News and Recent Developments
- Jan. 5-19, 2009: Solar Culture Course given by Grupo Fenix. For more information, please see http://www.saluddelsol.org/2008/07/solar-culture-course/
- November 2008: Project report: Uso y Impactos de Cocinas Solares (See also English version) - Grupo Fenix
- August 2008: Elena Pineda is known as "the tortilla lady" in Jinotega, a mountain community in Nicaragua. She had used a wood-burning stove to cook her totillas for a long time, but it produced a lot of smoke. Elena's life changed though when she was visited by Sue Kellett. Kellet is a member of the St. Edward Parish in Bloomington, Minn and is developing a new smokeless cooker. When her and Elena met, Sue knew that Elena would benefit greatly from using this new cooker. Since Sue gave her the gift of a new stove, Elena has been able to cook tortillas faster and in a much safer environment because it does not produce huge plumes of smoke.
- August 2008: Wendell and Sammie Rickon of Mendocino, California (USA) have experimented with a number of solar cookers since being reintroduced to the concept in the summer of 2006. Later that same year they ordered a solar CooKit and some literature from Solar Cookers International (SCI), joined the organization, and learned much more about the usefulness of solar cookers on a global scale. After many successful solar meals, and a few failures, the Rickons were confident that they could solar cook most of the non-fried foods in their diet. Their thoughts turned to the community of Ciudad Dario, Nicaragua where their son directs Seeds of Learning (SOL), a small nonprofit educational organization. The Rickons asked if he could incorporate a solar cooking component into his work at SOL. He challenged them to write a project proposal, secure funding, and volunteer some of their own time to get a project going. They met his challenge, and spent much of 2007 gathering training materials from SCI, building solar cookers, and, of course, cooking! In November 2007 the Rickons packed a supply of aluminum foil and transparent oven roasting bags and headed for Nicaragua. Upon arriving in Ciudad Dario, the Rickons promoted solar cookers to anyone who seemed interested, including family members, friends, SOL staff, and Peace Corps volunteers. They conducted a number of small workshops, during which participants learned to make and use solar CooKits and sampled solar dishes such as beans, rice, squash and chocolate chip cookies. In all, the Rickons taught 48 people, including several SOL staff members and two university students that agreed to continue the project with the support and assistance of SOL.
- July 21-31, 2008: Solar Culture Course given by Grupo Fenix
- July 2007: The foundation Sustainable Technology and Energy for Vital Economic Needs (STEVEN), of Ithaca, New York, is partnering with the Cornell University chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) on an upper-level engineering course, now in its fourth year. Teams of students gain hands-on experience in a variety of real-world service projects. One team is working on a solar cooking project for the Sabana Grande community of Nicaragua. The team has taken the name "Amanecer," which means "sunrise" in Spanish, a suitable title for solar cooking advocates. Francis Vanek has taken a prominent role in the service project and has made a close connection with nongovernmental organization Grupo Fenix, based at the National University of Nicaragua in Managua. Amanecer is experimenting with a variety of solar cooker designs, and hopes to improve performance and implement use of the cookers in rural Nicaragua. To promote sustainability, Amanecer is paying attention to expense, local availability of materials, and the expressed needs of the community. The specialized engineering course provides students an abundance of learning opportunities — cultural exchange, ethics, an applied approach to engineering, resourcefulness, an understanding of user needs, and an awareness of local and international communities. Amanecer has sub-teams that focus in three areas: cooker construction, light simulation, and community and market research. The construction team worked on solar cooker designs, while the light simulation team built an indoor testing facility with controlled lighting systems. The community and market research team evaluates the social and environmental impacts of solar cooker use in Nicaragua, and is researching the Kyoto Protocol system of carbon credits in hopes of offsetting solar cooker costs in the future. The ultimate goal of Amanecer is to travel to Nicaragua to implement their solar cooker designs, and gather feedback and data useful to future design modifications. [A note from Francis Vanek: I think you are giving me too much credit, and Tim Bond not enough! It is Tim who has been at the forefront of developing the project with Grupo Fenix, while I have been playing a supporting role.]
