The Ogawa Crown Company has begun manufacturing small, portable parabolic solar cookers that fold up in a similar fashion to an umbrella. The 1-meter diameter reflective shell of the “Sunny Cooker” is made from a unique aluminum-coated polyester cloth, structurally supported from the center and along the outer edge by flexible plastic poles. This lightweight shell essentially hangs from a metal pot stand that sits atop a foldable tripod and is fixed to the shell at two points. The central pole of the tripod connects to the pot stand through a zipper in the shell. The vertical angle of the reflector is adjustable by zipping or unzipping the shell to the appropriate distance and literally locking the zipper in place with a key. The Sunny Cooker sells for approximately $350, weighs about 3.5 kilograms, and comes with an iron kettle. A sample of the Sunny Cooker was kindly provided to Solar Cookers International by the Japan Solar Energy Educational Association. SCI Staff and board members have experimented with the cooker and have successfully boiled water and cooked popcorn. The device has been shown at multiple events, including demonstrations at Google’s international headquarters in Mountain View, California, and at National Defense University and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Reported in the November 2009 Solar Cooker Review.

External links

• Information sheet for the Sunny Cooker (English, Japanese)

Contact

To order a Sunny Cooker at a discounted price, contact Iseko Shirai, Japan Solar Energy Educational Association, 2-42-30 Ogikubo, Suginami-ku, 167-0051 Tokyo, Japan. Tel/fax: 03-5347-1508, e-mail: solar_energy@hyper.cx, Web: http://solarcooker.blog10.fc2.com/blog-category-20.html.

See Ogawa Crown Company.