India

Last edited: 23 September 2024

SuryaKumbh festival again sets record - Vivek Kabra reports: "On 11 Feb, 2017, approximately 7,500 school children created history by participating in the World's Largest Solar Cooking Festival. Trained by 400 trainers and guided by 150 supervisors, each one of them made their own solar cooker and cooked noodles in it. Having experienced the power of the sun first hand, each child took the SuryaKumbh solar cooker back home to share the magic of cooking without fuel." The event this year was organized by the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation and held in the Bhayandar-Thane area. Aerial view of the 7,438 school children learning the basics of solar cooking at SuryaKumbh 2017 - Photo credit: Vivek Kabra.More information...

Events[]

Featured international events[]

NEW: 11-22 November 2024 (Baku, Azerbaijan ): COP29 - The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly known as COP29, will be the 29th United Nations Climate Change conference to be held at Baku Stadium. More information...

12-14 March 2025 (Bridgetown, Barbados): Sustainable Energy for All Global Forum - Building on Prime Minister Mottley’s Bridgetown Initiative for the reform of development finance, the Forum will address the challenge of how we can mobilize sufficient finance on the right terms to meet global goals, especially for the most underserved communities, countries and regions – such as Small Island Developing States. The event wil be co-hosted by Sustainable Energy for All and the Government of Barbados, led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley. Project site visits will take place Friday, 14 March. More information...

Requests for proposal[]

The deadline for receipt of abstracts is 15th December 2024 - Advances in Solar Thermal Food Processing (CONSOLFOOD2025) is being planned for the 5th, 6th and 7th of May, 2025 in Marseille, France. The gathering expects to attract, once again, top experts from all over the world to present and discuss topics related to advances in solar food processing and solar cooking. An exhibition of solar cookers will be available for viewing during the conference at the nearby the solar restaurant Le Présage. The solar restaurant, along with the demonstration cookers, will produce a solar lunch. The whole conference program will be delivered in hybrid format, so those who register, but are not present at Marseille, will be able to participate online. Your abstracts should be sent via email to Celestino Ruivo at cruivo@ualg.pt in .doc, .docx, or pdf format. You should limit your abstract to 400 words, and follow these guidelines. All abstracts will be reviewed and assessed by members of the scientific committee. The organizing committee will inform each author whether their submitted abstract has been accepted. The committee encourages all authors to write an optional full length paper for inclusion in our conference proceedings. Successful authors should pre-record their presentations, using Powerpoint, or similar software. They will be invited to submit either a) a short presentation, of about 7 minutes duration, or b) a longer presentation, of about 25 minutes to cruivo@ualg.pt by 30th March 2025. The expected conference fee is 200 euros before 1st April 2025. Interested people facing financial difficulties should contact the organizing committee.

See also: Global Calendar of Events and past events in India

Most significant projects[]

Shirdi collector diagram — Shirdi collector array diagram

Shirdi cooking photo — Cooking in the kitchen at Shirdi

Rooftop solar installation feeds 50,000 people per day: Gadhia Solar Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd. completed installation of a solar steam cooking system, capable of cooking 40,000-50,000 meals per day. It is located at Shirdi Sai Baba temple in Shirdi, Maharashtra, India. With nearly 30,000 visitors each day, the temple’s dining halls are some of the largest in India. The solar steam cooking system is comprised of seventy-three rooftop-mounted Scheffler reflectors of sixteen square meters each. The dishes concentrate sunlight on receivers that contain water, generating steam that is piped down to the kitchen for cooking purposes. To maintain constant focus with the sun, the dishes automatically rotate throughout the day after being manually aligned once each morning. The solar steam cooking system is retrofitted to existing liquid petroleum gas-powered steam boilers that are still used in the evening and during prolonged periods of inclement weather. Though the solar steam cooking system cost nearly $300,000, government subsidies reduced the temple’s portion to about $170,000. Liquid petroleum gas use has been cut by roughly 100,000 kilograms each year, for an annual savings of approximately $45,000. The temple should recoup its investment in three to four years. According to company founder Deepak Gadhia, the solar steam cooking technology was originally developed in Germany. However, the equipment does not contain imported components, and is manufactured with local machinery and labor, creating much-needed jobs. Gadhia has adapted the system for use in India, and has installed 50 such systems of varying sizes over the past two decades. The March edition of CNN’s Eco Solutions program highlights the Shirdi Sai Baba temple solar steam cooking system.

SuryaKumbh festival again sets record for largest solar cooking workshop - Vivek Kabra reports: "On 11 Feb, 2017, 7,500 school children created history by participating in the World's Largest Solar Cooking Festival. Trained by 400 trainers and guided by 150 supervisors, each one of them made their own solar cooker and cooked noodles in it. Having experienced the power of the sun first hand, each child took the SuryaKumbh solar cooker back home to share the magic of cooking without fuel." The event this year was organized by the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation and held in the Bhayandar - Thane area. More information...

Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development, 3-7-22 copy — Jimmy McGilligan demonstrates a large parabolic solar reflector to local women. *Photo credit: Janak McGilligan*

Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development and the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women - The long lasting partnership of Janak McGilligan and Jimmy McGilligan has provided a depth of solar cooking instruction for rural residents in India, beginning their work in 2008. Since that time, the two facilities, the Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development and the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, have trained over 150,000 youths in solar cooking, and over 6,000 rural and tribal women from over 1,000 villages to be community workers and trainers for solar cooking. They have shown communities that solar cookers can prepare their traditional and community foods with no problem, and have supervised the installation of many Scheffler Community Kitchens. Their projects have helped the self esteem of the local women, and created opportunities for them to use solar cooking to establish businesses that continue to provide community revenue. Jimmy passed away in 2011, but as of 2022, Janak continues to carry on their valuable work. Watch Janak McGilligan recall their work at CONSOLFOOD 2022

See other significant solar cooking projects worldwide.

News[]

Janak McG, 3-11-24 — The men prepared a solar cooked lunch for the women, *Photo credit: India News Calling*

March 2024: Men have cooked and served a solar lunch for the women to celebrate International Women Day March 8, 2024 - Men organized and hosted a solar Lunch at Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development in the village Sanawadiya in India. They celebrated International Women's Day in a unique way. This year, many men specifically learned how to solar cooking, and cooked a solar lunch for the women. The event was attended by 30 participants, including Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan. Read more...

Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra cooker, 12-15-23 — The Scheffler Community Kitchen installed for Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2023, *Photo credit: Swaaha*

December 2023: Mega solar cooker in the Himalayan Mountains - A presentation was made at COP28 by Sameer Sharma, CEO and Co-founder of Swaaha. He relates the story of how large Scheffler Community Kitchen solar cookers were installed high in the Himalayan Mountains, for the two-month festival Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2023. The new solar cookers, while used in conjunction with biomass and biogas sources, generated considerable interest by providing a sustainable way to prepare three daily meals for over 2,400 Hindi pilgrims. In all, over 500,000 people, who visit the high-altitude holy site during the one month festival, viewed the solar cooker and received information on how they could have this technology at their own home locations. His presentation begins at 21:00 of the accompanying video, which begins with a worldwide solar cooking overview provided by Solar Cookers International personnel.

Solar_Cooking_–_A_Pathway_to_Emissions_Prevention_and_Climate_Crisis_Mitigation-3 — Solar Cooking – A Pathway to Emissions Prevention and Climate Crisis Mitigation-3

Janak McGilligan ISES 2023, 11-1-23 — Janak McGilligan addresses the Solar Energy Conference 2023 in New Delhi, *Photo credit: GeoTv*

November 2023: The Solar Energy Conference 2023, organized by Germany-based International Solar Energy Society (ISES), was held in New Delhi, India. Janak McGilligan was invited as a speaker at the “Solar Thermal Cooking” session. ISES has included Janak among the 200 Renewable Energy Pioneers of India in its commemorative booklet ‘Century of Solar Stories and Renewable Energy Vision’. Read more...

Suryakumbh 2023 image, 10-17-23 — Over 400 school age children participated in the second Suryakumbh workshop in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, **India** on 15 October 2023, *Photo credit: Campusvarta*

October 2023: Suryakumbh 2 2023 (Bhubaneswar, Odisha): - A second Suryakumbh workshop was held this year to commemorate the observation of World Students’ Day on 15th October. The Design Innovation Centre (Sponsored by Ministry of Education, Govt. of India), IIT Bhubaneswar, in association with the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) and Entrepreneurship Cell of the Institute organized the workshop. 400 government school students from the five adopted villages and the migrant workers’ settlement of the Institute participated in this workshop. During the workshop, they received training on building and utilizing solar cookers for cooking, and baked cakes with their new solar cookers. Read more...

Ajay Chandak, patent 458401, Composite Structure for Heat Storage — Ajay Chandak patent approval from the government of **India**, Composite Structure for Heat Storage, Patent #458401

October 2023: Patent approval - Ajay Chandak has received Patent #458401 from the government of India for Composite Structure for Heat Storage. This innovation will be used for heat storage in solar cookers, enabling indoor cooking in the comfort of kitchen and allowing cooking even after sunset.

October 2023: Computer science students learn sustainable living from Janak Balta McGilligan - A group of students from Soft Vision College Indore came to Sinawadiya in Madhya Pradesh, India, to conduct academic studies at the Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development. The students were amazed at the simplicity of using a solar cooker to harness the sun’s energy for cooking. Janak McGilligan maintains a zero-waste and zero-electricity lifestyle at her home and training center, and is an example of sustainability for us all to emulate. Read more...

