early nineties. They have untaken a unique solar cooking project targeting Zilla Parishad primary schools in the Sangamner and Akole taluka of the Ahmadnagar district. The objective was to find ways to help prepare their midday meal. Currently, twenty-three solar cookers are in service. After a careful study of all options, it was decided to deploy the PRINCE - 40 parabolic solar cooker, designed by Ajay Chandak, for the pilot installation in fifty-three villages across three states – Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Most of the schools where these cookers are installed are using them as main source of energy for the mid-day meals. Read more about the project at: Parabolic Cookers for midday meals in rural schools
  • December 2011: We are getting amazing feedbacks from end users for installations carried out for the PRINCE-40 solar community cookers, with the help of NGOs like WOTR and MPSSS. It looks like these organizations will expand the program and we should see few hundred systems in schools in next year. You will find a few more models of community solar cookers from us in coming year.
  • October 2011: The latest PRINCE newsletter announces a scheduled training for Scheffler Reflector Solar Cookers coming January 21 -27, 2012. Next, PRINCE founder Ajay Chandak has received an Energy Conservation Award from the Government of Maharashtra. Also, PRINCE has organized a networking workshop for all stakeholders in the renewable energy business on January 25 - 26, 2012. PRINCE Biogas Plants now approved by MNRE. Read more about these items: PRINCE newsletter, Fall 2011
Solar Canteen in India

Ajay Chandak and volunteers running solar canteen.

  • March 2009: Energy day was celebrated in a unique way in city of Dhule, India, by a voluntary organization PRINCE (Promoters & Researchers In Non Conventional Energy). With the help of around 100 students of mechanical engineering from SSVPS BSD College of Engineering a solar canteen was set up by Prof. Ajay Chandak, Prof. Sham Patil and Prof. Deepak Dubey. Three SK-14, solar dish cooker, one square PRINCE design of dish cooker and one Community solar cooker of 2.3 m dia. were used in the canteen. On these gadgets almost 1000 snacks were cooked and sold by the students. Staff and students of the Institute and invited guests from the city enjoyed solar food. Guests had fun watching the food being cooked in front of their eyes in the solar cookers and to taste the same as any other methods of cooking. Snacks cooked and sold on large scale were Idlis and coffee. However other snacks like Khichadi, Cakes etc. were also prepared for demonstration to the visitors. Many students, staff and visitors showed great interest in the solar cooking demonstrations and local manufacturer, M/s Essential Equipments, reported sell of around ten solar cookers in next two days, which is welcome outcome of such event.
Many students were thrilled with the experience of this event for the first time in their life and have shown great interest to organize such events at different locations in the city, next year. Principal of the Institute Dr. Jahagirdar has promised to support such events in future.
Other programs for energy day celebrations included demonstrations of energy efficient technologies for lighting, fans and domestic appliances. All these equipments were demonstrated to visitors. Many visitors reported having changed their copper and aluminum ballasts with electronic ballasts in next week. After all seeing is believing.
One workshop was also organized for local masons, hoteliers and interested people to teach them skills of installation of biogas plants working on food waste. Chairperson of PRINCE, Prof. Ajay Chandak, has given up LPG since last four years and fuel requirement for his family comes up from the solar cookers and biogas plant working on food waste. PRINCE group has come up with a special cost effective design of biogas plant. After the workshop five people have shown interest in installation of the biogas plants.
Ajay Chandak receives award

Professor Ajay Chandak accepts a renewable energy award from Mr. Vinay Kore, the Maharasthra state minister for non-conventional energy, as other dignitaries look on

  • November 2006: Professor Ajay Chandak of Promoters and Researchers In Non-Conventional Energy (PRINCE) won a "Renewable Energy Award 2005" from the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency. Of the state-level award for excellence in renewable energy, Prof. Chandak says, "Such awards are small milestones on our way and keep us pushing forward." He thanks friends from around the world for their contributions, adding, "They are equal partners in the award."
  • January 2006: Professor Ajay Chandak of Promoters & Researchers In Non-Conventional Energy (PRINCE) led a workshop titled “Manufacturing Parabolic Solar Cookers and an introduction to renewable energy technologies.” Twenty people from eight states participated in the workshop, mostly renewable energy professionals. Mr. Chandak hopes that several of them will consider manufacturing parabolic solar cookers in their own states. Large community-size cookers, two meters or more in diameter, proved quite popular. These cookers can cook meals for 30-50 people. Smaller, family-side cookers were also shown, as were related technologies like solar food dryers.

Documents

See also

Contact

Prof. Ajay Chandak
PRINCE, Suman Foundation
Shamgiri, Opp. Swagat Lodge, Agra Road, Deopur,
Dhule: 424 005.
Maharashtra
India

Tel: 91 2562 271795
MB: +91 9823033344

Email: renewable.india@gmail.com