- March 2006: Last year, 300 unassembled SPORT solar ovens were purchased by St. Edwards Catholic Church of Bloomington, Minnesota (USA) for the community of Jinotega. The cookers were assembled locally under the direction of volunteers Sue Kellet and Andrew Knutson, who were also responsible for trainings. SPORTs were sold to families at a subsidized price of $10. Staples like rice, beans and bananas were popular solar dishes. Other solar foods included chicken dishes, vegetable stews with milk, and cooked mangos. One solar cook commented that the mangos cooked better in the solar cooker than over a fire. More information...
The History of Solar Cooking in Nicaragua
The Central American country of Nicaragua has been active in promotion of solar cooking for some time. One of the organizations connected to the network associated with Bill Lankford's long standing work in Central America is located here, and has been active in training women in the construction and use of solar cookers for a number of years. The project here, known as Centro Girasoles Proceso, uses methods similar to those described above, that is, assistance to women to build their own solar ovens, carefully and exactly, to produce excellent functioning. Training is continuous, and follow-up is as intensive over an extended time period as any solar program aiiywhere. In the view of the Proceso groups in the Central American countries, solar cooking is a critical, but only one, element in the overall process of improvement of life for Central Americans. Girasoles believe that the cookers are used over 80% of the time, once the training and follow up has been completed. They continue to work in the community, extending their activities to other needs as indicated.
Centro Girasoles Proceso has also reached out to extend knowledge of solar cooking to other groups working in Nicaragua. A more recent arrival on the scene in Nicaragua is Grupo Fenix, an organization that provides a range of renewable energy resources in the country. Girasoles, as the knowledgeable group on solar cooking, worked with Fenix to pass on knowledge and experience. Fenix has in that manner developed skills in teaching low-income people how to build simple, effective, and low cost box cookers. The ovens are made of scrap cardboard, newspaper, aluminum foil and plastic in an afternoon, or over a week for a large and durable oven made of wood and other materials. They have learned, as all solar promoters must, that follow up for new trainees in solar cooking is an essential ingredient in the program, since the cooking method is quite different. They have also learned to pasteurize milk and water, and are working on other techniques for sterilization, using the most efficient of the oven types.
The group also promotes photovoltaic lighting, working with Terrasol, a US/Nicaraguan volunteer project. In addition, they are working to exploit the abundant rainfall, which feeds streams and rivers, ideal for small-scale generation of electricity to supplement that which comes from the national system and often fails before reaching remote rural areas. To assist local people with acquisition of this range of renewable technologies, Fenix is working to establish micro-loan programs like those successfully in place in many parts of the world.
Climate, Culture, and Special Considerations
We came across this paragraph, from a student service learning project, while researching an article for the Solar Cooker Review. The student was working with a solar photo-voltaic company in Nicaragua, where some solar cookers have been introduced. Judging from the description we assume the cookers are large parabolic or box cookers. In any case, this is a good reminder of one reason why solar cookers (especially if they are not the appropriate type for a given population) are not always as readily accepted and used as we promoters would like.
- "A strong example of a renewable energy not working as it was intended was apparent in Nicaragua. Solar ovens were viewed as an answer to women cooking all day in the poorly ventilated and smoke filled kitchens. It was believed that solar cookers would allow the women to not spend as much time in the kitchen as well as eliminate the need to collect wood for the current stoves. The problem lay in the fact that the solar cookers did not fit into the culture appropriately for them to be utilized effectively. The culture of Nicaragua had always dictated that the social center for a woman to meet and talk with friends would always be the kitchen so that they could talk as they worked. Wood burning stoves gave this ability as they required a person to always be around cooking or tending to the fire. With solar cookers, the oven was outside and because food took longer to cook, there was more downtime where the women would end up sitting around in the kitchen anyways. The time to cook a meal with direct sunlight in a solar cooker was usually 50% to 100% longer and a much longer preparation time was necessary, because of this, the solar cookers had to be repositioned so that they were getting the most sun possible. This task was difficult for women who could not move the solar cookers on their own because they were too large, and the number of women, were few who knew how to move them so they would get direct sun. Dinner was served usually when it was dark out, as it is in most cultures, so the food would have to be prepared beforehand and somehow reheated for dinner. Because of these problems it became apparent solar cookers would not become a technology that would fit well into the culture of rural Nicaragua."[1]
See also
- The Sabor Solar Cookbook from Grupo Fenix shows how to cook Nicaraguan foods in a solar cooker: (English version or Spanish version)
Documents
Reports
Articles in the media
- June 2009: Harnessing Both Sun and Cell Phone to Close Gaps in Local Health Care - Worldchanging
Web pages
Contacts
- A complete list of NGOs and individuals working in Nicaragua is available in the International Directory of Solar Cooking Promotors.
