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Last edited: 4 March 2021      
  • Note: TinyTech Plants continues to be in business, but no longer markets solar cookers
1

1.2 mt (3.9 ft) diameter parabolic TinyTech Plants solar cooker

AADHUNIK GLOBAL ENERGY, the energy company of TINYTECH Plants is a manufacturer of a wide range of renewable energy devices including domestic and community solar cookers. They have designed completely new light weight parabolic domestic solar cooker of 1.2 mt (3.9 ft) in diameter and started manufacturing it for world market. They claim to be India’s biggest manufacturer of domestic parabolic solar cookers manufacturing 1000 parabolic solar cookers of 1.2 mt dia at a time. Its unique features are as below:

1. The entire cooker is of folding design which is our unique facility making transport very easy and cheap. It is dispatched in corrugated paper box. Packing size 36'' x 13'' x 3''. Weight of cooker is only 14 kg.

2. You can assemble the entire cooker in 15 minutes. Tying the reflector strips will take an additional 40 minutes.

3. Reflector frame has an attractive paraboloid shape with a short focal length. It is made of 5 circles of bright bars cut in to segments and connected by bolts with 6 parabolic strips of 16 mmx 3 mm.

4. This cooker has dual axis tracking. Parabolid can tilt in horizontal axes and also revolves on vertical axis, both axis passing through focal point. This is also unique feature of our solar cooker.

5. Base frame and revolving stand is made from box pipe of 20 mm x 20 mm.

6. Entire cooker is powder-coated in attractive colours.

7. A video CD is provided with every cooker to help in assembling.

8. Reflector sheets are anodized aluminium. Cooking results are given below with actual experiments.

News[]

  • March 2021: Inventory Sale- Veljibhai Desai is offering his remaining stock of 1.2 mt. diameter parabolic solar cookers, which consist of their framework only, at a discount. The reflectors are not included or available. Frames weigh 13 kg (28.6 lbs), and can be purchased for Rs. 2000 (USD 35). Contact: energy@tinytechindia.com
  • December 2019: TinyTech Plants, founded by Veljibhai Desai, has announced they will be selling their current stock of solar cookers. Veljibhai will be retiring soon, and no longer wishes to maintain a marketing effort. The inventory includes the list below. If interested, contact TinyTech Plants:
Tiny Tech inventory, 12-9-19
  • November 2018: TinyTechhas a ready stock of 1000 parabolic domestic solar cookers of 1.2 mt in diameter, 14 kg weight, dimensions 36" x 13" x 3". One 20-foot container can hold 1000 cookers. When purchased as an entire lot of 1000 cookers, TinyTech can supply at the rate of US$50 per cooker.

Experiment results of 1.2 mt dia solar cooker[]

pot weight : 500 g

pot's diameter : 11''

pot'scolor : black

glass lead has been used in all experiments.

No

Date

Photo

Starting time

Ending time

Food

Total Time

1

28-11-2016
Khichdi-0

10 : 38

11 : 18

500 g khichdi +1000 g water

Total wt = 1.5 kg

(Khichdi = rice + mung pulse)

40 minutes

2

27-11-2016
GRAM PULSE

9 : 41

11 : 00

500 g GRAM PULSE soaked into water 2300 g full night + 1200 g water.

Total wt = 4 kg

1 hour 15 minutes

3

5-12-2016
RICE

10 : 05

10 : 32

500 g rice + 1000 g water,

Total wt = 1.5 kg

35 minutes

4

9-12-2016
MUNG PAULSE

9 : 45

10 : 44

600 g MUNG PULSE soaked into water 300 g + 1200 g water,

Total wt = 2.1 kg

35 minutes

5

12-12-2016
RICE 3 KG

11 : 42

12 : 48

1000 g rice +

2000 g water,

Total wt = 3 kg

1 hour 6 minutes

Large Parabolic Solar Baskets for community cooking[]

They  have also developed unique larger parabolic solar concentrators of 5 sq mt, 10 sq mt, 30 sq mt, 60 sq mt etc. All baskets have dual axis tracking so that it can be tilted on horizontal axis and can be revolved on vertical axis, both axis passing through focal point which has a short focal length. Focal point remains inside the basket to protect from the wind effect.  They are ideally suitable as community solar cookers  for refugee camps, mid-day meals, schools, hostels, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, offices, small factories, clubs, associations, communities, small home scale cooking related business etc. Its unique features are:

(1) SOLAR BASKET 5 sq mt aperture area, 2.54 mt dia.

