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| − | ==September 2012== |
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| − | [[File:Solvatten.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Solvatten]] water pasteurization system]] |
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| − | *'''Swedish and Lutheran organizations sponsor water pasteurization efforts in Kenya''' - The Swedish Church and the aid agency Lutheran World Federation (LWF) are launching [[Solvatten]] in [[Kakuma Refugee Camp]] in [[Kenya]]. The goal of the project is to reduce environmental degradation by enabling people to use alternative sources of energy in the camp and in the host community that surrounds it.
Supply of fire wood has been a problem in Kakuma region since the camp was set up in 1992 but it has escalated in the past two years, despite that the refugees are not allowed to harvest firewood directly from the bushes. This is attributed to the continuous massive influx of people into the camp leading to the environmental degradation through the harvesting of sticks from the available vegetation for firewood. Firewood has become very expensive and the UNHCR struggles to purchase and supply fuel to the growing population of refugees in the camp. The Solvatten is a solar [[water pasteurization]] device. |
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| + | {{SeeAlso|Current news}} |
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| − | ==August 2012== |
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| + | ==October 2014== |
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| − | [[File:Farchana_Refugee_Camp_August_2012.jpg|thumb|191px|Refugee volunteers build solar cookers as part of the [[CORD]] project at the [[Farchana Refugee Camp]].]] |
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| + | [[File:Andres2.jpg|right|225px]] |
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| − | *'''Solar cooker project in Chad is in full swing''' - In the [[Farchana Refugee Camp]], a team of ten volunteers, refugees themselves, are putting together 2350 cookers! The cookers help prevent conflict between the Sudanese population in the camps and the local Chadian community, who are both competing for scarce firewood. Women, who traditionally collect wood to cook with, face violence outside the camps. The solar cookers need only the sun to cook food, one thing Chad has in abundance! [http://www.cord.org.uk/the-latest/latest-news/cord-latest/12-in-news-from-chad/562-solar-cooker-assembly.html Read more...] |
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| + | *'''José Andrés debuts Sunny Day pop-up restaurant at Life is Beautiful festival''' - At the Life is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas, NV, [[José Andrés]] debuted Sunny Day, his new solar-powered pop-up restaurant. His goal for the new pop-up restaurant is to educate Americans about clean cooking around the world. [http://www.foodrepublic.com/2014/10/24/jose-andres-clean-cookstoves-mission Interview with José Andrés]. |
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| + | [[File:Wonderbag_image,_11-13-13.jpg|thumb|200px|Sarah Collins with the [[Wonderbag]]]] |
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| + | *'''Heat-retention cooker receives world attention''' - [[Wonderbag]] reports that over 650,000 of the brightly colored [[heat-retention cooking]] bags have been distributed worldwide. |
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| + | [[File:Morpho_Solar,_IEEE_Spectrum,_10-9-14.png|thumb|200px|[[Guro Seim]], the CEO of [[Morpho Solar]], and [[Catlin Powers]], COO of [[One Earth Designs]], prepare a meal on a [[SolSource]] solar cooker. - ''Morpho Solar'']] |
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| + | [[File:Solar Cooker Success in Afghanistan!|thumb|right|200 px]] |
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| + | *'''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. |
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| + | *''' Norwegian start-up company tackles heat storage for solar cookers''' - [[Guro Seim]], CEO of [[Morpho Solar]], announced a breakthrough in the [[heat storage]] capabilities for solar cookers. [http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/green-tech/solar/solar-cookers-get-hot Read more...] |
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| − | [[File:GUST Project - Solar Serve - Danang (Vietnam)|right|350px]] |
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| − | *'''New video shows Vietnam Solar Serve's extensive solar cooking projects''' - A team of three French students came to visit [[Vietnam Solar Serve]]'s center. They had organized Global Universities Social Trip (GUST), a project that aims to raise students' awareness of social entrepreneurship in Asia. For six months they met many social entrepreneurs throughout Asia who worked on problems such as energy, communication, waste, [[water]], and housing. They created videos that presented the entrepreneurs' projects, the social issues they wanted to solve, and the challenges they had to overcome. Click the image on the right to see a video that they made on their visit to our Solar Serve Center in Danang. For more information on the Gust Project, visit the: http://www.gustproject.com or visit their [http://www.vimeo.com/gustproject Vimeo Channel]. |
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| − | *'''Dissertation posted:''' [[Media:Identifying_the_Barriers_to_the_Deployment_of_Solar_Cookers_in_the_Energy-Poor_Households_of_Sub-Saharan_Africa.pdf|Identifying the barriers to the deployment of solar cookers in the energy-poor households of sub-Saharan Africa]] - ''Sarah Cochetel'' |
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| − | *'''New video from [[Cord]] showing their solar cooking project in refugee camps in Chad''' |
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| − | ::[[File:Cooking up peace|450px|none]] |
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| + | *'''Global Hope Network International delivers solar cookers to Afghanistan '''- The [[Global Hope Network International]] reports its recent success in transporting 300 solar cookers to rural villages in central [[Afghanistan]] where all 300 were purchased by villagers. |
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| − | ==July 2012== |
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| − | *'''Dr. Robert Metcalf discusses solar cooking on the Afternoon Edition (Saskatchewan, Canada)''' - [http://www.cbc.ca/video/player.html?clipid=2254960402&position=308475&site=cbc.news.ca listen to the recording]. [[Bob Metcalf|Dr. Metcalf]] is a founding member of [[Solar Cookers International]]. |
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| + | *'''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]]. Read more at: [[Media:Solar_Clutch_Report_Mauritania_2014.pdf|Solar Cooker Report Mauritania, April 2014]] |
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| − | ==June 2012== |
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| − | *'''Solar cooking heads to The Discovery Center''' - [[Central Valley Solar Cookers]], founded by [[Carl Peters]], is one of the most successful solar cooking clubs in the [[USA]]. Located in Fresno, {{State|California}}, the group now has 111 members. They recently had their First Annual Solar Cooking Festival, which was a huge success. They now have enough money to buy materials to build a solar cooker for use at [http://www.thediscoverycenter.net/4901/35918.html The Discovery Center], a free non-profit science education facility. The park is fully self-funded and situated on six acres. Carl thinks a [[solar panel cooker|panel]] type cooker would be the safest type. It would be a nice addition to ultimately see solar cookers in our parks instead of only charcoal and wood burning BBQs. |
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| + | *'''Gourmet cook shifts to solar catering '''- Pierre-André Aubert used a mobile solar kitchen unit with an 8m² [[Scheffler Reflector]], mounted on a trailer, in summer 2014 to cook for various events in the south of [[France]]. {{GoogleLinkFromFrench|http://loubebert.info/blog/index.php?post/2014/08/19/Des-nouvelles-du-Gers|More info...}} |
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| − | *'''New video:''' The need for a more durable solar cooker for desert refugee camps |
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| − | ::[[File:A more Durable Solar Cooker for Desert Refugee Camps.m4v|none|400px|]] |
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| + | *'''New SCInet members''' - The SCInet wishes to welcome new member [[Clement Musonda]], an engineer promoting solar cooking in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] and [[John Futhey]], a solar cooker designer in Santa Rosa, {{State|California}}, [[USA]]. |
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| − | * '''Solar Cookers World Network Facebook group reaches 600 members''' - [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16213904406 Join the discussion]. |
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| + | ==September 2014== |
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| + | <table><tr> |
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| + | <td style="padding-left:30px"> |
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| + | <imagemap>Image:Scr_sep14.jpg|185px|none|border |
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| + | default [[Media:Scr_sep14.pdf]] |
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| + | desc none |
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| + | </imagemap> |
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| + | </td> |
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| + | <td style="font-size:125%"> Read the [[Media:Scr_sep14.pdf|Fall 2014 issue of Solar Cooker Review]]<br />...or see [[Solar_Cooker_Review#Back_issues|back issues]].</td></tr></table> |
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| + | ::[[File:Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Solar Cooker Research|thumb|none|335 px|Under the direction of physics professor Dr. [[Peter Schwartz]], a team of physics and engineering students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California are conducting research on a [[Cal Poly Scheffler Reflector|simplified Scheffler reflector design]] that could be used by people in developing countries to heat water and cook food. They are also researching hybrid technologies that combine the use of a solar reflector and a [[Rocket Stove]] for uninterrupted cooking.]] |
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| + | ::[[File:Dr. Bing Gu, CEO California Sunlight|thumb|none|335 px|Dr. [[Bing Gu]] was interviewed at the [[SCInet Solar Cooking Convention 2014]]. His Fresnel lens solar thermal cooking device can reach 315° (600°F), can [[track the sun]] and can [[store heat]] for nighttime cooking. He is seeking investors so [[California Sunlight Corporation]] can begin mass production.]] |
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| − | *'''Solar Cooking Hits the Mainstream''' - ''StarTides'' ([http://star-tides.net/node/2761 Read more...]) |
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| + | *'''New SCInet members''' - The SCInet wishes to welcome new members, the [[C.V. Ramen College of Engineering]], under the leadership of Sanjib Rout in India. Also California, USA educator [[Sheela Kiiskila]], and [[Koku Selom Agbavito]], Executive Director of [[A.V.E.S-TOGO]]. Also, [[Irene Perbal]] from Jackson, California, USA has joined, and is represented by [[Solar Cooking Plus]]. |
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| − | ==May 2012== |
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| − | *'''Pat McArdle describes the top ten solar cooking projects''' - [[Media:Ten most significant solar cooking projects-McArdle-2012.pdf|Read the document]]. |
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| + | [[File:Sun_Juicer_image,_8-21-14.jpg|thumb|250px|[[The Sun Juicer]] lightweight parabolic solar cooker]] |
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| + | *'''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]]. [https://www.facebook.com/thesunjuicer Read more...] |
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| + | *'''Update on Jewish World Watch Solar Cooker Project''' - [[Jewish World Watch]] published their [http://www.jewishworldwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/SCP_Newsletter_Summer2014_v12.pdf 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 [[CooKit]]s with participation rates of 75% to 100% in the camps where they have worked: [[Kounoungou Refugee Camp|Kounoungou]], [[Mile Refugee Camp|Mile]], [[Oure Cassoni Refugee Camp|Oure Cassoni]], [[Touloum Refugee Camp|Touloum]], and [[Iridimi Refugee Camp|Iridimi]]. They also plan to provide an additional cooking pot for 10,000 families. [http://www.jewishworldwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/SCP_Newsletter_Summer2014_v12.pdf Read more...] |
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| − | [[File:16-brick_rocket_stove_Mexico_2012.jpg|thumb|Sixteen-brick [[Rocket Stove]]]] |
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| + | ==August 2014== |
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| − | *'''Students flood southern Mexico integrated cooking class - '''Volunteers from the [[Rotary Club of Fresno]], California, led by [[Wilfred and Marie Pimentel]], teamed up with the Rotary Club of Tapachula Centenario, [[Mexico]], to host a five-day [[Integrated Cooking Method|integrated cooking]] workshop in Tapachula. This is the tenth grant project completed in Mexico by the Rotary Club of Fresno. Although only twenty students were expected to attend, ninety-one arrived on opening day to participate—a clear indication of the desperate need for affordable fuel-saving cooking devices in this region. Local instructors and expert solar cooks from Torreon and Oaxaca led the workshop. Participants learned to build three types of [[rocket stoves]]: mud and chopped grass, five gallon tin can, and sixteen brick, which were used to make tortillas. Students cut out cardboard sheets and glued them to pieces of aluminum foil to make solar panel [[CooKit]]s. A variety of meat, vegetable and egg dishes were prepared with the CooKits along with desserts like pineapple upside down cake. Students also learned how to use [[WAPI]]’s to [[pasteurize water]] with a CooKit. Finally, the instructors showed their ninety-one students how easy it is to make a [[retained heat cooker]] with a pillowcases and crumpled newspaper stuffed into a woven basket. [[Media:Tapachula Centenario - Fresno Rotary 2012.pdf|Read more...]] |
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| + | *[http://mgafrica.com/article/2014-08-15-from-wonderbags-to-solar-cooking-innovative-solutions-to-africas-charcoal-problem/ From 'Wonderbags' to solar cooking, brilliant solutions to Africa's alarming charcoal problem] - ''Mali & Guardian Africa'' (See also: [[Wonderbag]] page) |
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| + | [[File:Energy_needs_graph_(image_sharpened),_Ajay_Chandak,_8-12-14.jpg|thumb|350px|Energy needs graph of the Ram Krishna Mission Student’s Home, Mylapore, Chennai, [[India]] - ''[[Ajay Chandak]]'']] |
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| − | *'''Deutsche Welle covers the work of [[ADES]] in [[Madagascar]]''' |
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| + | *'''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: [[Media:SCI_news_2.pdf|ARUN®100 with Thermal Storage at Ramkrishna Mission, Chennai]] - ''[[Ajay Chandak]]'' |
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| − | :[[File:Solar Cookers - Saving Madagascar's Forests Global 3000|thumb|400px|none|thumb|Deutsche Welle covers the work of [[ADES]] in [[Madagascar]]]] |
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| + | [[File:Suryakumbh_2014.png|thumb|350px|3,484 children from 80+ schools participated in the previous world's largest solar cooking class in Mumbai.]] |
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| − | ==April 2012== |
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| + | *'''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. [http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-mumbai-ngo-to-hold-maha-suryakumbh-with-25000-students-2009258 Read more...] |
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| − | * '''Solar Cookers World Network Facebook group reaches 500 members''' - [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16213904406 Join the discussion]. |
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| + | *'''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 [http://www.solarcookers.org/what/projects SCI’s current projects] and the [http://www.interaction.org/document/15-billion-invested-africa-us-ngos-last-year news release]. |
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| − | [[File:Making Solar Cookers and more in Vietnam (Danang) .wmv|260px|right]] |
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| − | *'''Alternative energy organization in Vietnam enthusiastically promotes solar cooking''' - [[Vietnam Solar Serve]] has provided a recent video tour of their production facility in Da Nang, [[Vietnam]]. The resourceful group has been adapting solar cooker designs from other countries and developing their own solar energy products since 2000. Looking at the larger alternative energy picture, they also promote photovoltaic panels made in Vietnam and are working on designs for water and wind power turbines. They manufacture a variety of [[parabolic solar cooker|parabolic]] and [[Solar box cookers|box]] solar cookers. |
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| + | *'''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 [http://www.solarcookers.org/about/career-and-internship-opportunities/monitoring-and-evaluation-specialist/ full job description]. |
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| − | ==March 2012== |
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| − | [[File:Golden_Temple,_Punjab,_India_3-19-12.jpg|250px|thumb|Golden Temple, Punjab, [[India]]]] |
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| − | *'''Solar cooking set to help preserve the Golden Temple in Punjab, India''' - To save the Golden Temple from the ill effects of pollution, the [http://www.peda.gov.in/eng/index.html Punjab Energy Development Agency] (PEDA) is developing a plan to prepare a daily meal of Langar dal with the help of a [[Scheffler Community Kitchen|solar steam cooking system]]. PEDA is the governmental agency promoting renewable energy within {{state|Punjab}}, [[India]]. To prepare Langar dal for 50,000 to 60,000 devotees daily at the Golden Temple requires one ton (909 kg) of dal to be cooked. A recent study has shown cooking dal with the help of steam will save at least 25 LPG cylinders per day and also reduce the effects of air pollution on the Golden Temple. PEDA chairman Manjeet Singh said that PEDA would bear the entire project cost. {{FeaturedProjects}} |
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| + | ==July 2014== |
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| − | *'''China and India lead the world in large scale solar cooking projects''' - [[Dar Curtis]] of [[Solar Household Energy]] recently researched where large scale solar cooking projects are happening around the world. The projects in African [[refugee camps]] are fairly well known, but institutional projects and the high-use of solar cookers is happening primarily in Asia. The [[Clean Development Mechanism]] (CDM) has registered eight solar cooker projects in [[China]] since 2009. A total of 207,000 [[parabolic solar cooker]]s have been distributed, serving 848,000 people. In [[India]], CDM registered a Gold Standard project in 2006. The [[Gadhia Solar]] company has created [[Institutional solar cooking|institutional kitchens]] with arrays of large [[Parabolic solar reflectors|parabolic solar concentrators]] to generate steam. Such an installation at Mt. Abu, Rajasthan, can produce meals for 38,500 pilgrims per day. Read more from his well-documented report. [[Media:Solar_In_Asia_Curtis_2012.pdf|Some Big Solar Cooking Projects in Asia, December 2011]] |
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| + | *'''New video from Pat McArdle where people from all around the world tell why they solar cook:''' |
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| + | <table style="margin-left:33px"><tr><td>[[File:Yes We Do Solar Cook|thumb|none|500 px]]</td></tr></table> |
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| − | [[Image:Solar_Oven_Partners_March_2008_2.jpg|thumb|200px|Five {{state|South Dakota}} State University football players volunteered to help [[Haiti Solar Oven Partners]] load a container with 1000 unassembled solar box cookers destined for Haiti.]] |
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| + | [[File:Sacramento_festival_2014.jpg|200px|thumb|Solar Cooking Festival 2014, Sacramento, {{state|California|CA}}, [[USA]]]] |
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| − | *'''South Dakota, USA nonprofit has delivered thousands of solar cookers to Haiti''' - [[Haiti Solar Oven Partners]] passed a milestone this spring by delivering another 1000 solar cookers as part of the relief effort resulting from the 2010 earthquake. This brings the total number of cookers they have taken to [[Haiti]] to over 5000. They had begun having solar cooking workshops in the country before the earthquake and have since stepped up their efforts. Currently, they are conducting an evaluation of their Haiti projects. {{FeaturedProjects}} |
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| + | *'''Solar cooking conference extols virtues of cookers to developing world''' (Sacramento Bee) - Hundreds of people Saturday cooked using only the power of the sun – a practice little used in the United States, but considered a liberating tool for women in developing countries that also helps curb greenhouse gas emissions. [http://www.sacbee.com/2014/07/19/6568302/solar-cooking-conference-extols.html Read more...] |
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| − | *'''Global conservation gathering is approached with the solar cooking option''' - The [http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org IUCN World Conservation Congress] is the world’s largest conservation event. Held every four years, the Congress aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development. It will take place from September 6-15, 2012 in Jeju, [[South Korea|Republic of Korea]]. Leaders from government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, UN agencies and social organizations will discuss, debate and decide solutions for the world’s most pressing environment and development issues. The upcoming Congress has been approached by [[Solar Household Energy]] to present the case for solar cooking. Read more of their [http://portals.iucn.org/2012forum/?q=0494 proposal]. |
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| − | *'''Solar Cooker Review''' - The March 2012 issue is now [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scr_pdfs/scr_feb12.pdf available online]. |
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| − | *'''Spanish cooperative finds common ground promoting solar cooking''' - [[Sol Solidari]] was formed in 2008 by environmental and sanitation practitioners in [[Spain]] wanting to combine their expertise to help primarily rural countries in Africa. Most of their activity has centered on the promotion of solar cooking. Whenever is possible, the cookers are locally manufactured, and workshops on their use are carried out with the help of local leaders. Initially the cookers are distributed for free to create better exposure among the villagers. In the second phase, the solar cookers are sold, but mostly subsidized by Sol Solidari. Until now, the projects have taken place in [[Ethiopia]] and [[Mali]], but future plans include [[Cameroon]] and [[South Africa]]. |
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| − | [[File:Sol Solidari panaramic workshop, 2-25-12.jpg|650px|thumb|center|[[Sol Solidari]] solar cooking workshop]] |
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| + | [[File:Resilience_mulitple_pot_fireless_cooker,_7-7-14.jpg|thumb|200px|A [[heat-retention cooker]] designed for multiple pots.]] |
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| − | ==February 2012== |
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| + | * '''The value of heat-retention cooking reviewed''' - Kris De Decker, author and founder of Low-Tech Magazine, reviews the history of [[heat-retention cooking]] and its value when used with solar cookers. [http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2014/07/cooking-pot-insulation-key-to-sustainable-cooking.html If We Insulate Our Houses, Why Not Our Cooking Pots?] |
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| − | [[File:Sun2Cook_3,_1-25-12.jpg|thumb|225px|The [[Sun2Cook]] solar panel cooker]] |
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| − | *'''The Sun2Cook is a simple solar panel cooker''' - The [[Sun2Cook]], was designed by [[Heinz-Joachim Muller|Heinz-Joachim (Jo) Muller]]. The [[solar panel cooker]] takes shape from a single rectangular sheet of polypropylene sheet (core flute). With a few cuts and simple folds it is ready to cook. The steep back of the cooker makes it a good choice to take advantage of morning and late-day sunshine. |
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| + | ==June 2014== |
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| − | *[[Patricia McArdle]] attended a workshop dealing with the construction and proper alignment techniques for [[Scheffler Community Kitchen]]s in Dhule, India: [[Media:Solar Cooking Workshop Dhule 2012 .pdf|Read her report]]. |
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| + | * [[Media:A new turn toward solar cooking.pdf|A New Turn Toward Solar Cooking]] - ''Pia Piroschka Otte''. Learn how solar cookers are accepted and used in [[Burkina Faso]] and [[India]]. This paper discusses six case-studies from the two countries where [[Scheffler Community Kitchen|Scheffler reflectors]] were used by a diverse selection of institutions. More information about how solar cooker use can vary between cultures can be found on the [[Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables|solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables]] page. |
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| + | *[http://www.ediblemanhattan.com/eat/solar-cooking-fuel-emissions-baking-method/ Solar Cooking: The No-Fuel, No-Emissions Way to Make Dinner] - ''Edible Manhattan'' |
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| − | [[File:GAM_6991.jpg|thumb|225px|The [[All Season Solar Cooker]] captures the first morning sun.]] |
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| − | *'''The versatile All Seasons Solar Cooker cooks year-round '''- The [[All Season Solar Cooker]] is featured this month as a [[Solar panel cookers|solar panel cooker]] whose key feature is its adjustable, coordinated reflector array. The advantage of the ASSC is that it can efficiently capture the earliest morning sun, to begin cooking far earlier, and later, in the day than most other designs. The cooking pot maintains a level position regardless of cooker orientation. It also folds into a flat package that is easy to transport and ship. Visit the cooker article for plans that can be downloaded for free from designer [[Jim La Joie]]. SCI tests showed that bread could be baked easily in Seattle (47° N latitude) on February 3rd. |
