Performance Evaluation Process

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Last edited: 26 February 2024

Responding to requests from cooks, agencies, and manufacturers, Solar Cookers International (SCI) has created the Performance Evaluation Process (PEP), an objective, scientific process to evaluate solar cooker performance. Solar cooks and purchasing agencies around the world need these valuable performance metrics to select the solar cooker that best fits their needs.

The testing station, shown below, has been developed to provide objective results regardless of the test's geographic location or weather conditions.

Solar Cookers International's PEP testing station, Photo credit: Alan Bigelow

The PEP testing station inner workings, Photo credit: Alan Bigelow

News

• January 2024: Cooking efficiency calculation published by ELSEVIER - In their Science Direct collection, 'Testing Solar Cookers for Cooking Efficiency' has been published in the recent issue of Solar Energy Advances, Vol. 4, 2024. Established under the direction of Solar Cookers International Program and Science Director, Dr. Alan Bigelow, the Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) is recognized as a valid method for testing the performance of solar cookers. SCI is now proposing that a metric for cooking efficiency be added to standards for measuring solar cooker performance. Other team members responsible for the cooking efficiency calculation are Justin Tabatchnick, who also designed the testing mechanism, and SCI Executive Director, Caitlyn Hughes. View the report

• June 2020: PEP Update -  On a 19 June 2020 video conference, SCI Executive Director, Caitlyn Hughes and Science Director, Alan Bigelow, conducted a basic overview of the different types of solar cookers, explained the various parts of the Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) test station, and the history behind the process. They also shared results and lessons learned from conducting tests on specific solar cookers.

Evaluation

• Based on the internationally accepted ASAE S580.1 protocol for Testing and Reporting Solar Cooker Performance
• Harmonizes with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) test ISO/TC 285 protocols being developed for clean cookstoves
• SCI is a solar cooker testing center registered with the Clean Cooking Alliance.

Testing centers

A CooKit solar panel cooker is tested with a double Pyrex bowl being used for the greenhouse enclosure, Photo credit: Alan Bigelow

Local testing of solar cookers supports local economies - an SCI goal. Local testing means tapping leaders’ expertise: knowledge of their culture, language, and foods to identify the highest-quality, most durable solar cooking technologies for those regions. With additional funding from donors, SCI could consider opening additional testing centers. Want to learn how you can fund an SCI testing center and support local economies? Contact info@solarcookers.org today.

Current SCI/PEP Testing Centers

• Kenya - Nairobi, University of Nairobi.
• Nepal – Lalitpur. Center for Rural Technologies (CRT).
• USA – Nyack, New York. Solar Cookers International.
• USA – Pollock Pines (Greater Sacramento area), California. Solar Cookers International.

Results

• Click on the image below to be taken to comparative PEP test results on the Solar Cookers International website. And see all the currently tested cookers with articles on this wiki at PEP tested solar cookers.

Documents

• January 2024: Solar Cookers International manuscript "Testing solar cookers for cooking efficiency" published by ELSEVIER in Solar Energy Advances Vol. 4, 2024 - View the report
• 2021: Development and Implementation of a Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) for Solar Thermal Cooking Devices - Dr. Alan Bigelow, Justin Tabatchnick, and Caitlyn Hughes
• January 2017: Development of a Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) for Solar Cookers - Dr. Alan Bigelow
• July 2018: A technical description of the methodology: Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) for Solar Cookers - Dr. Alan Bigelow

Audio and video

• December 2022:

Professor Jacob Kithinji gives us a tour of a PEP testing site-2

• January 2022:

Alan Bigelow- The Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) Test for Solar Cooker Watts-2

See also

• PEP tested solar cookers
• Testing
• Alan Bigelow

External links

• SCI Performance Evaluation Process

Contact

See SCI.SCI