This basket is the smallest basket in our solar baskets. It does not require any foundation. Fabricated channel and square plate foundation base frame is provided which can be placed anywhere and basket can be erected in a few hours only. It gives 2 to 2.5 KW heat power. Temperature at focal point reaches up to 250 degree C. This basket can cook for maximum 60 people in one hour.

The design of the basket is completely folding for easy transport. Entire paraboloid is made of horizontal circles of round rods and vertical parabolic mild steel strips. Basket paraboloid is in loose parts in 6 segments and  revolving stand, foundation stand, vessel stand etc will go into one box  or bundle which becomes less than one cu mt. Total net weight is 77kg. We have started manufacturing of this basket regularly and we can dispatch the basket within 24 hours only.

(2) SOLAR BASKET 10 sq mt aperture area, 3.6 mt dia.

This basket has been extensively tested scientifically for cooking of rice as well as for water heating for scientific calculation of KW output. This basket does not require any foundation. Fabricated channel and square plate foundation base frame is provided which can be placed anywhere and basket can be erected in a few hours only. From many experiments we concluded that it gives 4.5 to 5 KW heat power. Temperature at focal point reaches up to 490 degree C. This basket can cook for 125 people in one hour. So for 100 to 500 people, this basket will be quite suitable with 1 to 4 baskets.

The design of the basket is completely folding for easy transport. Entire paraboloid, revolving stand, foundation stand, vessel stand etc will go into one box of 67" x 34" x 20" which becomes less than one cu mt. Total net weight is 220kg.  We have started manufacturing of this basket regularly and we can dispatch the basket within 24 hours only.

Video Links of 10 sq mt solar basket in two parts are given below.

Part 1 link

Part 2 link

(3) SOLAR BASKET 30 sq mt aperture area, 6.2 mt dia.

As the aperture area is 3 times bigger than 10 sq mt basket, this basket will give heat power of 12 to 15 KW. This will be suitable for steam generation, air heating and thermic oil heating for industrial heat or power generation. 3  such baskets combined together will generate about 40 KW heat power. This basket frame will also be folding and can be erected at site only in one day without any foundation. Where cooking of 300 to 400 people are required, only one such basket will be ideally suitable. With 3 baskets of 30 sq mt, food can be cooked for 1000 people in one hour. By thermic oil or steam, cooking can be done inside the kitchen.


(4) SOLAR BASKET 60 sq mt aperture area, 8.8 mt dia.

 As the aperture area is double than 30 sq mt basket, this basket will give heat power of 25 to 30 KW. This will be suitable for steam generation, air heating and thermic oil heating for industrial heat or power generation. This basket will be able to run small steam engine for water pumping or for processing of farm products and for running small industry such as cotton spinning or weaving of cloth. This basket frame will also be folding and can be erected at site only in one day without any foundation. Where cooking of 600 to 800 people are required, only one such basket will be ideally suitable. With 3 baskets of 60 sq mt, food can be cooked for 2000 people in one hour. By thermic oil or steam, cooking can be done inside the kitchen.

(5) SOLAR BASKET 120 sq mt aperture area, 12.4 mt dia.

This is the biggest basket designed by me. I have already manufactured one 113 sq mt basket. On the basis of this experience, this new basket is almost perfect and optimum in design, shape, weight etc. As far as i know, this is the biggest parabolic solar basket of India. This will require RCC foundations and also RCC column to support entire basket. This basket will be ideally suitable for cooking of 1000 to 1200 people and with the combination of many such baskets, any number of people can be served. If food is required for 20,000 people everyday, then 15 to 16 baskets should be installed. Design is modular. All the components will be manufactured in our factory and will be dispatched to the site in CKD condition and erection will be done at site with permanent welding. Each such basket will give heat power of about 50 to 60 KW. So these baskets will be extensively used in industries for heat power and to some extent for electrical power generation also.