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| − | ==January 2012== |
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| − | [[File:K14_totalb.jpg|thumb|200px|[[AlSol 1.4]] parabolic solar cooker donated by [[ACCESO]].]] |
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| − | *'''Spanish solar cooking promoter offers to donate cookers to other groups''' - [[ACCESO]] director, [[René Bijloo]], has made the generous offer to donate up to thirty [[AlSol 1.4]] [[parabolic solar cooker]]s to any non-profit humanitarian project providing solar energy options for rural areas around the world. Contact [[René Bijloo]] with detailed information about your program. |
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| + | [[File:WHO_HAP_deaths_by_location_2012.jpg|thumb]] |
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| − | *'''Private equity firm invests over $11 million USD in Gadhia Solar''' - Private equity firm Zephyr Peacock has reportedly invested $11,000,000 USD in Mumbai-based [[Gadhia Solar]] in [[India]].. The solar energy company provides energy solutions by using parabolic concentrated technology and has implemented some of the world’s largest solar thermal systems during the past two decades. [http://www.vccircle.com/500/news/zephyr-peacock-invests-up-to-rs-50cr-in-gadhia-solar Read more...] |
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| + | *'''Household air pollution from cooking fires kills more people than malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS combined''' - The journal Nature reports on a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report that states that 4.3 million people die annually from household air pollution caused by polluting biomass stoves used by one-third of the global population. However, efforts to introduce [[Rocket Stove|more efficient biomass stoves]] are failing. Read article in Nature: [http://www.nature.com/news/global-health-deadly-dinners-1.15286 Global health: Deadly dinners] |
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| + | *[http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/jose-andres-thinks-food-can-fix-the-world-starting-in-haiti/2014/06/05/8e4de760-d0cb-11e3-9e25-188ebe1fa93b_story.html José Andrés thinks food can fix the world, starting in Haiti] - ''The Washington Post'' |
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| − | *'''Jewish World Watch provides substantial grant for the Farchana Refugee Camp''' - [[Jewish World Watch]] has provided a grant of $200,000 USD to the UK NGO [[Cord]] to provide [[CooKit]]s to refugees at the [[Farchana Refugee Camp]] in [[Chad]]. This new project brings the number of [[refugee camps]] where solar cooking projects are underway to ten. [http://goo.gl/p5g14 Read more...] {{FeaturedProjects}} |
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| + | ==May 2014== |
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| − | [[File:Copenhagen_Solar_Cooker_Light,_Teong_Tan_variation.jpg|thumb|225px|[[Teong Tan]] variation of the [[Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light]]]] |
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| + | *'''Your data is requested for NIH household air pollution study''' - [http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-TW-14-008.html Request for Information (RFI): Global Cookstove Distribution Programs and Projects for Evaluation of Health Benefits] - Data submission is due June 30, 2014 |
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| − | *'''Featured solar panel cooker receives attention, and a suggestion''' - The [[Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light]] was featured here this past November, and [[Teong Tan]], an active participant in the Network, has suggested an alternate plate base design, which will shorten the assembly time and not require any bolts. His design for the base uses two sandwiched pieces of cardboard sewn together, creating sleeves for the reflector corners to slip into. [http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120103160123/solarcooking/images/7/78/Copenhagen_Solar_Cooker_Light_-_Alternate_Base.pdf Alternate Base Plate for the Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light] |
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| + | <table><tr> |
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| − | *'''Indian Government budgets six hundred million dollars for solar cooking!''' - [[Ajay Chandak]] of [[Prince India]] reports that in the Indian government's latest five year plan, 30 billion INR (approx. $600 million USD) is budgeted for solar cooking in 500,000 schools across [[India]]. This will not only help in saving the environment, but it will expose millions of school children to solar cooking and build the confidence that these systems work. For more information on solar cooking in India, {{See|India}}. |
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| + | <td style="padding-left:30px"> |
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| + | <imagemap>Image:Scr_may14.jpg|215px|none|border |
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| + | default [[Media:Scr_may14.pdf]] |
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| + | desc none |
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| + | </imagemap> |
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| + | </td> |
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| + | <td style="font-size:125%"> Read the [[Media:Scr_may14.pdf|Spring 2014 issue of Solar Cooker Review]]<br />...or see [[Solar_Cooker_Review#Back_issues|back issues]].</td></tr></table> |
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| + | [[File:Earthbound_Tech_cooker_test,_5-3-14.jpg|thumb|200px|Reciprocal light testing,'' (Earthbound Technology photo)'']] |
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| − | ==December 2011== |
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| + | *'''Photo of reciprocal light creates new approach to solar cooker testing''' - [http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Earthbound_Technology#Recent_news_and_developments William Bradley, founder of Earthbound Technology, has been developing a new way to be able to analyze potential performance of solar cookers] |
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| − | [[File:IMG_2656.jpg|thumb|256px|[[SolarCooker Eco3]] solar cookers are distributed in [[Senegal]]]] |
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| − | *'''Solar Cooking NV and Sol Suffit ship 630 solar cookers to Senegal''' - The project is a joint venture between [[Solar Cooking NV]] in the [[Netherlands]], and [[Sol Suffit]], a long time promoter of solar cooking in [[Senegal]]. The [[SolarCooker Eco3]] cookers will be introduced in Dakar and in eight villages next to Djoudj National Park. Local volunteers participated in workshops, and will be training others in the surrounding villages. Trainees were also made familiar with the method of [[Heat-retention cooking|heat retention cooking]]. They found it quite easy to make good quality hay baskets with inexpensive baskets(locally made) and empty rice bags filled with dry hay. |
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| − | [[File:Sun-Funnel_photo,_12-11.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Sun-Funnel]] panel cooker]] |
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| − | *'''A simple panel cooker makes advances in design''' - The [[Sun-Funnel]] cooker, designed by [[Teong Tan]], is similar to the [[Fun-Panel]] cooker, but with a different panel fold. The intent is to have a panel cooker that will be strong enough to support a cooking pot when the cooker is tipped back for better orientation to the sun. It also uses a stick placed through the cooker base to allow the pot to remain level while cooking. |
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| + | [[File:Ewb-Iran-April-2014.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Engineers Without Borders - Iran]] solar cooking workshop]] |
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| − | ==November 2011== |
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| + | *'''Solar cooking advocate in Iran trains high school students''' - [[Soheil Salimi]], a twenty-two year old civil engineering student, has started a chapter of [[Engineers Without Borders - Iran]], and has begun organizing solar cooking workshops in his free time. His latest class was at the Hafez high school for girls. Read more about his projects on his [[Soheil Salimi|personal page]]. |
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| − | [[File:Copenhagen_Solar_Cooker_variations_11-11.jpg_.jpg|thumb|250px|Variations in ways to configure the [[Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light]].]] |
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| − | [[File:Copenhagen_Solar_Cooker_Light_018.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light]] prior to final assembly.]] |
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| − | *'''Small, compact, and inexpensive solar panel cooker''' - The [[Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light]] is featured as an example of a nicely conceived [[solar panel cooker]]. It is flexible in it's design, as well as in the number of ways it can be configured. The components include a flat base plate, which flexible reflective panels are bolted to. Then using simple clamps, the cooker can be configured with a low open front and high back, or with more vertical sides for cooking when the sun is directly overhead. The designer, [[Sharon Clausson]], states that the curved shape of the cooker is more stable than typical panel cookers in windy conditions. |
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| − | *'''Patent landscape report on solar cooking''' - The World Intellectual Property Organization commissioned an extensive report on the state of solar cooking, prepared by Scope e-Knowledge Center Private Limited based in [[India]]. The report validates the viability of solar cooking, a technology well-suited for a growing portion of the world's population. It also provides a number of examples of various designs that have applied for patents. [http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/patentscope/en/programs/patent_landscapes/reports/documents/final_solar_cooking_scope_website_version.pdf Read the report]. |
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| + | ==April 2014== |
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| − | *'''Celebrity chef [[José Andrés]] makes an impassioned plea for improved cookstoves and solar cookers to benefit the world's poor.''' |
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| + | *'''Three cheers for the Girl Scouts''' - [http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/local_news/article_b8f2ec44-c6a9-11e3-84f2-0017a43b2370.html Girl Scouts in Texas can now earn a solar energy patch studying solar cooking and photovoltaic electrical generation] |
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| + | *'''German solar cooker manufacturer reaches impressive milestone''' - [[Stephan Zech]], with [[Sun and Ice]], reports that they have distributed 50,000 [[parabolic solar cooker]]s in the last ten years. |
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| − | :[[Video:TEDxWashingtonCircle - José Andrés - FOOD & COMMUNICATION Recipes for Development|none|400px]] |
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| − | == |
+ | ==March 2014== |
| + | *[http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Testing#Recent_news_and_developments Former SCI board member Paul Funk to participate in establishing cookstove and clean cooking solutions standards] |
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| + | [[File:Solar_Women_of_Totogalpa_baking_photo_4-24-10.jpg|thumb|250px|Nicaraguan group [[Solar Women of Totogalpa]] prepares baked goods for sale]] |
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| − | [[File:Ted_logo.gif|right|250px]] |
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| + | *'''How solar energy empowers women, youth in rural Nicaragua''' - Forty years ago Sabana Grande was ravaged by war. Now you will find people sitting under solar-powered lights, eating solar-cooked chicken, and drinking smoothies made by a bicycle-powered blender. Sabana Grande has embraced a solar culture that has transformed the community. [http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2014/0320/How-solar-energy-empowers-women-youth-in-rural-Nicaragua Read more...] (See also [[Solar restaurants and bakeries|other solar restaurants and bakeries]].) |
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| − | *'''TED Talks on solar cooking''' - [[Louise Meyer]] was joined by [[José Andrés]] and Marcela Valladolid for a TEDx WashingtonCircle presentation titled '''Food & Communication: Recipes for Development'''. Louise Meyer is a founding director of [[Solar Household Energy]], and a tireless and inspirational advocate of solar cooking technology. She has taught solar cooking in the [[refugee camps]] of East Africa and in villages from [[Zimbabwe]] to [[Mexico]]. José Andrés is an award-winning chef and restauranteur, who has made a substantial commitment of his time and resources to provide access to solar cooking in [[Haiti]]. The event was open to the public, and took place at the International Food Policy Research institute. You can watch the [http://tedxwashingtoncircle.com/tedxwashingtoncircle/2011-speaker-videos/ on-demand broadcast here]. |
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| + | * ''' NGO initiates second phase of solar bakery project in Burundi''' - [http://regions20.org/about/news/129-r20-initiates-second-phase-of-solar-bakery-project-in-burundi Regions 20] continues its efforts to help local bakers organize their solar bakery. [http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Burundi#News_and_Recent_Developments More information...] <b>Update: The deadline to submit proposals to supply the solar ovens has been extended.</b>. Interested parties will find more information here: [[Media:Invitation-to-Tender_Solar_Ovens.pdf|Invitation to Tender For Solar Bakery Project, Burundi]]. The scale of the project may be rather small, but the funding and implementation is coming from world leaders in the field of economic and environmental relief. |
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| − | [[Image:Bolivia-Inti_blue_box_cookers_cropped.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Bolivia Inti-Sud Soleil]] solar cooker construction workshop]] |
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| + | *[http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Kawesa_Mukasa#Recent_news_and_developments Renewable Energy Cooking Resource Center under construction in Biharwe, Uganda] |
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| − | *''' Bolivia Inti-Sud Soleil reports a decade of success''' - [[Bolivia Inti-Sud Soleil]] reports they have distributed more than 20,000 ecological appliances since 2000. From these 20,000, 14,000 have been solar cookers, mainly distributed in the South American countries of [[Peru]], [[Bolivia]], [[Chile]], and [[Argentina]]. Additionally, 5,000 [[Rocket Stove]]s were distributed in the African countries of [[Benin]], [[Chad]], and [[Guinea]], as well as to the South American countries. Besides solar cookers and stoves, they have also provided [[Heat-retention cooking|fireless cookers]], [[Solar food drying|solar food dryers]] and solar showers. On November 5, 2011, the organization is sponsoring a national conference addressing deforestation in Africa to be held in their hometown of Nantes, [[France]]. [http://www.boliviainti-sudsoleil.org Registration and program information.] {{Featured Projects}} |
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| + | ==February 2014== |
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| − | * '''Solar Cookers World Network Facebook group reaches 400 members''' - [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16213904406 Join the discussion]. |
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| + | *[http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/India#News_and_Recent_Developments School in Ladakh, India saves $23,000 USD in annual fuel costs with solar cookers] |
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| + | *[[Darwin Curtis#Recent news and developments|Darwin Curtis receives SCI Order of Excellence 2013]] |
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| − | [[File:Solvatten.jpg|thumb|149px|[[Solvatten]] water pasteurization system]] |
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| − | *'''Water pasteurization system changes community health in Kenyan village''' - [[Solvatten]] is a compact, portable solar [[water pasteurization]] appliance about the size of a small suitcase. A recent follow-up study of new users in the Bungoma district in western [[Kenya]] showed a marked improvement in family health and student attendance. Before Solvatten use, 67% of the children in the families had irregular attendance at school as a result of being sick, often with waterborne diseases. After purchasing Solvatten the overall attendance of children at school has increased by an average of 87 percent, as stated by the parents. Before using the system the typical family had someone ill three to four times per month, and that has changed to only .03 times per month. Since waterborne diseases have all but disappeared, people are saving money on medicines and medical services. |
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| + | *[[Friends of the Old#Recent news and developments|Friends of the Old in Kenya continues to distribute 100 safe water packages each month]] |
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| − | *The [http://solarcooking.org/newsletters/scr_pdfs/scr_oct11.pdf October 2011 issue] of [[Solar Cooker Review]] is now available online. You can also [http://www.solarcookers.org/green subscribe] to receive this newsletter electronically. |
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| − | |||
| − | *[[Media:The Case for Solar Thermal Cooking.pdf|The Case for Solar Thermal Cooking: Free Fuel—Zero Emissions]] - ''[[Patricia McArdle]]'' |
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| − | |||
| − | ==September 2011== |
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| − | * '''Solar water pasteurization research study results now available online''' - [http://www.solvatten.se/documents/SROI.pdf Social Return on Investment (SROI), the value added for families before and after using SOLVATTEN in the Bungoma district in western Kenya] |
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| − | |||
| − | ==August 2011== |
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| − | *'''The Spendid Table radio show interviews SCI Board Member Patricia McArdle''' - [http://tinyurl.com/3qsmj8j Listen to Patricia discussing solar cooking in Afghanistan]. |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:Wilson_solar_grill,_8-11.jpg|thumb|300px|Wilson solar grill uses latent [[heat storage]] to cook after sunset.]] |
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| − | *'''New solar grill uses latent heat storage''' - Students at MIT are working on a case study for a new type of solar powered outdoor grill. Based on the technology from MIT professor [[David Wilson]], this grill will collect thermal energy from the sun and store it to allow cooking times for up to twenty-five hours at temperatures above 230°C (450°F). Wilson’s technology uses a [[Fresnel solar reflector]] to harness the sun’s energy to melt down a container of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_nitrate lithium nitrate]. The lithium nitrate serves as a solar battery. Due to its phase change reaction, the thermal energy is able to be stored for longer periods of time and at higher temperatures, by means of latent [[heat storage]]. Heat is then redistributed through convection, which allows for outdoor cooking. [http://barbequelovers.com/grills/a-solar-grill-prototype-for-a-greener-tomorrow A Solar Grill Prototype for a Greener Tomorrow] - ''BarbequeLovers.com'' |
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| − | |||
| − | ==July 2011== |
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| − | *'''Solar ovens, renewable energy offer hope for Afghanistan (Reuters)''' - At first, she noticed Afghan children hauling brush. Then, in Afghan family compounds, she noticed women tending small fires and trying to cook over them. But it wasn't until U.S. diplomat [and [[Solar Cookers International]] Board Member] [[Patricia McArdle]] realized how often it was sunny in Afghanistan that she put it together with a youthful memory of cooking with solar ovens and realized this was a low-tech option offering long-term hope to the war-torn nation, which is preparing for a draw-down of U.S. troops. At first, she noticed Afghan children hauling brush. Then, in Afghan family compounds, she noticed women tending small fires and trying to cook over them. But it wasn't until U.S. diplomat Patricia McArdle realized how often it was sunny in Afghanistan that she put it together with a youthful memory of cooking with solar ovens and realized this was a low-tech option offering long-term hope to the war-torn nation, which is preparing for a draw-down of U.S. troops. [http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/19/books-afghanistan-energy-idUSL3E7IC0T820110719 Read more...] |
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| − | |||
| − | *'''July 2011 - June 2012: International opportunity for testing solar cooker designs''' - 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. India’s [[Promoters and Researchers in Non-Conventional Energy]] (PRINCE) group has updated standards for solar cookers, developed in conjunction with input from [[Members|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: [mailto:renewable.india@gmail.com renewable.india@gmail.com]. |
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| − | [[File:Dar_al_Noor_Mosque_demonstration_7-11.jpg|thumb|300px|Sampling solar cooked lentils, rice, potatoes, eggs, mixed vegetables, dahl, popcorn, tea, and for dessert, chocolate, yellow, lemon and spice cakes at the Dar al Noor Mosque, July 2011.]] |
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| − | *'''July 2011: Solar cooking expo at northern Virginia mosque''' - Solar cooking in Islamic countries is on the rise, but its wide-spread acceptance as a significant way to reduce the damage caused by smoky cooking fires will need greater support from the international development community. [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI) board member [[Patricia McArdle]] and [[Afzal Syed]] of the Dar al Noor Mosque congregation contributed to this goal by hosting a well-attended solar cooking demonstration at Syed's mosque in Manassas, Virginia on Saturday July 9. [[Solar Household Energy]] (SHE) co-founder [[Louise Meyer]] and two SHE volunteers from Washington DC also participated in this event. A popular DC radio show interview with McArdle about her novel [[Farishta]] two days before the event, drew large crowds from around the northern Virginia/DC metro region. |
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| − | |||
| − | [[Video:TAHA CHAMCHIHA Solar Cooking in the Sahel|thumb|300px|TAHA CHAMCHIHA Solar Cooking in the Sahel]] |
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| − | *'''Solar Cooking in the Sahel''' - A Goedhart Film production, TAHA CHAMCHIHA Solar Cooking in the Sahel, documents daily life for the Sudanese refugees living in camps in bordering [[Chad]]. [[Tchad Solaire]] has trained over 12,000 women in the use of simple [[solar panel cooker]]s. These [[CooKits]] have provided the women additional free time normally spent searching for scarce [[firewood]]. Within each camp there is a workshop center where cookers are made for distribution to the other residents. Though the cookers are somewhat fragile, the women have appreciated being involved with the process of making the simple CooKits. The film also shows how the companion ''Guffah'' [[heat-retention cooker]] baskets are being assembled to use with the panel cookers to keep the food piping hot for dinner, served in the early evening. |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:Global_Resource_Alliance_outside-_Kenya_-_October_2008.jpg|thumb|250px|A [[Global Resource Alliance]] workshop in [[Tanzania]]]] |
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| − | * '''Global Resource Alliance receives generous grant from the Ferguson Foundation''' - The [[Global Resource Alliance]] will use this grant to offer 50 solar cooking workshops in the Mara Region of [[Tanzania]] and over 1,000 subsidized solar [[CooKit]]s. This, in addition to a grant from [http://www.weforest.org/ WeForest] and Deliotte Belgium to plant 130,000 trees over the next two years, will help restore this heavily deforested area and prevent many health problems and deaths related to [[smoke inhalation]]. |
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| − | |||
| − | *'''United Nations report predicts growth in renewable energies based on the success of small-scale projects.''' - "The rapid growth of small-scale renewable energy applications in developing countries should underpin the continued expansion of the global renewables sector, despite a slump in investment levels at the start of this year. That is the view of Professor Ulf Moslener of the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, the academic body that produced today's United Nations Environmental Programme report into green energy investments, who predicted that unconventional renewable energy technologies such as systems designed for cooking and [[Solar food processing|food processing]] will drive future investment in the sector." - ''Business Green'' ([http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2086607/solar-cooking-heat-asias-green-energy-sector Read more...]) |
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| − | |||
| − | ==June 2011== |
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| − | *'''Heat storage offers the possibility of solar cooking even when the sun isn't shining''' - Research is underway around the world using high-tech and low-tech means to accumulate heat during the day for cooking at night or early in the morning. See our article on [[Heat storage]] for more information. |
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| − | |||
| − | *'''Voice of America interviews Patricia McArdle about her novel ''Farishta''''' - [[Solar Cookers International]] board-member [[Patricia McArdle]] discusses her award-winning novel in which solar cooking in Afghanistan is featured. Audio available [http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/arts/US-Womans-Afghan-Experience-Inspires-Novel-124293344.html here]. |
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| − | |||
| − | *'''Solar Cookers International is now an official Partner in the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves''' - [[Solar Cookers International|SCI]] is delighted to be working with the [[Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves|Global Alliance]] on its goal of enabling 100 million households to adopt clean and efficient cooking solutions. |
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| − | |||
