A solar cooker able to harness the sun’s energy for cooking food and purifying water has been developed with expert help from Cranfield University.
The cooker could significantly improve the quality of life of rural communities in the developing world.
Many thousands of people are at risk of illness every day because of their inability to heat food or purify drinking water effectively.
As well as heating food, the cooker is able to store heat and can generate electrical power for essential mobile communications and air conditioning.
Solar cooker. Image credit: Cranfield University.
Cranfield’s Dr Chris Sansom, the UK’s leading expert on CSP, commented; “This is a very exciting project as there are many areas of the world where solar cookers and water purifiers could impact significantly on people’s quality of life.”
The cooker works by using a system of mirrored strips tilted at different angles to concentrate sunlight onto an ‘absorber’ which then helps to convert the solar energy into useful heat. The process is known as ‘concentrating solar power’, or CSP, and is an area in which Cranfield is regarded as the number one expert in the UK.
The solar cooker was developed by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, with expertise from Cranfield University. It was funded by the Government of Pakistan, who recognised the need to improve the lives of those living in the remote regions of Pakistan.
About Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a wholly postgraduate institution with a worldwide reputation for excellence and expertise in aerospace, automotive, defence, engineering, environment and water, health, management and manufacturing. As the UK’s most business-engaged University, and led by research which is applied to real life situations, we are world-leading in our contribution to global innovation.