NGOs based in or working in the Nicaragua
- Solar Cookers International Network
- Inti
- EG-Solar
- ULOG Freiburg
- Solar Cookers International
- S.T.E.V.E.N. Foundation
- Solar Oven Partners UMC
- Solar Connect Association
- Solar Circle
- Global Hope Network International
- Centro Uruguayo de Tecnologías Apropiadas
- Friendly Appropriate Solar Technologies
- Centre Ecologique Albert Schweitzer
- Solar Oven Society
- African Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology
- Sun Ovens International
- Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal
- El Fuego del Sol
- Barli Development Institute for Rural Women
- Association des Femmes Ingénieurs du Mali
- Solar Cooker Workgroup Sliedrecht NL
- International Center for Networking, Ecology, Education and Re-Integration
- Solar Solutions
- SunFire Solutions
- Solarinstitut Jülich
- Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza
- Aprovecho Research Center
- Association pour le Développement de l'Energie Solaire
- Vajra Foundation
- Canelo de Nos
- International Solar Energy Society
- Solar Household Energy
- Solar Cooking KoZon
- GloboSol
- Stichting Vluchteling
- Rotary Club of Fresno
- Grupo Fénix
- The Energy and Resources Institute
- Atouts Soleil
- International Organization for Migration
- Naandi Foundation
- Sonnenenergie für Westafrika
- Adventist Development and Relief Agency Somalia
- Fundació Terra
- Solare Brücke
- Association Malienne des Femmes Handicapées
- Brahma Kumaris
- Foundation for Sustainable Technologies
- Fundación Inti Uma Ecuador
- Sol Suffit
- Solemyo
- ExSol
- Lotan Center for Creative Ecology
- Girl Guides Association of Malaysia
- Fundación Celestina Pérez de Almada
- China Association of Rural Energy Industry
- Las Mujeres Solares de Totogalpa
- Aga Khan Foundation
- MéxicoSOL
- Shem Women's Group
- Solar Clutch
- SUPO
- Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña
- Asociación de Lisiados de Guerra de El Salvador
- Solar Food Processing Network
- Adventures in Health, Education, and Agricultural Development
- Fundación EcoAndina
- WISIONS of Sustainability
- Earth Passengers
- Solar Cookers for Africa
- Solar Association TILOO
- Solar Cooking Concept
- Bethel Business and Community Development Centre
- Cocinando con el Sol
- Solar Inti
- Promoters, Researchers and Innovators in New and Clean Energy
- Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust
- Co2balance
- Senegal Ecovillage Network
- Sizzling Solar Systems
- Centro de Capacitación para el Desarrollo
- Pakistan Council for Renewable Energy Technologies
- Category:NGOs employing microcredit
- Re-newcy
- Practical Action
- Jordanian Renewable Energy Society
- Category:NGOs employing carbon credits
- Malaviya Solar Energy Consultancy
- GEF Small Grants Programme
- Manos Unidas
- Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre and Network
- Japan Solar Energy Education Association
- Dada Zanzibar
- Solar Smelters International
- Border Partners
- Grupo Jaragua
- Zahana
- Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka
- World Vision Mali
- Developing World Solar
- Grupo de Energías Renovables Aplicadas
- World Central Kitchen
- Trust in Education
- African Millennium Foundation
- Climate Healers
- PROMOSOL
- Citizens for Solar
- Via Organica
- Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work
- GRUPEDSAC
- Sun Cookers International
- Solar Liberty Foundation
- CECAM Bolivia
- Earthbound Technology
- Student Solar Cooking Science Project
- Clean Cooking Alliance
- TanzSolar
- New Energy Works
- MWAYEO KENYA
- NGO Sustainability, Inc.