McGilligan Center students, 10-13-23 — Students from Soft Vision College Indore discover solar cooking with Janak McGilligan. *Photo credit: Geo TV*

Suryakumbh 2023 1, 1-23-23 — 1000 children gathered at SuryaKumbh 2023 in Boisar, India, learning to assemble and prepare a meal with a solar cooker

Suryakumbh 2023 2, 1-23-23 — A successful meal preparation, SuryaKumbh 2023, Boisar, India

January 2023: Celebrating the joy of solar cooking with 1000 children - Vivek Kabra provided an update for this year's SuryaKumbh. Children assembled their own solar cookers and cooked their own meals using the same for the very first time. The CSR wing of NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd) provided the reflective solar panel cooker kits for the children attending from the Boisar metro area in India.

Janak McGilligan photo, 1-14-23 — Janak McGilligan, *Photo credit; the better india*

January 2023: Padma Shri Recipient Runs Zero-Waste Household - Janak McGilligan, Baha'i pioneer who established and developed the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women with her late husband Jimmy McGilligan , was interviewed by the better india to describe how she manages her zero-waste and zero-electricity lifestyle. Read more...

December 2022: Bappu Deshmukh, designer and maker of the Sun Venture Smart Cooker, held a solar cooker construction workshop for a group of young students, in Roing northeast India. The group collectively made four box cookers and six Copenhagen Lotus Cookers. They left with a usable solar appliances to take home.

See the solar cookers created at Bappu Deshmukh's student workshop

Prof. Soni demonstrates the operation of a parabolic solar cooker, *Photo credit: India Times*

November 2022: During the three-day event between 20-21 November, Dr. Manoj Kumar Soni, an Associate Professor at BITS Pilani, and his team prepared a range of food items, including cakes, pizzas, and even sabudana khichadi to show the possibilities of cooking with solar thermal energy. Over the years, Prof. Soni and his team have trained hundreds of women from neighboring villages in the use of these solar cookers. Read more...

ICDS center program, 11-29-22 — ICDS Center students assemble a Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light solar panel cooker as part of their alternative energy training, *Photo credit: The Telegraph online*

November 2022: Student training in alternative energy - Students assemble and install appliances at an ICDS center in Howrah’s Domjur. The group were trained under a pilot project of the Pratichi Trust to assemble everyday appliances. This included assembling and using a Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light solar panel cooker. Read more...

GEDA Scheffler at Latur photo, 10-25-22 — GEDA solar cooking system in Latur, Maharashtra, India *Photo credit: The Times of India*

October 2022: The Goa Energy Development Agency to install solar cooking system for the Central Reserve Police Force in Latur, Maharashtra. It will be used to cook food for about 1,000 people. The installation, which will cost around Rs 1.5 crore, will lead to saving of 171 kg of LPG per day. The system boasts a lifespan of twenty years and a payback period of 2.5 years. Read more...

Evacuated solar Evacuated tube cooker demonstration, Orjabox, 9-27-27 — Orjabox evacuated tube cooker demonstration, *Photo credit: Orjabox*

September 2022: New solar cooking business in Pune - Orjabox was launched in 2018 by Vishakha Chandhere from her city of Pune, in Maharashtra. An engineer by education, she has worked in the environment and clean energy sector, and began experimenting with clean cooking to find sustainable alternatives to expensive LPG cylinders. Orjabox regularly hosts workshop demonstrations at the Rupa Rahul Bajaj Center for Environment and Arts in Pune, as well as online awareness sessions. They are able to tailor the right sustainable cooking equipment program for individuals and for commercial facilities as well.

SURYAKUMBH 2022 phot — Children at the Suryakumbh event in Bengaluru, India *Photo credit: Deccan Herald*

July 2022: Suryakumbh 2022 - Over 300 school students cooked together with 300 portable solar cookers in a first-of-its-kind event at a school in Karnataka. Prajna, a Class 7 student, who participated in the event called Suryakumbh, says, “We got to know more about solar cookers and how we can harness freely available solar energy with such simple technology. The food took 60 minutes to cook well as there was enough sunlight. Vivek Kabra, the founder of the solar company that organized this event, says, “We started this initiative called ‘Suryakumbh’ in 2012 to promote the idea of solar energy amongst school children between Classes four and 10. Cooking is the ideal way to connect children with solar energy because it gives them immediate feedback and there is a joy in it.” Read more...

Scheffler community kitchens installed at Amarnath, 7-18-22 — Scheffler Community Kitchens installed by DayStar volunteers at the Amarnath shrine, *Photo credit: Mirror Now*

July 2022: Solar power and zero-waste for Amarnath - Volunteers with DayStar Solar Cooking Solutions have completed a sizable mission to install six parabolic solar cookers along the route to several high altitude temples in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India, as well as removing 1,500 metric tons of waste from the surrounding hillsides. Two of the largest solar cookers are Scheffler Community Kitchens located at Amarnath, along with four Prince-15s, two along the Baltal route and two along the Pahalgam route. This is to spread awareness against waste left behind and generated by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visiting the revered cave shrine annually. Sunil Chouhan, the Director and Founder of Daystar, states the aim of this project is to make Amarnath Yatra, the benchmark of cleanliness and sustainability.” Read more

April 2022: Pali village to go solar - Pali village located in the Samba District was visited by PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate a 500 kW solar plant. Sarpanch Randhir Sharma said, “Every house has been given solar cooker. Some families use wood as kitchen fuel. We are trying to provide them solar stoves.” Read more...

November 2021: Building back Suryakumbh - Vivek Kabra, with assistance from Project Chirag, was able to organize and create the first Surkakumbh since 2019. He reported that sixty children from the tribal belt of Mokhada experienced the magic of solar cooking by cooking sumptuous poha without fuel, fire, or electrical heating.

Pallavi Patil photo, 11-19-21 — Pallavi Patil of Pune, describes the many ways she has reduced her LPG consumption with the help of solar cooking - *The Better India*

November 2021: Reducing the family's LPG consumption - Pallavi Patil of Pune, has found many techniques for living more simply, and also resulting in lowering her familie's LPG consumption. She grows much of her own food, and realized they could live without air conditioning or a refrigerator. uses a solar box cooker, comprised of an insulated square box, a glass lid on the cooking tray and a mirror on its underside. The food placed in metal pots is cooked by the heat absorbed by a blackened surface. “Our gas cylinder used to last us for two months, but using a solar cooker helps me save 15 days’ worth of gas and half the labour. The food is cooked at stable temperatures and doesn’t require dedicated stirring." Read more...

Tea bike business, Sanjeev Jain, 11-5-21 — Suneel Chauhan has created a prototype for a mobile tea serving business. *Image credit: Suneel Chauhan*

November 2021: Mobile bicycle tea service - A young entrepreneur from Indore MP, Suneel Chauhan, has begun testing a prototype system he calls the Solar Tea Stall on Cycle. A trough style solar cooker is mounted to the rear of a three wheel tricycle. When stopped it can quickly provide hot water for tea, and when traveling the trough reflector can be flipped forward to provide sun shading or rain protection for the rider. He hope is that this model will provide more employment opportunities for villagers. As well as tea, business owners can serve eggs, bread, paratha, and dal rice. Suneel is currently seeking mass production assistance, and can be reached at +91 6260 036385.

LPG gas burner, 9-8-21 — LPG gas burner, *Photo credit: The CSR Journal*

September 2021: Cooking gas getting costlier every fortnight, worth the damage? The CSR Journal explores the situation occurring in India, where the cost of LPG gas is rising quickly. They consider the alternatives, and give credit to Bancha in Betul district, as the first village in India to have zero wooden stoves and almost no use for LPG cylinders, as the entire village has converted to using solar cooking appliances. Read more...

Deepak Gadhia, with Pranav and Bharat Gadhia, are on hand for the Scheffler reflector replacement at the Green Campus at Vankuva School

February 2021: New reflectors at Vankuva School - Deepak Gadhia reports that the large Scheffler reflectors on-site are in the process of being replaced at the Green Campus at Vankuva School] in Gujarat, India. The original reflectors each measured 10m2, and the new ones measure 16m2. The new reflectors will be first used to test existing thermic fluid, and then converted and tested with the pressurized hot water system solar thermal system.

See older news...

Articles in the media[]

NEW: September 2024: Amid rising temperatures, will India embrace solar cooking once again? - The Times of India
July 2024: ‘Haven’t Bought an LPG Cylinder in 4 Years’: How To Use Solar Cooking to Save Money & Time - the better india
June 2024: Government gives the gift of free PV solar stove to women from low-income families, no need to pay for gas cylinder - Timesbull
June 2024: GST Council Recommends 12% GST Solar Cookers - TaxScan
June 2024: Tree Planting and Solar Cooking Demonstration on World Environment Day - Pressnote.in
June 2024: Amid rising temperatures, will India embrace solar cooking once again? - The Economic Times
March 2024: From sun to plate: India yet to embrace solar cooking benefits - Mongabay
March 2024: Over 70% of rural households use firewood for cooking in Nagaland - The Morung Express
October 2023: IIT Bhubaneswar organizes ‘Suryakumbh’ Workshop to educate children on Solar Energy and Sustainability
October 2023: Computer science students learn sustainable living from Janak Balta McGilligan, GeoTV
May 2023: Not LPG, through solar-powered cooking, India can achieve net zero! - Ground Report
January 2023: Sonam Wangchuk - An environmentalist who leads by example, Sonam promotes carbon-neutral approaches for the Ladakh region, which includes solar cooking applications. He will conduct a high altitude five day fast to raise awareness - Cross Barriers
December 2022: Abhi and Niyu represented India at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt. They promoted sustainable climate solutions, which included solar cooking - The Hindu
November 2022: Sun-Cooked Cakes And Pizzas? These Solar Cookers Can Get It Done Without Causing Any Pollution - India Times
November 2022: Students assemble and install appliances at an ICDS center in Howrah’s Domjur - The Telegraph Online
June 2022: World Environment Day was celebrated with the minister for water resources, Tulsi Silawat, and SCI Associate, Janak McGilligan - Free Press Journal
April 2022: Samba: Palli village to be carbon-neutral in 18 months: Sarpanch - The Tribune
March 2022: Solar-Cooked Lessons and Chicken Curry - titli trail
December 2021: Couple Cooks Homegrown Veggies in Solar Cooker; Cuts Costs by Rs 20,000/Year - The Better India
November 2021: Indore: Students marvel at varied uses of solar power at Janak McGilligan's centre - The Free Press Journal
September 2021: CSIR-CMERI’s Solar DC Cooking System, a step towards green & pollution free India - NewsOnAir
July 2021: Maharashtra: Jalna-based dentist makes sugar-free cookies using solar energy - mid-day
June 2021: Electrification of 19 Siachen villages to help Ladakh achieve carbon-neutrality target - The Hindu
May 2021: How Devang Joshi is helping farmers in becoming Atmanirbhar using the income generation model through Solar Dryers - Startup Times
April 2021: Indore: People share their journey of solar cooking as an environment-friendly option, Jimmy McGilligan Memorial Week - The Free Press Journal
March 2021: AIADMK seeks to outsmart DMK, unveils super populist manifesto for Assembly polls - The Tribune
March 2021: Maharashtra aims to achieve 40 per cent electricity generation through renewable sources by 2030 - Frontline
January 2021: Solar Cookers International: Clean Cooking Solutions - Indiaspora
January 2021: Madhya Pradesh: Indore’s Janak Palta McGilligan gets international recognition for pioneering solar cooking - The Free Press Journal
December 2020: Mahindra University's third annual R&D showcase, which includes a student solar cooker presentation winner - India EducationDiary.com
December 2020: Use of solar cookers saved women from rape, exploitation, abuse and violence - Janak McGilligan, The Free Press Journal
November 2020: Children’s Day 2020: Tribal kids conduct experiments away from artificial labs in Bhopal - The Free Press
September 2020: Prime Minister Modi calls for low-cost indoor solar cooking solutions - domain-b.com
September 2020: CSIR-CMERI and NISE to bolster the Solar Energy Sector - DD News
August 2020: UN Chief Urges India To Kill Fossil Fuel Subsidies, End Coal Pledges After 2020 - Science the Wire
June 2020: Unique ‘Solar Bowl’ Keeps Kitchen Cool Despite Using Steam to Cook 1,000 Meals a Day! - The Better India
April 2020: Weeklong online lectures from 15 April in memory of great solar techie James McGilligan
March 2020: Renewable Energy: How a shift towards energy access is transforming rural India - The Economic Times
March 2020: Igniting a Solar Revolution - milleniumpost
February 2020: Solar energy the future of city: Experts
December 2019: Learn to Build Solar Cookers from IITian Who Quit His Job to Teach 1.2 Lakh Kids - The Better India
October 2019: Here comes the sun - Pune Mirror
October 2019: SECI tenders 500 quantities of solar cooking systems - PV Magazine India
October 2019: Keeping the Mahatma’s light shining - Mongabay
September 2019: Gujarat Man Helps Tribal Women Make Solar Cookers That Cost Just Rs 100! - The Better India
September 2019: IOCL flags off pilot study of solar indoor cooking in Leh - Daily Excelsior
September 2019: Indian Oil launches pilot study of indoor solar cooking at Leh - The State Times
Gujarat Man Teaches Tribal Women to Make Solar Cookers That Cost Just Rs 100! - The Better India
September 2019: #KindnessMatters: Engineer invents Rs 60 solar cooker to help rural women - CNBC TV18
July 2019: IIT Roorkee, IIT Delhi and ARES (FBK) jointly execute ITPAR Project Titled "STAR" - webindia123
July 2019: Union Budget 2019: A Mixed Bag for the Solar Industry - Saur Energy International
June 2019: RK Singh reviews the issues pertaining to Renewable Energy sector, calls upon the lenders - Dariya News
June 2019: Increasing the share of cleaner cooking among rural households of India - Observer Research Foundation
June 2019: MP village goes completely solar for cooking needs - Times of India
May 2019: Time To Replace LPG? This Gujarat Man’s Solar Stove Lowers Cooking Costs by 80% - The Better India
May 2019: Increasing the share of cleaner cooking among rural households of India - Observer Research Foundation
April 2019: On Mission to Save Environment, Gujarat Engineer Designs Solar Cooker That Costs Just Rs 100 - NEWS 18
February 2019: Vocational Training On Preservation Of Fruits And Vegetables Concludes At Krishi Vigyan Kendra Fatehgarh Sahib - 5 Dariya News
February 2019: StartupBharat: From solar stoves to 3D printing, four stories of innovation from Gujarat - YourStory

See earlier media articles.

Audio and video[]

July 2023: Solar Steam Cooking System (CST) at the Shirdi temple in India

Solar_Steam_Cooking_System_(CST)_in_Shirdi-2 — Solar Steam Cooking System (CST) in Shirdi-2

July 2023:

World's_Largest_Solar_Kitchen_In_Shirdi_🙏_-_Sai_Prasadalaya — World's Largest Solar Kitchen In Shirdi 🙏 - Sai Prasadalaya

The daily meal is served at the Shirdi Sai Baba temple in Shirdi, Maharashtra, India. With nearly 30,000 visitors each day, the temple’s dining halls are some of the largest in India.

November 2022:

James_Dean_Conklin-_Filming_"Family_of_the_Sun"-2 — James Dean Conklin- Filming "Family of the Sun"-2

A documentary interview conducted by Luther Krueger, of the Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking, with James Dean Conklin, who since the early 2000s, has spent considerable time researching the efforts of Deepak Gadhia and Janak and Jimmy McGlilligan

March 2022:

Solar-powered_food_dehydrator_empowers_Indian_farmers-2 — Solar-powered food dehydrator empowers Indian farmers-2

Solar-powered food dehydrator empowers Indian farmers

February 2017:

Children's_reaction_after_Solar_cooking_for_the_first_time_@_SuryaKumbh

June 2016: Deepak Gadhia tells the story his solar cooking research and promotion (Starts in German, but after one minute switches to English)

May 2016:

CST_and_Solar_Cooker_Excellence_Award_2016 — CST and Solar Cooker Excellence Award 2016

Piyush Goyal, Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy, presents on solar energy use in India.

January 2016:

Aurangabad_Setting_A_World_Record_By_Cooking_With_Solar_Energy

June 2015:

The_Solar_Bowl — The Solar Bowl

A charitable institution inTamil Nadu, India is using solar energy to cook 3,000 meals for 650 children a day, reducing dependence on cooking gas and saving nearly US$ 8,000 each year.

February 2015:

12TH_FEB_DD_NEWS_METRO_SCAN_MUMBAI. — 12TH FEB DD NEWS METRO SCAN MUMBAI.

News story four minutes into the video showing thousands of students solar cooking at the Maha Suryakumbha event in January 2015.

July 2014:

McGilligan_Empowering_young_Rural_and_Tribal_women_with_Solar_Cookers — McGilligan Empowering young Rural and Tribal women with Solar Cookers

May 2013:

Square_Parabolic_Solar_Cooker — Square Parabolic Solar Cooker

Goldin Bennet of the Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering National Institute of Technology Tiruchirapalli, shows how they have fabricated a parabolic solar cooker using small square panels in 2013.

February 2010:

February 2010:

Solar_Cookers_in_India,_Global_Ideas — Solar Cookers in India, Global Ideas

Deepak Gadhia's efforts promoting various solar powered projects

September 2007:

The_Smokeless_Village — The Smokeless Village

News report showing the Smokeless Village where all inhabitants cook with solar cookers

History[]

Main article: History of solar cooking in India

Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources

India, Asia's second largest country next to China, is second to China in the number of solar cookers in use. The situation in India has been more complex than that of China., and more is known about Indian programs. The Third World Conference on Solar Cooking was held in India, which permitted the history and progress of solar technology's uses to be better known around the world.

The Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), Government of India, was established in 1982, first as a Department and later as a Ministry. The Ministry's mandate extended well beyond solar cooking, including fuel efficient wood and charcoal stoves, power from other renewable sources, energy from industrial wastes, and research and development in a number of related fields (photovoltaics, biogas, and pollution prevention, for example). MNES began seriously to promote solar cooking in the early 80s, with an initial focus almost entirely on the solar box cooker.

The population of India is roughly 70% rural. MNES states, "cooking accounts for a major share of the total energy consumption in rural homes (Singhal, correspondence, 2003, p. 1). Sources of that energy use have been largely fuelwood, animal dung, or crop residues. All emit smoke, pollute the atmosphere, and are deterimental to health and safety of family members, particularly women. Fuelwood has become more scarce each coming year. FAO data show that 21.6% of the Indian land mass is forested, and conservation efforts have been in place to reverse previous loss. The effort has been affected by the large and dense population, and a slowing but still substantial birth rate (continuing to increase at 1.7% per annum, or 17% in a decade). Solar cooking has been viewed as one way to alleviate a number of India's problems and as such supported by government efforts.

Institutional solar cooking

Main article: Institutional solar cooker designs

The Press Bureau of the Government of India reported in 2007 that there were 525,000 solar cookers installed in India. The Press Bureau also reported in 2003 that, "The solar cooker programme has been expanded by introducing new designs for community use. Three solar steam cooking systems based on automatic tracking concentrating collective technology for cooking food for 600-3,000 people per day, and one system based on ‘Solar Bowl’ technology, have been installed. World's largest solar steam cooking system has been installed at Tirumala Tirupati. The system is designed to cook two meals for 15,000 persons in one day. Another system for 2,000 people was erected at Brahmakumaris Ashram in Gurgaon in July, 2002. Three community cookers for indoor cooking have been installed at a training hostel and an NGO’s establishment in Leh. In all, six such systems have been installed under the MNES demonstration scheme. A total of 500 dish solar cookers and 60 community solar cookers have been installed so far."