MAIN BENEFITS OF SOLAR BASKETS[]

The main feature of these solar baskets is simplicity and cheapness. Generally in Western world solar concentrators are costing US$ 300 per sq mt of reflective surface but these baskets will cost US$ 100 or less per sq mt of reflector area.

(1) Main paraboloid basket is completely folding. It can be quickly assembled at site in to accurate paraboloid shape by following video CD.

(2) Revolving stand and base frame are also folding and can be quickly assembled at site.

(3) Foundations in ground not required up to 30 sq mt basket.

(4) It is not necessary to find out north south direction in these solar baskets.

(5) Solar basket does not require to install on polar axis. So no latitude of the location is  necessary to know.

(6) Solar basket does not require any seasonal adjustment.

(7) In these solar baskets, 100% aperture area is utilized all the time.

(8) Space requirement is only half of other solar concentrators.

(9) These solar baskets have manual tracking device. Even unskilled person's human eye can track and adjust the basket against sun very precisely through focus indicator installed on the basket. only one person can handle manual tracking for 5 large baskets. On the whole, solar baskets are highly user-friendly and any layman or illiterate person can operate it with one day training.

USES OF SOLAR BASKETS[]

India is consuming over 100 million tones of oil every year for various uses. Out of this, almost 40% is being consumed in the industrial sector alone. Further, 40-50% of this consumption is in thermal form alone with temperature range below 200 C which comes to around 15 million tones of fuel oil per annum. Various applications are as below:

(1) Mass cooking in student hostels, hotels, hospitals, schools, factories, temples, marriages, food caterers and food business, army camps, refugee camps, jails, religious and social organizations etc.

(2) Many of the world’s most important crops need to be dried to remove moisture as part of the production process. Removing the moisture from crops such a coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa, oilseeds, nuts, fruit, rice, spices, corn, et.c is an essential process that helps transform the raw goods into the final product. For better quality and storage for long period, drying of crops by solar baskets will be essential.

(3) Mercerizing, drying and finishing in textile industry.

(4) Drying, dissolving, thickening, leaching and distillation in chemical industry.

(5) Cooking, drying and canning in food industry.

(6) Craft pulping, bleaching and drying in pulp and paper industry.

(7) Drying and cleaning in leather industry.

(8) Heating and cooling in milk dairy industry.

(9) Heat treatment process in mechanical components and various such applications in many more industries. The working fluid required for these applications is either pressurized hot water, steam or hot air in temperature range of 60-250 C.

(10) These solar baskets will really revolutionize many industries requiring heat and power both. Ice plants, cold storages, small dairies, air conditioning and such cooling and chilling can be done through vapor adsorption process. So scope of these solar baskets are in millions of numbers. There seems huge scope of 1 million solar baskets in India.

Cost of the solar baskets[]

5 sq mt basket cost US$ 1100/- Heat power for 6 hours 14KWH i.e. 11000Kcal
10 sq mt basket cost US$ 2200/- Heat power for 6 hours 28KWH i.e. 23000Kcal.
30 sq mt basket cost US$ 6600/- Heat power for 6 hours 84 KWH i.e. 70000Kcal.
60 sq mt basket cost US$ 12800/- Heat power for 6 hours 160 KWH i.e. 130000Kcal.
120 sq mt basket cost US$ 22000/- Heat power for 6 hours 300 KWH i.e. 250000Kcal.

See also[]

External links[]

Contact[]

AADHUNIK GLOBAL ENERGY
TINYTECH PLANTS
TAGORE ROAD
RAJKOT, 360002
India

Mobile: +91 92 27 60 65 70
Office : +91 281 248 0166

Email: energy@tinytechindia.com
Web: http://www.tinytechindia.com