| − | *'''United Nations seeks public input on solar cooking''' - The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is asking for public input on methodological issues for solar cooking projects under the [[Clean Development Mechanism]]. Input is welcome from June 3 until July 3, 2011. Log in and give your input on [http://cdm.unfccc.int/public_inputs/2011/ssc_solar_meth/index.html this page of the UNFCCC site]. |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:Farishta,_a_novel.jpg|right|130px]] |
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| − | *'''Listen to NPR’s Scott Simon interview SCI Board Member Patricia McArdle''' - [http://www.npr.org/2011/06/04/136928898/farishta-afghan-fiction-from-the-foreign-service Audio here]. The newly released novel ''[[Farishta]]'' by [[Solar Cookers International]] Board Member [[Patricia McArdle]] tells the compelling story of diplomat Angela Morgan. Stationed at a remote British Army outpost in northern [[Afghanistan]], Angela becomes frustrated at her inability to contribute to the country’s reconstruction. Slipping away disguised in a ''burka'' to provide aid to refugees, Angela becomes their ''farishta''—or "angel" in the local Dari language—and discovers a new purpose for her life. Farishta draws on the author’s experience as a diplomat in Afghanistan and her commitment to solar cooking. The importance and practicality of solar cooking is woven into the novel as Angela shares it with the local population. You can purchase ''Farishta'' at your local bookstore or [http://www.amazon.com/Farishta-Patricia-McArdle/dp/1594487960/ref=dp_return_2?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books online]. You can also [http://audio.cbsradionewsfeed.com/2011/06/02/14/RavivCBSNEWSINTERVIEWS-McArdlePatriciaFARISHTAnovelaboutAfghanistan1430_1801_1807480.mp3 listen to a recent interview] that Patricia McArdle did with CBS News. |
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| − | |||
| − | *'''Solar cooker and low-emission fuel stove innovation workshop this July in Oregon, USA''' - [[Solar Cookers International]] is proud to partner with the [[Aprovecho Research Center]] and join their Summer Stove Camp "Fuels of the Future" on the grounds of Aprovecho Labs in Cottage Grove, {{state|Oregon}}, [[USA]]. Those committed to improving the use of fuel for cooking will gather to spend one week learning, innovating, and creating improved designs and prototypes. |
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| − | |||
| − | ==May 2011== |
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| − | [[File:Solar_Trade_Fair_in_Totogalpa,_Nicaragua_5-11.jpg..jpg|thumb|300px|right|Women participants at the Solar Trade Fair in Totogalpa, [[Nicaragua]].]] |
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| − | *'''Women excel at the Solar Trade Fair in Totogalpa, Nicaragua''' - Twelve women participated in a program where they first, constructed [[solar box cooker]]s under the direction from the [[Solar Women of Totogalpa]] in [[Nicaragua]], and then set about to create their favorite recipes, which they demonstrated with their new ovens in a cook-off at the Solar Trade Fair. [[Mauro Perez]], a member and only man in the Women's Association is working on the project to develop solar equipment use. In addition to solar cookers, the association constructs solar energy panels and equipment for homes and farms. The group also sponsors international university students to come to the workshop and participate in the construction programs. Perez also reported to have received support from a United Nations program for the construction of infrastructure at the workshop. |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:SHE_HotPot_in_Gaga_camp.jpg|thumb|290px|One of the fifty women who received [[SHE]] training with a [[HotPot]] cooker in [[Chad]]. Note that this model is 1/3 larger then the standard HotPot.]] |
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| − | *'''SHE actively promotes solar cooking in East Africa and Latin America''' - [[Solar Household Energy]] (SHE) was commissioned to test acceptance of the [[HotPot]] solar oven in the [[Gaga Refugee Camp]] in eastern [[Chad]]. It shelters 20,000 people from [[Darfur]] in Western [[Sudan]]. [[Patrick Fourrier]], a French solar cooking expert affiliated with [[Bolivia Inti Sud Soleil]], completed the first phase of the project last month. He will also ensure that local support systems set in place to encourage continued use of the solar ovens are working effectively. Meanwhile, SHE has begun a cooperative relationship with [[Grupo Jaragua]], a highly respected non-governmental organization in the [[Dominican Republic]], to support a solar cooking initiative. Grupo Jaragua is aided by a Dominican eco-tourism and solar cooking advocate [[El Fuego del Sol]], which conducts the local assembly and subsidized sale of [[Sun Oven]] box cookers in rural communities near the Haitian border. They are also supporting [[The Nature Conservancy]]’s office in the Dominican Republic to add the [[integrated cooking method]] as a component of their reforestation project in [[Haiti]], and working to expand the solar cooking promotion efforts it undertook in [[Mexico]] with the [[Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature]] (FMCN) begun in 2004. On the public education front, SHE founding director [[Dar Curtis]] is participating as a contributing member of the Technology and Fuels Working Group of the [[Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves]]. This alliance of governments, corporations and non-profits is promoting cleaner cooking solutions than the open cooking fires and inefficient cookstoves used by three billion people around the world. Read more in the [[Media:SHE_update_spring_2011.pdf|SHE spring update 2011]]. |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:Lapin_Kulta_Solar_staff.jpg|300px|right]] |
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| − | *'''Traveling solar restaurant to visit European cities this summer''' - The [[Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen Restaurant]] aims to follow the sun through Europe the summer of 2011, visiting several cities where it will present an extraordinary culinary concept. Joining forces to bring this about are world-acclaimed Catalan designer [http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mart%C3%AD_Guix%C3%A9 Martí Guixé], Finnish food visionary [[Antto Melasniemi]] and Lapin Kulta beer. Opening during Milan Design Week 2011 in April, the restaurant will celebrate the sun, gourmet cooking, beer, life and art on its trail towards the never-setting summer sun of the Arctic Circle. Unlike the traditional way of cooking, solar heat affects the taste and texture of the dish in a surprising and positive way, producing a completely different taste experience. The public is invited to follow the construction of the Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen Restaurant at locations including Milan, Stockholm and Helsinki. You will be able to watch the cooking process and finally to enjoy the food in an outdoor setting. View [http://vimeo.com/22464054 opening day] in Milan, [[Italy]]. |
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| − | |||
| − | *'''Hillary Clinton: "We have got to do something about this!"''' - Ryan Lizza writes in the New Yorker Magazine: "Not long ago, I met with Kris Balderston, the State Department’s representative for global partnerships. He started working with Clinton ten years ago, when he guided her through the politics of upstate New York during her Senate race. Now he works on an array of entrepreneurial projects that complement traditional diplomacy. He talked excitedly about working with Vietnamese-Americans to build stronger ties to Vietnam and about distributing vaccines in partnership with Coca-Cola. He pointed to a bookcase stocked with devices that looked like a cross between a lantern and a paint bucket. These were advanced cookstoves. “This is a problem that the Secretary saw when she was First Lady,” Balderston said, explaining how lethal cooking smoke can be. “One half of the world cooks in open fires. Two million people die a year from it—that’s more than malaria and tuberculosis combined, and nearly as much as H.I.V.” On a trip to Congo in 2009, Clinton met a woman in a refugee camp who had been raped in the jungle on the outskirts of the camp while gathering wood for her stove. Telling the story at the State Department, Clinton was angrier than Balderston had ever seen her. “We have got to do something about this,” she said. Balderston spends much of his time trying to build a market for inexpensive, clean-burning cookstoves in the developing world." [http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/02/110502fa_fact_lizza?currentPage=all Read more...] |
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| − | |||
| − | ==April 2011== |
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| − | *'''European bread producer supports cooking projects in Africa''' - Europastry, located in [[Spain]], has signed an agreement with [[Sol Solidari]], an NGO that provides solar cookers, stoves and solar cookers to families in the Sahel region, across [[Ethiopia]] and Central [[Africa]]. Introducing new technologies, Sun Solidari helps to reduce health problems, poverty and deforestation in these countries. In Isalo, [[Uganda]] most households cook with wood, especially with the system of the three-stone fire. This system is extremely inefficient because a lot of the heat it generates is wasted. In addition, cooking with this system generates a lot of smoke, often inside homes, causing severe vision problems and increasing the incidence of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. Europastry has donated twenty solar ovens to help the creation of a micro-enterprise bakery in Isalo for a community of women to bake bread for sale, without the need for fuel. They have also funded the purchase of 600 efficient wood stoves for families in Bandiagara, [[Mali]]. These simple stoves, manufactured by local blacksmiths, consume only a third of the firewood used in traditional three-stone cook fires. [http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.europastry.com/noticia64.php&sl=es&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Read more...] |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:Ultra_Sun_Cooker,_Ron_Mutebi.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Ultra Sun Cooker]] to be manufactured in [[Uganda]] by [[Ron Mutebi]].]] |
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| − | *'''Solar cooker manufacturing business in Uganda is moving forward''' - Hopefully, production will begin this April in [[Uganda]]. In a recent interview with ''The EastAfrican'', [[Ron Mutebi]] revealed that he has more than 1,000 prospective buyers for his product. "The [[Ultra Sun Cooker]] is designed to meet up to 70 percent of the cooking needs of a typical family, entirely using the power of the sun,” he says. Uganda’s dependence on forest resources for the domestic energy needs of most families continues to deplete the forest cover, a problem other East African countries are also battling with. It is estimated by the Food and Agricultural Organization that Uganda is currently losing almost 2% of their forested areas annually. [http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/1129580/-/item/2/-/s6lphmz/-/index.html Read more...] |
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| − | |||
| − | ==March 2011== |
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| − | *'''Solar cooking helps AIDS patients in Malawi''' - [[Sun Ovens International]], an {{state|Illinois}}, [[USA]] company, joins forces with the [[Rotary Club of Naperville]], Illinois to help promote solar cooking for the people of [[Malawi]], [[Africa]]. Given the economic and health struggles the country is currently facing, this population will benefit greatly from having access to safer and healthier food. The [[Global Sun Oven]]s they brought were perfect in slow cooking the “seven grains” diet given to people living with AIDS. This is a nutritious blend of seven wholesome grains that, when softened, provide patients the best nutrition without being too heavy or harsh on their digestion. Prior to the introduction of solar ovens, people would use a huge amount of fuel like [[charcoal]] or [[firewood]] to soften these grains. Now, all they have to do is to harness the power of the sun to cook their food. This minimizes their exposure to cooking fumes and the need to gather fuel. [http://www.prlog.org/11391943-sun-ovens-partners-with-naperville-rotary-club-to-bring-solar-ovens-to-malawi.html Read more...] |
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| − | |||
| − | *'''Worldwide competition for solar cookers coming in October (''postponed until possibly Jan. 2012'').''' - The International Symposium on Renewable Energy, sponsored by [[Promoters and Researchers in Non-Conventional Energy]], will take place in Dhule, [[India]] from October 11th -13th. The symposium includes lectures and activities on renewable energy, as well as, a side by side performance competition for solar cookers and domestic wood stoves. Many variations of solar cookers and stoves have been used in the past for projects promoting [[ICM|integrated cooking]] around the world. As solar cooking is being recognized as a valuable part of the solution in helping to reduce deforestation and respiratory disease, policy makers, governments, and NGO's will be looking at which designs provide the best real-world performance. To accomplish this comparison, testers will use an approach called the [[Testing#Kitchen_Performance_Test_.28KPT.29|Kitchen Performance Test]]. The competition will focus on cooker output, cost, and ease of use in two solar cooking categories, [http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Parabolic_solar_reflectors concentrating] solar cookers and other designs, typically [http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Solar_box_cookers box] and [http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Solar_panel_cookers panel] cookers. All manufacturers, suppliers, and inventors are welcome to participate in the competition. Also, there is no entry fee, though participants are responsible for transporting their designs to the symposium site. [http://princeindia.org/events/index.php More Information...] |
