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LSUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS-
FOCUS ON AFRICA 2007Lustrum - Netherlands
Access to clean cooking technology for wealth and health
By Stella M. Odaba
(Representing Margaret C.A Owino, Regional Director, EA)
Solar Cookers International.
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LTraditional Dancers.
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Daily lifestyle of most people.
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LBillions of people depend on fuel-
woodas a source of cooking energy…..
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L2.4 billion people suffer from
fuel-wood scarcity.
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LCONSEQUENCES OF SCARCITY OF
FUEL-WOOD
• Higher expenditure on the provision of domestic fuels
• Malnutrition as people prefer quick / easy to cook foods
• Increase in incidences of water borne diseases, as water might not always be boiled.
• Daily trips to distant places (often dangerous) where some fuel wood can still be sourced.
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L• Increase in respiratory infections
due to in-door air pollution
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LCaused by poor forms of fuele.g. cow-dung, crop residues, etc.
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L• Constant anxiety to cooks and a
bother to children!
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LTHE SOLUTION - SOLAR ENERGY
• It is not only infinite it is also plentiful in Africa• It is clean • It is free• It is available at the point of use• It is non-polluting• It does not require complicated drilling
and refining• Technologies to tap it for different needs
– especially for cooking are also available.
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LBEST REGIONS FOR SOLAR
COOKING.
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LMODELS OF SOLAR COOKERS.
There are many types of solar cookers in the world. The 3 main types are:
Box/Oven types
Concentrator types
Collector combination types
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FEATURES .
• The BIGGEST solar cooker can cook for 30,000 people (India) while the smallest can cook from a jam tin.
• The most powerful cookers can boil a litre of water in minutes while the weakest take longer but can pasteurise water making it safe to drink.
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THE COOKIT
• Adopted from Rodger Bernard’s “Salad bowl cooker”• Perfected by Barbara Kerr and other
SCI educationists and engineers• It is the world’s simplest solar cooker
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LTHE COOKIT Cont..
• It is a flat surface pasted with a shiny reflecting aluminium foil• The surface is folded at specific
intervals to create angles that reflect more light towards the cooking area.
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Shiny reflectors
capture extra sunlight
Fuel: SunlightDark surfaces converts sunlight to heat energy
Heat trap retains the heat
HOW THE COOKIT WORKS
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LHOW THE COOKIT WORKS Cont’
• It cooks at 180o-250oF ( 82o-121oC)• It can steam, roast, bake and boil
food.• It does not burn food• It pasteurises drinking water• It is clean healthy cooking as the food
retains most of the nutrients.• You can put two small pots at the
same time.• Can cook food for up to 8 people
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ADVANTAGES OF THE COOKIT
• Light weight, foldable and portable• Easy to make from local materials hence
can be mass-produced• Cheap compared to other types of solar
cookers• Easy to set up, use and maintain.
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LFIRELESS COOKER
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LUpesi Jiko.
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WAPI
Water
Pasteurization
Indicator
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LSUCCESSES
• After 2 successful refugee projects the solutions are now being offered to three other communities in Kenya.
• Over 4,000 CooKits have been sold at cost• Women are at the core of the dissemination• They learn to use, they make the cookers, promote its
adoption and use and they also offer after sales service.• Make and use fireless cookers for when there is no sun or
early in the morning• Fireless cookers savings range between 20% - 83% • Energy saving stoves and conservation practices in the
Kitchen also enable savings between 30 – 50%.
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LELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY
Benefits accruing to users:
ECONOMIC: • Saving money that would have bought firewood or
charcoal.• Freeing up women’s time to other income
generating activities.• Frees up time for young girls to attend school .• Smoke free kitchen and clothing enhances social
status and appearance.• Foods do not burn in CooKits or fireless cookers –
less waste.
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LIMPROVING HEALTH
• Safe drinking water – better child and family health
• Reduction of smoke related illnesses• Foods retain their vitamins enhancing health and nutrition• No dangers from open fire accidents• Cleaner surrounding air• Useful to victims of HIV / AIDS, safe water for
ARVs, can cook without much strain.
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LADDRESSING PERTINENT
NEEDS:• The use of these technologies saves two tons of wood
in a year• Solar cooking one meal a day, three times a week,
reduces firewood consumption by 1/3.• Reduction of green house gases into the atmosphere.
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LOTHER ELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY:• Local production using local materials enhances
affordability or possession.
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LOTHER ELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY Cont..
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LConcerted efforts to involve the youth and school children means knowledge and skill sustainability in the community.
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L • The technologies, while saving hard earned incomes are also a source of income to those who make and promote them.
• Worsening environmental situation is forcing nations to seek alternatives.
• Concern over clean in – door air also lead to alternatives
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LEXPANDED APPLICATION.
• Water related diseases kill a child every 8 seconds and are responsible for over 80%
of illness and death in developing nations.
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• It is possible to reduce these by pasteurising water using the CooKit and water pasteurization indicator (WAPI)
• SCI has been promoting this application in all the projects in Kenya.
EXPANDED APPLICATION Cont’
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CHALLENGES.• All the technologies discussed - cannot match the
microwave oven and society is geared to faster cooking, mobility etc.
• Effects of climate change – formerly dryer and sunnier places getting wetter and cloudy.
• Dependence of solar cookers on sunshine• Cost of buying the technology• Technology design e.g. one pot at a time verses
two or three
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LCONCLUSION
• The search is not over yet more people need to know and use the above technologies to alleviate their problems.
• More research to counter the challenges mention above
• Need for partnerships as the need is enormous.
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LUpesi Stove and Fireless Cooker
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THE COOKIT
…….END…....
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