External links[]

April 2023: The poor woman’s energy: Low-modernist solar technologies and international development in India and Mexico, 1878–1966 - Cambridge University Press

Main article: History of solar cooking

Archived articles

Climate and culture[]

Solar Cookers International has rated India as the #1 country worldwide for solar cooking potential. In the year 2020, the estimated number of people in India who will suffer from fuel scarcity is 157,400,000, but these people will continue to have ample access to the sun. In December 2007, the Indian Government instituted a program of rebates on various renewable energy devices including solar cookers. Solar cooking has even been recommended in the Rig Veda, a sacred Hindu text, stating: "All edibles ripened or cooked in the sun’s rays change into super medicine, the amrita."

India Solar Resource map, 12-3-12 — India Solar Resource Map provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Fuels used for cooking[]

URBAN SECTOR

LPG (47.96%)
Firewood (22.74%)
Kerosene (19.16%) and
Other fuels (10.14)

RURAL SECTOR

Firewood (64.10%)
Other sources of biomass – crop residue (13.10%)
Cow‐dung (12.80%)
LPG (5.67%) is now increasing in importance. ^[1]

In a February 7th, 2015 article, The Economist reported that there are roughly 1 million deaths in India each year due to cooking fires^[2].

Fuel subsidies[]

The Economic Times of India reports:

While 300 million people live below poverty line, making do with energy inefficient dung cakes, twigs and branches, and occasional bits of coal, the urban middle class and the rural rich are splurging on cheap petrol and diesel and even cheaper kerosene and liquified petroleum gas.

The subsidy is massive - hidden by a disingenuous device called oil bonds. Here are some rock solid facts. IOC, HPCL and BPCL are currently losing $137 million a day (i.e., Rs 582 crore per day at Rs 42.50 = $1). They lose Rs 16.34 for each litre of petrol, and Rs 23.49 for each litre of diesel sold in Delhi.

The subsidy on kerosene at Rs 28.72 per litre is over three times the current retail price; and the subsidy on a cylinder of cooking gas at Rs 306 per cylinder exceeds the retail price. The total under-recovery for the oil marketing companies for 2006-07 was over $19 billion. With oil prices touching $135, under-recoveries can be $50 billion this year, unless retail prices are substantially increased.^[3]

The Telegraph (UK) reported in September 2013 that, "Food and fuel subsidies are gobbling up much of the budget, while investment atrophies."^[4]

Solar cooking already has a significant presence in India, especially with large-scale projects, but the potential largely remains untapped for its use to significantly replace the use of conventional fuels.

Cultural acceptance[]

In a report presented during the Asian Clean Energy Forum in June 2008, Soma Dutta, Asia Regional Network Coordinator for the Amsterdam-based ENERGIA International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy, states that only 45% of India’s 70% rural population have access to electricity, and over 80 percent still rely on firewood as their primary cooking fuel, the gathering of which is a responsibility that almost always falls to the women and girls in a society. The long hours and significant effort spent simply gathering firewood leaves them little time for education or employment. ^[5]

Introductions of new technologies fail in villages for many reasons, but most commonly due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of local cultural customs. Solar cooking has often suffered this fate despite the purported cost savings because it is not introduced in a way that suited the lifestyles of the individuals using it.

A solar stove is most powerful at the times of the strongest sunlight, which is mid-day and early afternoon. As in many agricultural populations, village farmers in India consume their biggest meals by early to mid-morning and then again late at night, after the sun has set. In addition, certain solar stoves are not conducive to Indian-style cooking which is done mostly with oil (with the exception of rice) and requires frequent temperature manipulation as well as stirring and flipping which was is difficult with many solar cookers.^[6]

While technical constraints limit the types of solar cookers likely to be widely adopted in India, there is historic precedent for solar cooking in Indian culture. A passage in ancient Vedic texts state, " Sun cooked food improves cellular health and longevity of life. It strengthens health and mind removes three major physical disorders to do with digestion, blood and respiratory system, balances inner body temperatures, life, glows aura and keeps various obstacles away. Sun cooked food has great medicinal value. It enhances intellect, genius." ' Rig Veda'. - Reference from the princeindia.org website. See: PRINCE

Resources[]

Possible funding[]

Facebook groups[]

Blogs and newsletters[]

http://rudrasolarcooker.blogspot.com

Project evaluations[]

April 2014: A (new) cultural turn toward solar cooking—Evidence from six case studies across India and Burkina Faso

January 2013: Performance Studies of a Multipurpose Solar Energy System for Remote Areas - MIT International Journal of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 3, No. 1,

January 2013: Performance Evaluation of Parabolic Solar Disc for Indoor Cooking - Yogesh Suple & S.B. Thomre

Main article: Project evaluations

Photographs[]

August 2008: A large collection of photographs of solar cooking devices at the Muni Ashram

Documents[]

May 2019: Experimental investigation of 16 square meter Scheffler concentrator system and its performance assessments for various regions of India - S. Kumar, V. Yadav, U. Sahoo, and S.K. Singh
January 2018: Introduction of Solar Drying by NGO Narmada in Nimar Region of Madhya Pradesh State of India Under the Guidance of Barc, Goi - Raghav Deosthale, et al
January 2018: Solar Concentrator Evoluation in India and Way Ahead (Slides, Abstract) - Deepak Gadhia
April 2017: Solar Cooking Journey - Alzubair Saiyed
Challenges in Promoting Solar Cookers in India (Slides, Abstract) - Neha Mehta, et al
June 2016: Health and Climate-Relevant Pollutant Concentrations from a Carbon-Finance Approved Cookstove Intervention in Rural India - Ther W. Aung, et al
July 2015: Gujarat Solar Power Policy-2015 - Government of Gujarat

June 2015: Women Spend 374 Hours Each Year Collecting Firewood in India, Study Finds - Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves

August 2014: Increase in coal tax will scale up indian renewables - Pallav Purohit

August 2014: ARUN®100 Installation at Akshardham Temple, New Delhi - Ajay Chandak
August 2014: ARUN®100 with Thermal Storage at Ramkrishna Mission, Chennai - Ajay Chandak

July 2014: Empowering Young Rural and Tribal Women with Solar Cookers - Janak McGilligan

June 2014: A (new) cultural turn toward solar cooking—Evidence from six case studies across India and Burkina Faso - Pia Otte

Aspects of Solar Air Pre-heating in South Indian Tea Factories - Planters Energy Network

May 2013: Manufacturers of Box Type & Dish Type Solar Cooker - Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

November 2012: Explaining the Unexpectedly Low Use of Solar Cookers in Gujarat, India - Girja Sharan and Raju Pandya

November 2012: Bashir Ahmad, a Research Fellow at the Technical University of Denmark, provides an analysis of solar cooker usage compared to conventional cooking methods. Data was collected for the study in India and Burkina Faso in the 80's and 90's. An Analysis of Solar Cooker Usage - Bashir Ahmad

February 2012: Patricia McArdle attended a workshop dealing with the construction and proper alignment techniques for Scheffler Community Kitchens in Dhule, India: Read her report.

Spring 2009: Solar Box Cooker for Gujarat, India - Ashok Gadgil

January 2009: Watermelon Processing in Integrated Solar Heater, Cooker, and Dryer - P.C. Pande
January 2009: Thematic Studies for Processing and Preservation of Foods with Solar Energy - Ranjita Bezbaruah Sharma
January 2009: Fortification of Solar Dried Fruit Bars -G. Sarojini, V. Veena, M. Ramakrishna Rao
January 2009: Perspectives of Solar Food Processing in India - C. Palaniappan
January 2009: Micro-Enterprises in Solar Food Processing - M. Ramakrishna Rao, D.J. Rao, S.L. Kumar
January 2009: Food Processing Through Solar Energy - Ghanshyam Lukhi
January 2009: Promotion of SK14 Solar Cookers through an Eco Center- Case Study of a Unique North-South Co-operation - Dr. Shirin Gadhia
January 2009: Promotion of Smoke Free Villages in Chittoor District & Employment Generation to Rural Youth - Jagadeeswara Reddy
January 2009: Advancing towards achievement of Millennium Development Goals by training Rural and Tribal women in Solar Food Processing - A Hands-on Experience at Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Central India - Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan
August 2008: A Solar Cooking Day
July 2006: Disseminsation of Solar Cooker Information - Mamata Dutta
July 2006: Sustainable Energy Policies for Promotion of Solar Cookers in India - Sudha Mahalingam
March 2003: India's solar cooker program - Solar Cooker Review
June 2001 S. Narayanaswamy Sheds Light on Solar Cooking - India Together
May 1999: Solar Cooking Technology - How Far are Technology Promoters and Users From Each Other?

Contacts[]

The entities listed below are either based in India, or have initiated solar cooking projects there:

SCI Associates[]

Main article: Solar Cookers International Association

NGOs[]

Manufacturers and vendors[]

Individuals[]

Government agencies[]

Educational institutions[]

[1] ttp://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090624234723/solarcooking/images/8/8f/Performance_analysis_Solar_Parabolic_concentrator_for_cooking_applications_P._Rajamohan%2C_S._Shanmugan%2C_K._Ramanathan%2C_D._Mutharasu_%28January_2009%29.pdf

[2] ttp://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21642172-narendra-modi-should-learn-chinas-mistakes-its-too-late-indian-winter?fsrc=scn/fb/te/pe/ed/indianwinter

[3] ttp://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Debate/How_to_deal_with_ever-rising_crude_prices/articleshow/3094985.cms

[4] ttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/currency/10277392/India-pushes-shock-and-awe-currency-plan-to-save-BRICS.html

[5] ttp://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42725

[6] ttp://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-449965.html4

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