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| − | |||
| − | * '''Solar Cooker Review now delivered electronically''' - You can now [http://solarcookers.org/green sign up for electronic delivery] of [[Solar Cooker Review]], SCI's information-packed newsletter. |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:John_Wells_house_3-11.jpg|thumb|300px|John Wells at home in the {{state|Texas}} desert.]] |
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| − | *'''Former New York City photographer lives off-grid in Texas desert with his solar cooker''' - A ''New York Times'' article reports on John Wells, living a solitary existence in the west {{state|Texas}}, [[USA]] desert. If you stop by, he may offer you dinner: a plate of red beans, rice and broccoli, and a tangy slice of homemade cheese, olive and beer bread, cooked all afternoon in his solar oven. His structures are primarily recycled shipping containers, and he has made several clever adaptations of household appliances, including a pedal-powered clothes washer. Using his solar cooker, made from a recycled satellite dish, is central to his daily activities. [http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/garden/10texas.html?_r=1 ''New York Times'' article with photos of his cooker]. |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:SCI_Kisumu_3-7-11.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Uganda]] LGH Director, Amberle Reyes, visits [[Solar Cookers International]] demonstration in Kisumu.]] |
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| − | *'''Light Gives Heat visits Solar Cookers International demonstration in Kisumu, Kenya''' - [[Light Gives Heat]] (LGH) is a NGO promoting grass-root economic sustainability and creative endeavors in [[Africa]]. [[Uganda]]n Director, Amberle Reyes and a staff member recently visited a demonstration of sustainable cooking methods sponsored by [[Solar Cookers International]]. It included traditional fixed and portable earthenware stoves, called ''upesi'' in Kiswahili, which more efficiently use [[charcoal]] or wood as fuel, [[CooKit]] solar panel cookers, and [[heat-retention cooking]] baskets. They were most interested in solar cookers and fireless baskets. Locals were initially attracted to solar cooking not because of the possibility of saving money by buying less fuel, or the health benefits of indoor smoke reduction, but because solar cookers can bake cakes. Cake is seen as a "rich person food", and LGH saw an entrepreneurial opportunity: Cakes are sold for weddings and birthdays. Most people cannot make high-quality cakes because of the irregular temperatures of charcoal and wood stoves, but solar cookers bake perfect, moist cakes with very little worry of burning or overcooking. At the end of March, SCI staff will bring CooKIts and retained-heat cooking baskets to Jinja and demonstrate first-hand their effectiveness to all the LGH employees. Light Gives Heat has received an $8,000 USD grant to supply their Uganda artisans with these solar cookers. [http://hope.lightgivesheat.org/blog/sustainable-cooking More Information and photos...] |
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| − | |||
| − | [[File:Phaeton_photo_3-11.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Phaeton]] array with comfortable, waist-high cooking console.]] |
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| − | *'''A flat panel approach to a parabolic solar cooker''' - The [[Phaeton]], developed by [[Fraser Symington]] and [[Lorin Symington]] of [[ASTRA]], is a scaled down version of their earlier [[Helios Array]]. It consists of an array of mirrors supported on a straight steel frame and a cooking console. The light is first focused onto a second reflector, which sends it up to the base of the console, at a convenient working height of 76 cm (30"). With 35 square feet, or 3.2 square meters of collection area, the Phaeton achieves a 5 min/1L boil. A pot with 8L of water will boil in 35 minutes. The flat panel approach to construction allows this cooker to be fabricated for approximately US$350, considerably less than the typical [[parabolic solar cooker]] of this scale. Due to the high range of temperatures it is capable of achieving, the Phaeton can bake, boil, fry, roast, dry, or distill water. With a fan powered dehydrator, it will dry 12 kg of fresh, juicy pineapple into over 2 kg of perfect dry tidbits in twelve hours. The trade-off for such power and convenience is a long focal distance. This means that the Phaeton must be reoriented approximately every seven minutes for maximum output. The array is mounted on caster style wheels, and is easy to rotate for reorientation to the sun. Possibly a candidate for a [[SCK|village cooker]] shared with several households. |
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| − | *'''Big success of the sale of subsidized solar ovens in Lalibela (Ethiopia)''' - In 2008 [http://www.solsolidari.org/ Sol Solidari] started to introduce solar ovens in Lalibela and in the Abune Yosef mountains. The solar ove[[File:Ethiopia_solar.jpg|thumb|Lalibela, Ethiopia. January 2010]]ns are a kind of sealed boxes with glass in the upper part. The solar rays that come into the box cannot go out of it and the inside heats up like a conventional oven. This oven is less expensive than a solar cooker, but it is also slower. The idea is to be able to cook without supervising the food whilst cooking; although the preparation of the food will take several hours. In a first phase of the project the solar ovens were given free to the families with the biggest needs. These families were chosen by the kebeles to promote the knowledge of this new technology. In this way 166 ovens were given during the years 2008 and 2009. Now that the people in this area have seen the functioning and the benefits of these solar ovens we took a start, in 2011, to sell them subsidized. [http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Big_success_of_the_sale_of_subsidized_solar_ovens_in_Lalibela_(Ethiopia) (Read more)] |
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| + | [[File:French_solar_food_cart,_2-10-14.jpg|188px|thumb|See [[Sun and Ice#News and recent developments|Sun and Ice]].]] |
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| − | ==February 2011== |
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| + | *'''French solar cuisine done with style - ''' [[Sun and Ice]] shares photos of one of their reflectors incorporated into a portable solar kitchen, created by one of their customers in [[France]]. The small, trailered construction is a rolling work of art. See more photos on the [https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.605247826234177.1073741835.182264431865854&type=1 facebook page.] |
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| − | [[Image:Food_versus_charcoal.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Solar cookers allow the world's poor to apply the money they save on fuel toward the purchase of more food. In Nairobi, Kenya, for example, each food item shown in this photo costs individually the same as the pile of [[charcoal]] in the middle of the photo.]] |
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| − | * '''The Impact of Rising Food Prices''' - Across the globe, food stocks are down in part because of unfavorable weather, ranging from drought to floods in various parts of the world. The demand for rice and other grains, meanwhile has been growing, especially in big developing countries like China. This situation has added to the struggle for families trying to survive, and has helped to fuel protests in the Mideast. With food costs rising in developing nations, there is less money for the population to buy needed fuel, primarily charcoal, for cooking. Introducing solar cooking to more areas is an important way for residents to offset the higher price of food staples. [http://www.npr.org/2011/02/18/133852810/the-impact-of-rising-food-prices-on-arab-unrest#commentBlock Read more...] |
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| + | * [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI) is proud to receive funding from The Agua Fund, Inc. for the SCInet Wiki. Read SCI’s current [[Media:SCI_Annual_Report_2012-2013.pdf|Annual Report]]. |
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| − | * '''Solar cooker manufacturer offers additional aid to Haiti''' - [[Sun Ovens International]] is pledging to match every [[Sun Oven]] purchased dollar for dollar and will donate all the proceeds to the disaster-stricken people in [[Haiti]] through the [[Friends of Haiti Organization]] (FOHO). Cash donations are also accepted and will also be matched. [http://www.prlog.org/11310295-sun-ovens-international-brings-solar-cooking-to-haiti.html Read more...] |
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| + | ==January 2014== |
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| − | *'''The World Wildlife Fund, working with energy consultant, Ecofys, has launched "The Energy Report"''' - It presents a detailed plan for earth's population, to thrive without nuclear and fossil fuels by 2050! The report includes solar cookers as one of the zero emissions solutions to the harmful indoor air pollution and massive deforestation faced by hundreds of millions of people in the developing world who still cook over open fires. [http://assets.panda.org/downloads/101223_energy_report_final_print_2.pdf The Energy Report] |
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| + | [[File:SunFocus_hybrid_cooker_2,_1-29-14.jpg|thumb|200px|The [[SunFocus Solar Oven]]]] |
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| + | *'''Hybrid solar cooker includes electrical back-up option''' - Since 2010, David Chalker, founder of the [[Sun BD Corporation]], has been working on a version of a [[solar box cooker]] that includes an electrical heating element, rated at 465 watts / 120v. The [[SunFocus]] has a built-in thermostat which will turn off the electrical heating element once the cooker has reached 150°C (300°F). The cookers are made in Waterloo, {{state|New York}}, [[USA]]. |
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| + | [[File:MiniSun12H_rechargable_lamp,_1-24-14.jpg|thumb|300px|The [http://www.minisun12h.org MiniSun12H] lamp recharges in sunlight.]] |
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| − | [[Video:Solar-Powered Cooking Arrives in Southern Mexico|thumb|300px|thumb|[[Taqueria Poncho, solar street vendor]] arrives in Oaxaca, [[Mexico]].]] |
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| + | *'''Solar cooking works with solar lighting to help families save money''' - [[Stephen Pearson]], founder of [[SUN-LIFE]], has been helping residents of [[Ghana]] for many years save on cooking fuel expense by learning to use the [[CooKit]] solar cooker. His new goal is to help these families further reduce their kerosene usage by offering a low cost portable lamp to replace their fuel-burning lanterns. The new [http://www.minisun12h.org MiniSun12H] lamp has an integrated photovoltaic panel to recharge the lamp during the day. The projected retail price for the lamp is $5 USD. His reasoning is; if a family can save on cooking fuel using the CooKit, then they will have enough money to be able to buy the new lamp. Using both approaches, the families should be able to save $50-100 USD on kerosene expense annually. Money is saved, and [[indoor air pollution]] is reduced. You can help him with this project by supporting his efforts at [http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/goodbye-dangerous-kerosene-hello-safe-solar-minisun12h Indiegogo] fund raising. You can learn more about the new lamp in this short [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7-vhlAefeU video]. |
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| − | *'''The first solar powered street vendor in Oaxaca, Mexico''' - The inventor of the system is swiss engineer, [[Michael Götz]]. The vendor who operates the cart is Alfredo Garcia Martinez. See: [[Taqueria Poncho, solar street vendor]], watch the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_14itmU-2k video]. |
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| − | [[File:Eldoret,_Kenya_students_2010.jpg|thumb|350px|Eldoret, [[Kenya]] students with their recently constructed [[solar panel cooker]]s.]] |
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| − | *'''Student success shows independent spread of solar cooking''' - The [[Eldoret Student Projects]] in [[Kenya]], spearheaded by [[Camily Wedende]] of [[Sun Cookers International]], and aided by long-distance adviser, [[Sharon Cousins]], of [[Solar Cookers International]], have taken an important step in that spread with a student team who not only learned how to cook with sunshine but also learned to take a creative and scientific approach to solar cooking. Students researched existing solar cookers on the [[Solar Cookers World Network]] site. They put their heads together and came up with new ideas to try. They performed comparative tests on an existing model and two of their prototypes. While all three reached cooking temperatures, one innovation showed the strongest performance at their location. All twenty students built durable [[solar panel cooker]]s to take home to the camps where they live, and have been using them to prepare food and provide water [[pasteurization]] for their families. They keep records of their progress and experiments, amazing the neighbors who stop by to see food cooking in a stove powered by sunshine, a stove that children in their community helped to invent. Camily and the team hope that other schools and clubs can use the example of their pilot project to help more youth become scientists for solar cooking, to aid in the spread of this bright idea whose time has come. |
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| + | *'''International aid organization seeks solar cookers for bakery in Burundi''' - The global relief organization [http://www.regions20.org R20-Regions of Climate Action] has organized a solar bakery project in Rutegama, [[Burundi]]. Currently the bakery, in operation since 2006, has relied on wood-fired ovens, with the wood needing to be gathered by the women working at the bakery. They are soliciting proposals from tenders interested in providing three institutional solar ovens required to convert the bakery to solar. The ovens must be limited to three meters (a little under 10 ft.) in height, and if carried, weighing no more than 10 kg (22 lbs.). <b>Update: new deadline of offers to be submitted by Friday 28th February 2014</b>. Interested parties will find more information here: [[Media:Invitation-to-Tender_Solar_Ovens.pdf|Invitation to Tender For Solar Bakery Project, Burundi]]. The scale of the project may be rather small, but the funding and implementation is coming from world leaders in the field of economic and environmental relief. |
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| − | ==January 2011== |
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| − | * '''Indian government clears plan for sixty solar cities''' - The Indian Government will kick off an ambitious scheme to develop sixty solar cities in two years. It will be done in collaboration with city corporations, municipalities and district councils. The focus will be on renewable energy devices such as kitchen waste-based plants, solar water heating systems, solar cooking systems, solar steam generation, drying and air heating systems, solar air-conditioning, bio-mass gasification based systems and biogas. [http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/govt-clears-plan-60-solar-cities-208 Read more...] |
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| + | [[File:Chile_box_cookers_2,_Guai_Bao,_1-14-14.jpg|thumb|300px|Recently constructed [[solar box cooker]]s in Ovalle, [[Chile]].]] |
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| − | * '''U.S. Department of State awards $100,000 grant to Turkish foundation''' - The grant will allow the [[Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work]] (FSWW) to launch a year-long solar cooking project. The project will have two phases. During the first phase, educational seminars about the effects of climate change are planned in several communities — Istanbul, the Marmara district of Bandırma, the southern province of Hatay and the southeastern province of Mardin. Renewable energy sources will be discussed as alternatives to smokey cooking fires. An estimated 2,000 solar cookers will be built and sold by women’s groups during the second phase of the project, providing needed income opportunities. [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=four-innovative-women-projects-get-us-funding-2011-01-24 Read more...] |
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| + | *'''New solar cookers ready for distribution in Chile''' - Guai Bao, traveling in [[Chile]], sent along this photo of newly constructed [[solar box cooker]]s at a manufacturing facility in Ovalle. The cookers are well thought out. They are sturdy with insulated inner walls, and an internal high-back reflector to catch the sun. The front wall is low and slightly tipped forward to avoid blocking any sunlight. The external side reflectors appear to be able swing closed and protect the glass surface. They look ready to start cooking sitting on the small tables, which provides a convenient work height for users. The cooker construction is being supervised by [[Ruddy Viscarra]]. See more [https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10152103262019407&type=1 assembly photos] on [https://www.facebook.com/groups/scwnet facebook]. |
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| + | [[File:Suryakumbh_2014.png|thumb|300px|3,484 children from 80+ schools participated in the world's largest solar cooking class in Mumbai. [http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-mumbai-3484-kids-take-part-in-largest-solar-cooking-session-set-guinness-record-1945468 Read more...]]] |
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| − | * '''Flood-affected Pakistanis receive solar generators and cookers''' -- The people of Swat, [[Pakistan]] have received solar-powered energy generators for electricity and solar-powered cooking equipment funded by a leading Berlin-based non-governmental organization, [[German Aid for Afghan Children]] (GAAC). The organization has begun one million Euros relief and reconstruction work in the Khyber Pakhtunhwa's districts worst hit by floods. GAAC had announced in 2010 the distribution of solar-powered lithium-ion batteries to generate electricity and solar cooking equipment for the planned 1000 families of Swat, Nowshera, Pabbi and Bannu districts. [http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/display/wire-news-display/1344743867.html Read more...] |
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| + | *'''India raises the bar for the world's largest solar cooking class''' - "As many as 3,484 children from over 80 schools participated in the largest solar cooking initiative Suryakumbha on January 4th, which has qualified as an entry to the Guinness Book of World Records. The emergence of renewable sources of energy as an answer to the imminent exhaustion of conventional energy sources pushed a Bhayander NGO, Keshav Srushti, to start with the most influential members of society, children." The class was held in Mumbai, [[India]]. [http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-mumbai-3484-kids-take-part-in-largest-solar-cooking-session-set-guinness-record-1945468 Read more...] |
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| + | *The January 2014 issue of [[Solar Cooker Review]] is now available online. |
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| − | [[Video:Greencook barbecue solaire COOKUP200|350px|right]] |
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| + | ::<imagemap>Image:Scr_jan14.jpg|140px|none|border |
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| − | * '''ID Cook offers Portable snap-together parabolic solar cooker''' - Based in [[France]], [[ID Cook]] markets the [[Cookup200]]. A clever design, it is assembled quickly from notched pieces that fit together without fasteners. When disassembled, it is easily transported in a relatively compact travel bag. Typically this style of cooker is constructed with fairly heavy materials, and a single piece reflector. Parabolic cookers are often used at a single location. This [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGPluZ_tCxE video] of the lightweight solar cooker demonstrates its assembly, operation, and portability. |
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| + | default [[Media:Scr_jan14.pdf]] |
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| − | [[File:SCI_exhibition_at_the_UN_1-20-11.jpg|thumb|325px|[[Solar Cookers International]] exhibition at the UN.]] |
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| + | desc none |
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| − | * '''Solar Cookers International exhibition and reception at the Untied Nations a success''' - Representatives from non-governmental organizations and interested supporters attended the three-hour, open-house event put on by [[Solar Cookers International]] on January 18th. The concept of solar cooking is so important, that representatives from [[Nigeria]], the Middle East, [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], and [[Somalia]] made it through freezing, blowing rain to attend the exhibition. A wide variety of solar cookers were on display with informational material accompanying the cookers. Video loops played throughout the evening, showing real people around the world cooking with the sun and training others to do so. There was a real urgency at the exhibition that the message of solar cooking be strong, unified, and be present in global discussions of development and progress for people around the world. |
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| + | </imagemap> |
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| + | ==2013== |
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| + | {{Main|Solar cooking news archive 2013}} |
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| + | ==2012== |
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| − | * '''African solar cooking partnership project visited by Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the [[United States|U.S.]] Vice President''' - [[Lift Up Africa]] is a strong believer that partnering and sharing resources is a key to successful implementation and sustainability. This project was designed to introduce solar cooking and related technologies to ten communities in [[Kenya]]. The partnership relied on [[Africa HEART]], a Kenyan-based NGO recently visited by Vice President Biden’s wife Dr. Jill Biden, to identify three community groups in each district, the fifty trainees in each community, and training venues. Africa HEART covered expenses and handling logistics related to transport for the solar cooking equipment, distribution venues, and follow-up on usage and other needs. [[Solar Cookers International East Africa Office]] (SCI-EA) provided the trainers and supplies, written reports, and conducted the training. Lift Up Africa provided a grant to cover direct expenses related to equipment purchase and SCI-EA’s travel, partnership connections, and worked with Africa HEART on follow-up and project evaluation. This project was a success and 150 families, approximately 1,200 people, have benefited from their new training and solar cooking equipment. This project demonstrates the value of independent organizations working together, each providing their area of expertise, to achieve substantial results. Hopefully, this will be a continuing pattern for projects initiated by members of the [[Solar Cookers World Network]]. |
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| + | {{Main|Solar cooking news archive 2012}} |
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| + | ==2011== |
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| − | [[File:IMG 0663.JPG|right|300px]] |
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| + | {{Main|Solar cooking news archive 2011}} |
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| − | * '''Haiti - One year later''' - [[Haiti]] continues to benefit from solar cooking. [[Solar Cookers International]] (SCI) and [[International Child Care Ministries]] (ICCM) are working to expand a project in the schools around Port Au Prince to integrate solar cooking into the 5th grade science curriculum. The goal is that each student will receive a [[CooKit]] to use each day in preparing and cooking their lunch, all the time learning about science. Training and certification of teachers continues, as do SCI’s efforts to secure funding to provide 2000 more CooKits for this school project. To date, SCI has provided 200 CooKits, pots and [[Water Pasteurization Indicator]]s (WAPIs) for four schools. With [http://www.solarcookers.org/support/donations.html your help], we will achieve our goal of 2000 more! Reaching students in their classrooms, teaching a new lifestyle habit, while at the same time providing environment education is a winning program. Background: SCI, in collaboration with [[Sun Ovens International]] and ICCM, distributed over 400 CooKits in Haiti immediately following the devastating earthquake there. Near the community of Pigeon, 135 Haitians were trained in solar cooking by [[Programme Energie Solaire]]. Each participant received a CooKit, a [[pot]] and a WAPI, giving these earthquake survivors a method to cook their food and [[pasteurize]] their water without need of scarce and expensive fuel. Solar cooking is technology that offers relief in disaster situations: 1) When infrastructures are in ruins and no energy or gas is available, solar cooking utilizes the sun to cook hot food; 2) When fuel is scarce, cooking with the sun offers a clean, workable solution; 3) Solar cookers fight cholera by heating water to pasteurization temperatures (65°C or 150°F); and 4) Using a solar cooker requires only the sun, and does not necessitate searching for other forms of fuel. Families can stay together and remain safe. SCI thanks you for your ongoing support for solar cooking in Haiti. |
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==2010== |
==2010== |
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{{SeeAlsoCurrentNews}} |
{{SeeAlsoCurrentNews}} |
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| + | [[Category:News archive]] |
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Revision as of 22:32, 7 January 2015
 |
See also: Current news
October 2014
- José Andrés debuts Sunny Day pop-up restaurant at Life is Beautiful festival - At the Life is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas, NV, José Andrés debuted Sunny Day, his new solar-powered pop-up restaurant. His goal for the new pop-up restaurant is to educate Americans about clean cooking around the world. Interview with José Andrés.