- Network of NGOs of Trinidad and Tobago for the Advancement of Women
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
- Environmental and Rural Mediation Centre
- ACCESO
- Appropedia
- Pleno Sol
- Cooloola Solar Systems
- Category:Rotary Clubs
- Solare Zukunft
- Category:NGOs employing heat-retention cookers
- Solvatten
- Associação Caatinga
- Lejofonds
- Simplified Technologies for Life
- Sustainable Utilization of Renewable Energy
- Friends of the Old
- NAREWAMA
- Rotary Club of Los Altos (California)
- Category:NGOs using CooKits
- Cal Poly Solar Cooking
- Tamera Solar Village
- Cocina Solar Mexico
- Sur la Piste
- Engineers Without Borders - Iran
- O'paybo
- Cucinare con il Sole
- Blik op Afrika
- Ecozoom UK
- Keshav Srushti
- Girl Scouts Heart of Central California
- Solar Cooking Plus
- Inti Illimani
- Category:NGOs employing heat storage
- Engineers Without Borders - Sweden
- Lernen - Helfen - Leben e.V.
- Amigos de Taquile
- ET-Solar Tech
- Solar Alternatives and Associated Programmes
- SELCO Foundation
- Lytefire
- Solar Cookers India
- Women Barefoot Solar Cooker Engineers Society
- Sentinelle dell'Energia
- Instituto Ecuatoriano de Investigaciones y Capacitación de la Mujer
- Sahara Sahel Foods
- Sol Solidari
- Norges Naturvernforbund
- United Village Transformation
- Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development
- Category:NGOs employing biomass briquettes
- Lazola-Initiative zur Verbreitung solaren Kochens e.V.
- Sunshine On My Shoulder
- Central American Solar Energy Project
- Rotary Club of Tapachula Centenario
- Imani Women's Group
- International Volunteer Cultural Centre
- Rotary Club of Gulu
- We Care For You Uganda
- Sun and Ice
- Amane Studio
- Category:NGOs employing fuel-efficient wood stoves
- Solar Cookers International Association
- Pakistan Science Club
- United States Agency for International Development
- UNESCO
- Fogão Solar
- Category:NGOs employing solar food dryers
- Renewable Energy Development Center
- TrinySol
- Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa
- Florida Solar Energy Center
- Lady Fatemah Trust
- Greenpop - Solar for Trees
- Kerr-Cole Sustainable Living Center
- EMACE Foundation
- Congo Clean Cookers
- Uttarakhand Renewable Development Agency
- American Solar Energy Society
- Tonembee Association
- Farmers with a Vision
- Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam
- Solar Freedom International
- Red Mujeres en Energía Renovable y Eficiencia Energética
- Greenpeace
- Welfare Society for Solar Development
- Asulma Centre Self Help Group
- Association des Volontaires Guineens Pour l' Environnement
- Museu de la Ciència i de la Tècnica de Catalunya
- Oficina Solar Tlacochahuaya
- AFAPE
- AfriShiners
- 100 Suns
- B4Dignity
- Sun24
- La Sazón del Sol
- PNUD en République démocratique du Congo
- Wonderbag
- Cozinhar com o Sol
- Rotary International
- Haiti Adolescent Girls Network
- Garota Intelligentsia
- Florida Renewable Energy Association
- Solar Cooking Campaign for Grassroots
- Our 1 World
- STAR-TIDES
- Solar Education Project
- Le Présage
- Easy Solar
- Winam Jua CBO
- Auroville Solar Kitchen
- SOCO Burundi
- Mount Kenya Energy Project
- Маленькая Земля
- Agence de Développement Economique et Social
- The Nature Conservancy
- Advancing Sustainable Household Energy Solutions (ASHES)
- Ecomandate
- Nabahya Food Institute
- Zenaga Foundation
- Tamera
- Athel Technology Limited
- Low-tech Lab
- Care and Support Network
- Rosa Solar Stoves
- Centro Cottura Solare CFV
- Solar Fire
- EnergyTeachers.org
- Sustainable NE Seattle
- Brahma Kumaris Global Peace House
- NJUBA Children Relief
- Solar Cookers for Haiti
- Public-Private Alliance Foundation
- COMPE
- UNDP
Individuals
Manufacturers and vendors
- Redsun Solar Industries
- Fair Fabricators
- ULOG Freiburg
- ClearDome Solar Thermal
- Solar Solutions
- EG-Solar
- Sun Ovens International
- HotBag Project
- Solar Roast Coffee
- El Fuego del Sol
- Solar Circle
- Canelo de Nos
- Solar Household Energy
- Solar Connect Association
- Vajra Foundation
- Sun and Ice
- Solea Consulting
- Association pour le Développement de l'Energie Solaire
- BonzaBuy!
