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Last edited: 3 December 2023
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The NJUBA Solar Stove
The NJUBA Children Relief 2022-2023 solar cooking introductory project took place within the Mpigi and Zombo districts of Uganda. The project director is Daniel Plattner, from NJUBA Kinderhilfe Uganda, based in Switzerland.
Initially, a school was established for local children, and as an offshoot from that, the organization wished to address improving the lifestyle conditions for the local women, helping them transition from cooking over open fires to solar cooking. The goal being, to reduce local deforestation, improve respiratory health, and help offset the expense of firewood for families.
The solar cooking project study ran from January 2022 until June 2023. It consisted of an initial evaluation phase of understanding the eating habits of local families. In this way, the needs of the families could be taken into consideration in the production of the type of solar cookers to be used in the study. A total of 60 families participated in the evaluation study over a 60-90 day period. Meticulous records were kept about each portion of the project.
The study[]
- The following is a summary of the detailed information collected by NJUBA Children Relief. See the complete evaluation study at: NJUBA Solar Stove Pilot Project 2022-2023, Field survey evaluation, and read much more about the development of the solar cooker design at: NJUBA Solar Stove Pilot Project 2022-2023. Daniel Plattner is credited with the project photography included here.
Background information[]
Women participants completed more than 720 forms to provide a picture of typical Ugandan meals, which revealed the most important basic foodstuffs, particularly in the rural areas, to be beans, maize flour, cassava and sweet potatoes. Two community locations were selected for the study. Buwama in the Mpigi District of central Uganda, and Malari, in northern Uganda in the Zombo District.
Information on general household budgeting was also gathered. Typical firewood consumption was approximately 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) - 7.5 kg (16.5 lbs) per day for the families in Buwama, and 4.5 kg (9.9 lbs) - 6 kg (13.2 lbs) for those in Malari. On the per person basis, fuel consumption was similar in both locations, but a higher percentage of the firewood needed to be purchased in Malari. Families in both locations usually had stated incomes below the cost of required food items, and most have a small farm or garden to grow additional food to help offset expenses.
Family sizes ranged from a single adult with one child to 5-6 adults with multiple children. Within the two districts, the food type consumed varies. In central Uganda, more maize flour and matoke is eaten, while in northern Uganda, considerable millet is consumed. One administrative concern, was that the Malari community is in a more remote location and regular data collection was more difficult to obtain.
Finding a solar cooker to use[]
Historically, the majority of the cooking in the country is done over three-stone open fires. Cooking with charcoal is used more in cities. The population of Uganda is growing quickly, and and finding alternatives to bio-based fuel for cooking is becoming increasingly important.
Typical three-stone fire used for cooking
The NJUBA solar box cooker used in the study
The first prototype solar cooker, designed and fabricated by project director, Daniel Plattner, was built in January 2022. Over several months other new prototypes were developed and tested. In February 2023 right at the start of the dry season, the first 12 solar stoves were delivered to study participants, who received training in their use along with cooking techniques for various menu items.
In April 2023, solar stoves were delivered to the women in Buwama. The joy and the motivation about the stoves was amazing. Possibly in part, because the solar stoves are a handsome design and beautifully constructed. A built-in support stand with wheels provides the cookers easy mobility and a good height for cooking. The large solar box oven design allows cooking with multiple pots at one time, and the insulated walls, made with local cotton waste material, helps to maintain internal temperatures in temporary periods of overcast skies. The 'slow cooker' nature of solar box cookers is well-suited to cooking beans, maize, and sweet potatoes. In May 2023, 30 solar stoves arrived to the women's group of Maliri in Zombo District.
Built on a base with wheels, the solar stoves are easily moved to various locations
The exciting arrival of the NJUBA Solar Stoves
Arranging different size cooking pots inside the solar cooker
Daniel invested a considerable amount of time developing the final cooker design, learning hands-on by building and testing a number of prototypes. He credits being able to access early design direction for the NJUBA Solar Stove from the Solar Cookers International Wiki.
Solar cooker usage[]
After receiving the solar cookers, the families in Buwama and Maliri were evaluated over a period of 41 days. The main goal was to evaluate how much firewood could be saved with a solar cooker. Water and cooking oil consumption were also monitored. The savings of firewood in Maliri was quite large, although it must be said that in Maliri each of the participants already had an improved combustion stove.
One of the biggest challenges was the weather. At least in terms of the study, there was a shift in weather patterns since beginning the evaluation in 2020. Many more days with light rain and cloudy skies currently limited the use of solar cookers, even during the dry season. Between the two project locations, Maliri had better sun than Buwama, and this resulted in higher solar oven use. Maliri residents also had access to improved combustion stoves, and there has been development of an earthen-based version to supplement the solar cookers.
The women were very eager and enthusiastic about their work with the solar cookers. Despite the bad weather conditions, firewood was saved, and based on the data obtained, it is now possible to determine how much firewood can be saved in sunny weather.
Summary[]
Basically, the solar stoves have been performing quite well, and the study participants are very satisfied with them. On sunny days, the solar stoves can be used through two cooking cycles in one day. Lunch, dinner, and then boil enough drinking water for the next day. The question is whether central Uganda is the right place for relying completely on solar cooking, as sunny days were limited in 2022 and the beginning of 2023.
See also[]
External links[]
Contact[]
NJUBA Children Relief
Daniel Plattner, director
P.O. Box 29798
Kampala
Uganda
Email: info@njuba.ch