Sarah Collins with the Wonderbag
- Heat-retention cooker receives world attention - Wonderbag reports that over 650,000 of the brightly colored heat-retention cooking bags have been distributed worldwide.
Guro Seim, the CEO of Morpho Solar, and Catlin Powers, COO of One Earth Designs, prepare a meal on a SolSource solar cooker. - Morpho Solar
Solar Cooker Success in Afghanistan!
- 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 company tackles heat storage for solar cookers - Guro Seim, CEO of Morpho Solar, announced a breakthrough in the heat storage capabilities for solar cookers. Read more...
- Global Hope Network International delivers solar cookers to Afghanistan - The Global Hope Network International reports its recent success in transporting 300 solar cookers to rural villages in central Afghanistan where all 300 were purchased by villagers.
- 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. Read more at: Solar Cooker Report Mauritania, April 2014
- Gourmet cook shifts to solar catering - Pierre-André Aubert used a mobile solar kitchen unit with an 8m² Scheffler Reflector, mounted on a trailer, in summer 2014 to cook for various events in the south of France. More info... -
- New SCInet members - The SCInet wishes to welcome new member Clement Musonda, an engineer promoting solar cooking in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and John Futhey, a solar cooker designer in Santa Rosa, California, USA.
September 2014
 |
Read the Fall 2014 issue of Solar Cooker Review ...or see back issues. |
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Solar Cooker Research
Under the direction of physics professor Dr. Peter Schwartz, a team of physics and engineering students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California are conducting research on a simplified Scheffler reflector design that could be used by people in developing countries to heat water and cook food. They are also researching hybrid technologies that combine the use of a solar reflector and a Rocket Stove for uninterrupted cooking.
-
Dr. Bing Gu, CEO California Sunlight
Dr. Bing Gu was interviewed at the SCInet Solar Cooking Convention 2014. His Fresnel lens solar thermal cooking device can reach 315° (600°F), can track the sun and can store heat for nighttime cooking. He is seeking investors so California Sunlight Corporation can begin mass production.
- New SCInet members - The SCInet wishes to welcome new members, the C.V. Ramen College of Engineering, under the leadership of Sanjib Rout in India. Also California, USA educator Sheela Kiiskila, and Koku Selom Agbavito, Executive Director of A.V.E.S-TOGO. Also, Irene Perbal from Jackson, California, USA has joined, and is represented by Solar Cooking Plus.
The Sun Juicer lightweight parabolic solar cooker
- 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
- From 'Wonderbags' to solar cooking, brilliant solutions to Africa's alarming charcoal problem - Mali & Guardian Africa (See also: Wonderbag page)
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.
July 2014
- New video from Pat McArdle where people from all around the world tell why they solar cook:
 Yes We Do Solar Cook |
Solar Cooking Festival 2014, Sacramento, California, USA
- Solar cooking conference extols virtues of cookers to developing world (Sacramento Bee) - Hundreds of people Saturday cooked using only the power of the sun – a practice little used in the United States, but considered a liberating tool for women in developing countries that also helps curb greenhouse gas emissions. Read more...
A heat-retention cooker designed for multiple pots.
- The value of heat-retention cooking reviewed - Kris De Decker, author and founder of Low-Tech Magazine, reviews the history of heat-retention cooking and its value when used with solar cookers. If We Insulate Our Houses, Why Not Our Cooking Pots?
June 2014
- A New Turn Toward Solar Cooking - Pia Piroschka Otte. Learn how solar cookers are accepted and used in Burkina Faso and India. This paper discusses six case-studies from the two countries where Scheffler reflectors were used by a diverse selection of institutions. More information about how solar cooker use can vary between cultures can be found on the solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables page.
- Solar Cooking: The No-Fuel, No-Emissions Way to Make Dinner - Edible Manhattan
- Household air pollution from cooking fires kills more people than malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS combined - The journal Nature reports on a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report that states that 4.3 million people die annually from household air pollution caused by polluting biomass stoves used by one-third of the global population. However, efforts to introduce more efficient biomass stoves are failing. Read article in Nature: Global health: Deadly dinners
- José Andrés thinks food can fix the world, starting in Haiti - The Washington Post
May 2014
- Your data is requested for NIH household air pollution study - Request for Information (RFI): Global Cookstove Distribution Programs and Projects for Evaluation of Health Benefits - Data submission is due June 30, 2014
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Read the Spring 2014 issue of Solar Cooker Review ...or see back issues. |
Reciprocal light testing, (Earthbound Technology photo)
- Photo of reciprocal light creates new approach to solar cooker testing - William Bradley, founder of Earthbound Technology, has been developing a new way to be able to analyze potential performance of solar cookers
Engineers Without Borders - Iran solar cooking workshop
- Solar cooking advocate in Iran trains high school students - Soheil Salimi, a twenty-two year old civil engineering student, has started a chapter of Engineers Without Borders - Iran, and has begun organizing solar cooking workshops in his free time. His latest class was at the Hafez high school for girls. Read more about his projects on his personal page.
April 2014
- Three cheers for the Girl Scouts - Girl Scouts in Texas can now earn a solar energy patch studying solar cooking and photovoltaic electrical generation
- German solar cooker manufacturer reaches impressive milestone - Stephan Zech, with Sun and Ice, reports that they have distributed 50,000 parabolic solar cookers in the last ten years.
March 2014
Nicaraguan group Solar Women of Totogalpa prepares baked goods for sale
- How solar energy empowers women, youth in rural Nicaragua - Forty years ago Sabana Grande was ravaged by war. Now you will find people sitting under solar-powered lights, eating solar-cooked chicken, and drinking smoothies made by a bicycle-powered blender. Sabana Grande has embraced a solar culture that has transformed the community. Read more... (See also other solar restaurants and bakeries.)
- NGO initiates second phase of solar bakery project in Burundi - Regions 20 continues its efforts to help local bakers organize their solar bakery. More information... Update: The deadline to submit proposals to supply the solar ovens has been extended.. Interested parties will find more information here: Invitation to Tender For Solar Bakery Project, Burundi. The scale of the project may be rather small, but the funding and implementation is coming from world leaders in the field of economic and environmental relief.
- Renewable Energy Cooking Resource Center under construction in Biharwe, Uganda
February 2014
See Sun and Ice.
- French solar cuisine done with style - Sun and Ice shares photos of one of their reflectors incorporated into a portable solar kitchen, created by one of their customers in France. The small, trailered construction is a rolling work of art. See more photos on the facebook page.
- Solar Cookers International (SCI) is proud to receive funding from The Agua Fund, Inc. for the SCInet Wiki. Read SCI’s current Annual Report.
January 2014
- Hybrid solar cooker includes electrical back-up option - Since 2010, David Chalker, founder of the Sun BD Corporation, has been working on a version of a solar box cooker that includes an electrical heating element, rated at 465 watts / 120v. The SunFocus has a built-in thermostat which will turn off the electrical heating element once the cooker has reached 150°C (300°F). The cookers are made in Waterloo, New York, USA.
The MiniSun12H lamp recharges in sunlight.
- Solar cooking works with solar lighting to help families save money - Stephen Pearson, founder of SUN-LIFE, has been helping residents of Ghana for many years save on cooking fuel expense by learning to use the CooKit solar cooker. His new goal is to help these families further reduce their kerosene usage by offering a low cost portable lamp to replace their fuel-burning lanterns. The new MiniSun12H lamp has an integrated photovoltaic panel to recharge the lamp during the day. The projected retail price for the lamp is $5 USD. His reasoning is; if a family can save on cooking fuel using the CooKit, then they will have enough money to be able to buy the new lamp. Using both approaches, the families should be able to save $50-100 USD on kerosene expense annually. Money is saved, and indoor air pollution is reduced. You can help him with this project by supporting his efforts at Indiegogo fund raising. You can learn more about the new lamp in this short video.
- International aid organization seeks solar cookers for bakery in Burundi - The global relief organization R20-Regions of Climate Action has organized a solar bakery project in Rutegama, Burundi. Currently the bakery, in operation since 2006, has relied on wood-fired ovens, with the wood needing to be gathered by the women working at the bakery. They are soliciting proposals from tenders interested in providing three institutional solar ovens required to convert the bakery to solar. The ovens must be limited to three meters (a little under 10 ft.) in height, and if carried, weighing no more than 10 kg (22 lbs.). Update: new deadline of offers to be submitted by Friday 28th February 2014. Interested parties will find more information here: Invitation to Tender For Solar Bakery Project, Burundi. The scale of the project may be rather small, but the funding and implementation is coming from world leaders in the field of economic and environmental relief.
Recently constructed solar box cookers in Ovalle, Chile.
- New solar cookers ready for distribution in Chile - Guai Bao, traveling in Chile, sent along this photo of newly constructed solar box cookers at a manufacturing facility in Ovalle. The cookers are well thought out. They are sturdy with insulated inner walls, and an internal high-back reflector to catch the sun. The front wall is low and slightly tipped forward to avoid blocking any sunlight. The external side reflectors appear to be able swing closed and protect the glass surface. They look ready to start cooking sitting on the small tables, which provides a convenient work height for users. The cooker construction is being supervised by Ruddy Viscarra. See more assembly photos on facebook.
3,484 children from 80+ schools participated in the world's largest solar cooking class in Mumbai. Read more...
- India raises the bar for the world's largest solar cooking class - "As many as 3,484 children from over 80 schools participated in the largest solar cooking initiative Suryakumbha on January 4th, which has qualified as an entry to the Guinness Book of World Records. The emergence of renewable sources of energy as an answer to the imminent exhaustion of conventional energy sources pushed a Bhayander NGO, Keshav Srushti, to start with the most influential members of society, children." The class was held in Mumbai, India. Read more...
- The January 2014 issue of Solar Cooker Review is now available online.
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2013
- Main article: Solar cooking news archive 2013
2012
- Main article: Solar cooking news archive 2012
2011
- Main article: Solar cooking news archive 2011
2010
- Main article: Solar cooking news archive 2010
2009
- Main article: Solar cooking news archive 2009
2008
- Main article: Solar cooking news archive 2008
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