- SunFire Solutions
- Solvatten
- EnKing International
- Promoters, Researchers and Innovators in New and Clean Energy
- TinyTech Plants
- Solar Clutch
- Solar Oven Society
- Solar Oven Tracker (Privette)
- Malaviya Solar Energy Consultancy
- FUTEK
- SunOK
- Rudra Solar Energy
- Pascal Goux
- Solar Brother
- Foundation for Sustainable Technologies
- Solar Cookers for Africa
- Qingdao Lingding New Energy Co., Ltd
- Olympus Flower
- Blazing Tube Solar
- Solar Energy Enterprises
- Fogão Solar
- California Sunlight Corporation
- Sol Suffit
- Re-newcy
- Radha Energy Cell
- Simply Solar
- Sun Ovens Australia
- Su Solartech Systems
- Manik Solar Innovation
- Pleno Sol
- Copenhagen Solar Cooker
- Cooloola Solar Systems
- 邢台县翟村浩阳节能灶具制造厂
- Holms and Friends
- Hi-MIN Solar
- Madison Solar Engineering
- Hartmut Ehmler
- SUNFLAIR
- SunGenius
- Ecovidasolar
- Rolf Behringer
- Dale Schuck
- Trust in Education
- Amane Studio
- Solarama Energy & Services
- GoSun
- Roberto Román
- Ravindra Pardeshi
- ET-Solar Tech
- Inti
- Solemyo
- Sahara Sahel Foods
- Solar Chef International
- SLiCK
- Solarmate
- Tapi Food Products
- Fornelia
- Lazola-Initiative zur Verbreitung solaren Kochens e.V.
- Cocina Solar Web
- SUNplicity
- Cucinare con il Sole
- Solar Oven Reflectors
- Liking Energy Co., Ltd
- Indiamart
- Togo Tilé
- International Volunteer Cultural Centre
- Solar Cooker Workgroup Sliedrecht NL
- Kate's Solar Kitchen
- Bjorn Qorn
- Sun Cookers International
- Ecozoom UK
- So Solar
- Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work
- HoSa Solar
- ISOMET
- Sun Buckets
- Heliac
- A Better Focus Co., Inc.
- All Season Solar Cooker
- Sharon Clausson
- Sun Oven India
- UNesar Private Limited
- Sara Hjalmarsson
- Sustainable.co.za
- Haines Solar Cookers
- La Sazón del Sol
- Solar Foods
- Wonderbag
- Jim La Joie
- Jet-Flame
- HC Solar
- Solar Cooker at Cantina West
- Le Présage
- Easy Solar
- User:Rudrasolarind
- Solar Chef
- Winam Jua CBO
- Sun & Cook
- SOCO Burundi
- Ecoo
- DayStar Solar Cooking Solutions
- Solmeiodia
- Green Sun Rising
- SoLenium technology
- Ecomandate
- ETE ETMATE Solar Oven
- Taste of Sun
- Sundish
- Solar India
- Kivu
- Delicias de Oaxaca
- Pesitho
- SunSpot Solar Electric Cooking
- Sun Dome
- Orjabox
- Solar Ranch
- Rosa Solar Stoves
- NeoLoco
- Asolar
- Solar Fire
- Partners with Sun
- SOLA Solar Cooker 1
- SunVenture
- Qingdao Huama Metal Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
- Southwest Stainless Large Solar Cooker
- Sunrise CSP
- SunPower Co-op
- Sunstore Technologies