Sentinelle dell'Energia (SELENE) was founded in 2014 to include teaching and promoting solar cooking at a national level as part of its program of alternative energy initiatives and sustainable living strategies.
They also wish to offer assistance to other international organizations involved with spreading solar cooking in developing countries. Davide Bianchini, a biomedical engineer in Pesaro, Italy, is the founder of the organization.
As a social promotion association, they welcome new members.
22-25 June 2017: Sentinelle dell'Energia participated in "Passaggi Festival 2017", the essay writing Festival of Fano, Currently, the association organizes laboratories for the self-construction of Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light panel cookers and public demonstrations of solar cooking. About 35 children, boys and girls participated to the laboratories throughout the four days and then built about fifteen Copenhagens. During the demonstration of solar cooking, rice salad and an Indian dish made of mixed vegetables and spices were prepared and were served to the people interested in tasting the results.
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June 2017: Sentinelle dell'Energia has built a new prototype of the Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light by using sheets made of Mylar and polystyrene, which are then assembled one to the other with sticky velcro. At midday, the cooker was able to reach more than 195 °C (383 °F). There is still the need to improve the assembly by using a more durable sticky velcro.
Fiera del Riuso
2-4 June 2017: Sentinelle dell'Energia participated to "Fiera Regionale del Riuso 2017", which took place at Scarpellini Park in Pesaro. During the days, the association promoted public demonstrations of solar cooking. cooking rice salad and an Indian dish made of mixed vegetables and spices. Moreover, Sentinelle dell'Energia organized laboratories for the self construction of Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light panel cookers, building 8 new ones and donating two more of them to some of the participants at the "Fiera". More information can be found on Sentinelle dell'Energia website.
8 May 2017: Sentinelle dell'Energia organized a new public laboratory for the selfconstruction of Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light panel cookers, following the first laboratory that took place in August 2015, during which we built solar box cookers. In this new laboratory, the four participants built together two Copenhagens! Other laboratories are expected to come this summer.
May 2017 - June 2017: Sentinelle dell'Energia organized the project "A Scuola di Cucina Solare" at junior high school "Giovanni Branca" ages 10 to 13 in Sant'Angelo in Lizzola, near Pesaro. They first made a theoretical lesson on solar cooking with the third year students, which is available on Slideshare. Then, they realized a laboratory for the construction of Sharon Clausson's Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light, using cheap materials as cardboard, aluminum foil, liquid white glue, twines and clothespines. The students and teachers were provided with a manual for the self construction of the oven, they were helped by a volunteer from Sentinelle dell'Energia and made a fantastic job: indeed, they built 8 Copenhagens! You can find more information about the project on Sentinelle dell'Energia website.
late 2016 - beginning 2017: Sentinelle dell'Energia, together with CND Fenile , developed a new model of parabolic solar cooker made of wood and mirror polished aluminum sheets. They tested the first prototype, managing to cook pasta very well. They still need to think to give a name for the cooker and they plan to develop it further in the coming months.
12-13 August 2016: Sentinelle dell'Energia, together with CND Fenile and Monte Illuminato organized two solar cooking days at Parco Miralfiore in Pesaro. Using their personally-built Fun Panels, Copenhagens, Heaven's Flame and a rudimental cardboard parabolic solar oven, they cooked pasta with pendolini (tiny tomatoes) and arugula, rice salad, boiled zucchini, boiled eggplants and boiled potatoes, spinach and tofu balls, vegan cocoa biscuits. They plan to repeat a similar initiative at the seaside in the coming weeks.
July 2016, 28th. Sentinelle dell'Energia and CND Fenile participated to EcoFuturo, Festival of ecotechnologies and self construction and they prepared salad rice for about 20 visitors. More information (in Italian) and photos on Sentinelle dell'Energia dedicated blog post.
July 2016. Sentinelle dell'Energia, together with CND Fenile, and Monte Illuminato developed a bigger version of the Copenhagen solar cooker, whose four petals are now 50 cm x 50 cm big (about 19,68 inches x 19,68 inches). The cardboard base was about 32 cm x 32 cm (12,59 cm x 12,59 cm). The cooker reached a temperature of about 140 °C at midday in Pesaro, Central Italy, with the thermometer put inside a transparent glass cup containing a dark pot inside. They were also able to cook rice, boiled potatoes and boiled carrots, as represented by the following video.
Lessatura delle carote con il Copenaghen Solar Cooker modificato (dimensioni maggiori)
A greenhouse enclosure is added around the base of the cooker.
July 2016: Sentinelle dell'Energia developed an improved version of Joe Radabaugh's Heaven's Flame. In particular, they added a "heat trap" or "solar trap" all around the oven, in order to increase the cooking temperature. The "heat trap" is a small greenhouse made of recovered cardboard, alluminum foil, paper scotch tape, iron wire and transparent and flexible pvc cloth. The increase in temperature all around the oven allows to reduce the thermal dissipations, thus reaching higher cooking temperatures. Thanks to this improvement, we were able to pass from a maximum temperature of 165 °C (329 °F) to a maximum temperature of more than 195 °C (383 °F).
June 2016: Sentinelle dell'Energia are signing a collaboration agreement with I.R.S. Aurora socialcooperative, which manages and directs several therapeutic communities in Marche Region. According to that, one of the associates of Sentinelle dell'Energia is collaborating with some youngsters from the community of CND Fenile and of Monte Illuminato for the construction and realization of some solar ovens, starting with Teong Tan's Fun Panel. At the time of writing, thy've already realized three Fun Panels and they managed to cook rice and an egg yolk, as reported in Sentinelle dell'Energia blog post.
