Solar Cooking
Register
mNo edit summary
(13 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
  +
{{GoogleTranslateLinks}}
[[File:Wilson_Solar_Grill_prototype_image.jpg|thumb|300px|Prototype images of the [[Wilson Solar Grill]].]]
 
[[File:Wilson_solar_grill,_8-11.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[Wilson solar grill]] is being designed to be able to use [[heat storage|latent heat storage]] to cook after sunset, collecting the heat with a [[Fresnel lens]].]]
 
   
The [[Wilson Solar Grill]] is currently being developed by MIT professor [[David Wilson]] with the help of MIT graduate students from differing disciplines, as of Fall 2012.
 
   
 
[[File:Wilson_Solar_Grill_prototype_image.jpg|thumb|300px|Images showing the proposed [[Wilson Solar Grill]].]]
This grill is planned to collect thermal energy from the sun and store it to allow cooking times for up to twenty five hours at temperatures above 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The study is being conducted by Derek Ham, Eric Uva, and Theodora Vardouli, all part of an entrepreneurship course called “iTeams.” I-Teams, (short for “Innovation Teams”) is a unique MIT course that assembles cross-disciplinary teams of students from across MIT. The goal of i-Teams is to teach students the process of science and technology commercialization focusing on how to judge a technology’s commercial potential. Each team has access to faculty, practitioners, business mentors, and fellow students throughout their project.
 
 
[[File:Wilson_solar_grill,_8-11.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[Wilson Solar Grill]] at some point may be able to use [[heat storage|latent heat storage]] to cook after sunset, as shown in this image artificially created using Photoshop.]]
  +
 
The [[Wilson Solar Grill]] is a proposed design reportedly being developed by MIT professor [[David Wilson]] with the help of MIT graduate students from differing disciplines in the Fall 2012.
  +
 
This grill is planned to collect thermal energy from the sun and store it to allow cooking times for up to twenty-five hours at temperatures above 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The study is being conducted by Derek Ham, Eric Uva, and Theodora Vardouli, all part of an entrepreneurship course called “iTeams.” I-Teams, (short for “Innovation Teams”) is a unique MIT course that assembles cross-disciplinary teams of students from across MIT. The goal of i-Teams is to teach students the process of science and technology commercialization focusing on how to judge a technology’s commercial potential. Each team has access to faculty, practitioners, business mentors, and fellow students throughout their project.
   
 
“There are a lot of solar cookers out there,” says Wilson, “but surprisingly not many using latent-heat storage as an attribute to cook the food.” Wilson’s technology uses a [[Fresnel lens]] to harness the sun’s energy to melt down a container of Lithium Nitrate. The Lithium Nitrate serves as a solar battery. Due to its phase change reaction, the thermal energy is able to be stored at longer periods of time and at higher temperatures. Heat is then redistributed through convection, which allows for outdoor cooking.
 
“There are a lot of solar cookers out there,” says Wilson, “but surprisingly not many using latent-heat storage as an attribute to cook the food.” Wilson’s technology uses a [[Fresnel lens]] to harness the sun’s energy to melt down a container of Lithium Nitrate. The Lithium Nitrate serves as a solar battery. Due to its phase change reaction, the thermal energy is able to be stored at longer periods of time and at higher temperatures. Heat is then redistributed through convection, which allows for outdoor cooking.
Line 10: Line 13:
 
The students are currently taking a market survey on this technology via Survey Monkey. You can visit and take their survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GPNRXNJ
 
The students are currently taking a market survey on this technology via Survey Monkey. You can visit and take their survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GPNRXNJ
   
