Crosby Menzies

Last edited: 1 July 2024

Crosby Menzies is the director of SunFire Solutions and Solar Cookers for Africa in South Africa.

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March 2024: African Solar Caravan introduces hybrid oven - Crosby Menzies, a founder of the informally organized African Solar Caravan, has worked with others to create a solar hybrid stove with charcoal back-up. Crosby explains it is capable of operating 24 hours per day, with the potential capacity to cook over 1,000 meals a day, which will save having to use a considerable amount of traditional fossil fuel. The stove is best planned for use at community kitchens and small organizations serving meals. As of February 2024, they have produced 10 prototypes, which will be distributed in rural areas of South Africa for testing. If the users show enthusiasm for the new stoves, they will be built by the manufacturer, DEFY. The group hopes the stoves will appeal to populations at mixed income levels.

May 2016: Presentation: Status of Solar Cooking in Southern Africa - Crosby Menzies, SunFire Solutions at CONSOLFOOD 2016

November 2013: SunFire Solutions partners with Beyond Carbon to promote local solar cooking businesses. - SunFire Solutions and Beyond Carbon recognize that long-term solutions need to include local business communities with shared sustainability objectives. Their current SunFire Stoves Project joint venture is based in South Africa. The project's goal is to protect the area around Kruger National Park from deforestation through the implementation of solar cookers. 300 parabolic solar cookers were initially purchased for the project, and 213 have already gone into households as of this fall. With access to the solar cookers, over ten new locally owned enterprises have been created.

January 2013: SunFire Solutions receives media attention for their work - Visit these links to learn more about SunFire Solution's latest projects. Solar Ovens South Africa Cooking With the Sun South African firm aims to supply millions with solar cookers In June, SunFire Solutions visited Ghana to look at spreading Solar Cooker Technologies further north, sure to be the first of many visits to West Africa. Recently they have started receiving particularly strong interest from Zimbabwe - their deteriorating political situation leads to a deteriorating environmental situation. Read more of their update at SunFire Solutions Fall 2012

July 2010: Solar Cookers for Africa: Solar Caravan 2010 - SunFire is a NGO in South Africa that has partnered with Solar Cookers for Africa to create the Caravan as a way to reach the portions of the population that live in areas typically difficult to reach. Led by Crosby Menzies, it will be a convoy of knowledge, experience, and partnerships in the area of sustainable household and community technologies and practices. The Caravan will start in Mozambique, to eventually cover most of Southern Africa. Far from relying in the knowledge and resources of a few, the Caravan will link experts, product suppliers, communities and funders. Starting in August 2010, a core team of 4 people from 3 countries will start traveling from Johannesburg, South Africa, towards Beira, Mozambique. In each community the Caravan visits, its members will be presented with a flexible curriculum of applied introductory workshops and demonstrations about the core topics and technologies. One fixed workshop module concerns clean energy; another food security, waste management and nutrition. To learn more, see how your experience may be of value, and offer to financial support see: Solar Cookers for Africa: Solar Caravan 2010
May 2009: The Solar Health and Education Project (SHEP) funded a very successful workshop run by Manda Chisanga and Crosby Menzies in Mfuwe, Zambia in June 2009. Read project report.

March 2009: South Africa: Solar Power Initiative Casts New Light On Sustainable Energy - BuaNews

June 2007: Crosby Menzies of SunFire Solutions sends a report on the Masihambisane Solar Cooker Project.

April 2016: Crosby Menzies interview on the SunPod podcast. The discussion includes how Crosby got started with solar cooking and his new project, Solar Caravans. Recorded at CONSOLFOOD 2016. Podcast page...
July 2014: