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SolSource 3-in-1 in China 4-24-10

SolSource 3-in-1 in use with Himalayan community members.

The SolSource 3-in-1 is a combination solar cooker, heater, and electricity generator developed by One Earth Designs (OED), a nonprofit organization with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and Xining and Hong Kong, China.

The device enables rural communities to harness the sun’s energy for portable solar cooking and supports the use of heating and electricity generation modules as well. High-temperature parabolic solar cookers are currently available and used in Himalayan communities, however, they are often made out of mirror-lined concrete shells that are extremely heavy, fragile, and do not stand up to the harsh weather and climate of western China. Many nomadic villagers shared with OED a desire for parabolic solar cookers that are portable enough to be taken into the fields while working or tending livestock, but sturdy enough to withstand the harsh winds of the Tibetan Plateau. Along with student teams from Wellesley College, Harvard, MIT, and Qinghai Normal University, OED worked with rural communities in the Himalayan region to design the SolSource 3-in-1 according to local needs and with local materials when feasible.

The reflective component of the SolSource 3-in-1 is a lightweight, foldable parabolic shell comprised of several triangular panels stretched across a curved frame and lined with aluminized polyester film (Mylar®). This shell is supported by a detachable tripod which can be staked to the ground to prevent the cooker from blowing over. Cooking, heating, and electricity generation is possible by placing different modules on the potstand (and therefore at the reflector's focal point).

The first module, based on standard pots, cooks food and pasteurizes water. The cooker's high focal temperature enables traditional cooking that relies primarily on stir-frying and boiling water for tea and tsampa. A second module, still in development, will generate up to 20 watts of thermo-electricity. A third module, also in development, collects and stores heat for later use in the home.

Recent news and developments

Sol Source 3-in-1 photo 2-8-11

Latest version of the SolSource 3-in-1 solar appliance, Feb. 2011.

See also

External links

Contact

Catlin Powers
Executive Vice President/Science Advisor
catlin@oneearthdesigns.org