While the goal of creating a solar grill with the [[heat storage|latent heat storage]] capacity they are projecting is fascinating, the grill is still a ways from becoming a production reality. This is probably also not a solution for subsidized solar cooking programs in developing countries due to the probable high cost. If the grill makes it to production, there may well be a substantial market in more developed countries.
+
While the goal of creating a solar grill with the [[heat storage|latent heat storage]] capacity they are projecting is fascinating, the grill is still a ways from becoming a production reality. This is probably also not a solution for subsidized solar cooking programs aimed at developing countries due to the likely high manufacturing expense. If the grill makes it to production, there may well be a substantial market in more developed countries.
  +
  +
==Recent news and developments==
  +
*'''April 2013:''' The students at MIT, Derek Allen Ham, Eric Uva, and Theodora Vardouli, have created a video conceptualizing how a redesigned Wilson Solar Grill prototype might work, and the projected project cost. Again, nothing yet appears to exist in the real world.
  +
  +
::[[File:The Wilson Solar Cooker|none|400px]]
  +
  +
*'''March 2013:''' There has been no additional information released about the Wilson Solar Grill. There is concern about the practical viability of this concept with being too complicated and expensive, even if the technology were workable. There does not appear to be any working prototypes of the cooker, and the promotional photographs have been artificially constructed. Possibly there will be project updates from the designers in the future.
   
 
==Articles in the media==
 
==Articles in the media==
 
*'''June 2012:''' [http://barbequelovers.com/grills/a-solar-grill-prototype-for-a-greener-tomorrow A Solar Grill Prototype for a Greener Tomorrow] - ''barbequelovers.com''
 
*'''June 2012:''' [http://barbequelovers.com/grills/a-solar-grill-prototype-for-a-greener-tomorrow A Solar Grill Prototype for a Greener Tomorrow] - ''barbequelovers.com''
  +
[[Category:Solar cooker designs]]
  +
[[Category:USA]]

Revision as of 22:58, 13 November 2013

Searchbox


Wilson Solar Grill prototype image

Images showing the proposed Wilson Solar Grill.

Wilson solar grill, 8-11

The Wilson Solar Grill at some point may be able to use latent heat storage to cook after sunset, as shown in this image artificially created using Photoshop.

The Wilson Solar Grill is a proposed design reportedly being developed by MIT professor David Wilson with the help of MIT graduate students from differing disciplines in the Fall 2012.

This grill is planned to collect thermal energy from the sun and store it to allow cooking times for up to twenty-five hours at temperatures above 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The study is being conducted by Derek Ham, Eric Uva, and Theodora Vardouli, all part of an entrepreneurship course called “iTeams.” I-Teams, (short for “Innovation Teams”) is a unique MIT course that assembles cross-disciplinary teams of students from across MIT. The goal of i-Teams is to teach students the process of science and technology commercialization focusing on how to judge a technology’s commercial potential. Each team has access to faculty, practitioners, business mentors, and fellow students throughout their project.

“There are a lot of solar cookers out there,” says Wilson, “but surprisingly not many using latent-heat storage as an attribute to cook the food.” Wilson’s technology uses a Fresnel lens to harness the sun’s energy to melt down a container of Lithium Nitrate. The Lithium Nitrate serves as a solar battery. Due to its phase change reaction, the thermal energy is able to be stored at longer periods of time and at higher temperatures. Heat is then redistributed through convection, which allows for outdoor cooking.

The students are currently taking a market survey on this technology via Survey Monkey. You can visit and take their survey at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GPNRXNJ

While the goal of creating a solar grill with the latent heat storage capacity they are projecting is fascinating, the grill is still a ways from becoming a production reality. This is probably also not a solution for subsidized solar cooking programs aimed at developing countries due to the likely high manufacturing expense. If the grill makes it to production, there may well be a substantial market in more developed countries.

Recent news and developments

  • April 2013: The students at MIT, Derek Allen Ham, Eric Uva, and Theodora Vardouli, have created a video conceptualizing how a redesigned Wilson Solar Grill prototype might work, and the projected project cost. Again, nothing yet appears to exist in the real world.
  • March 2013: There has been no additional information released about the Wilson Solar Grill. There is concern about the practical viability of this concept with being too complicated and expensive, even if the technology were workable. There does not appear to be any working prototypes of the cooker, and the promotional photographs have been artificially constructed. Possibly there will be project updates from the designers in the future.

Articles in the media