Solar restaurants and bakeries

Last edited: 23 October 2023

Solar restaurants and bakeries have been established in various parts of the world as income-producing enterprises. Not only do they provide clean cooking options to communities, they offer unique business advantages such as reduced overhead due to not requiring expensive cooking fuel. Below you will find examples of small, medium, and large-scale solar restaurants and bakeries in regions around the world. For information on opening a solar restaurant or bakery, visit the business development page for resources on this topic.

News

NEW: November 2024: Solar Cooking Program by SELF - The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) uses the power of the sun to fight poverty and climate change. For the pilot program, SELF partnered with the Rape Hurts Foundation (RHF), a Uganda-based organization that provides refuge and support to survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence. The organizations deployed two solar bakery businesses in Uganda, one in Jinja at the RHF head office and one in Kamuli at the RHF Bukyerimba vocational school. These locations, known as the Sanyu (or “happiness”) bakeries, are equipped with Lytefire solar cooking units. As of November 2024, the program has trained 1,738 people. It has also raised awareness for the importance of clean cooking, and raised local demand for clean alternatives such as solar. In a region of Uganda that remains largely without electricity, stand-alone solar appliances offer a sustainable and practical solution for food production.

Photo credit: SELF

September 2023: 100 Suns is being used for solar barbecuing in Zimbabwe. The trials are being conducted by Alex Machipisa based in Harare with plans to establish the first solar restaurant in Zimbabwe.

September 2023: Solar brewery grand opening - Microbrasserie Hélie, in Dampierre-les-Bois, is inviting everyone to visit their solar brewery opening celebration from 16-17 September 2023, from 8:00 - 4:00 GMT, and taste some of their new creations.

Al-Wissam roof array, 4-29-23 — The solar trough roof-top array heats an oil-filled pipe for the baking at the Al-Wissam bakery, *Photo credit: euronews*

April 2023: New solar bakery - The Al-Wissam solar bakery, is located in Remhala, Lebanon, 27km south of Beirut. It uses a roof-mounted solar trough array to heat an oil-filled pipe positioned along the array to 300 °C (572 °F). The hot oil is then directed to the kitchen where it heats convection ovens for baking. More information...

Machanents Center solar restaurant, 1-5-22 — The chef checks the solar cooking food at the Machanents Center. *Photo credit: David Egui*

January 2022: New solar-fueled restaurant in Yerevan, Armenia - Founder of the Machanents Center, Grigor Babakhanyan, decided it made sense to highlight the work of local scientists, and incorporate solar cooked menu options at the Center restaurant. Vahan Hamazaspyan, began studying uses for solar energy after the devastating Spitak earthquake disrupted traditional grid-based energy sources in the 1980's. He experimented with parabolic solar cooker designs, and tried to convince local authiorities to help make them available within the country, with little success. Finding a new audience, patrons now seek out the restaurant for its solar prepared fare, many commenting they prefer the preparation over conventional stove use. Read more...

EntreCordillera Restobar in Villaseca, (reformat), 1-15-23 — The solar ovens in use preparing the foods to be served to patrons at EntreCordillera Restobar in Villaseca, Chile *Photo credit: EntreCordillera Restobar*

September 2021: New solar restaurant joins others in Villaseca, Chile - EntreCordillera Restobar is the latest restaurant to join other establishments offering solar cooked meals in Villaseca. The new restaurant is a member of the Association of Solar Artisans of Villaseca, which helps support and promote the local community of restaurants. Read more at: The Desert Chefs Who Cook with the Sun - BBC Travel

A_Solar_Oven_Takes_Eco-friendly_Cooking_to_the_Next_Level-3 — A Solar Oven Takes Eco-friendly Cooking to the Next Level-3

Head Chef Joshua Murray at the Conrad Hotel in Washington, D.C. discusses his journey with solar cooking, and how it fits with the sustainability goals of the hotel

May 2021: Solar cooking smoker - Head Chef, Joshua Murry, at the Conrad Hilton, Washington D.C., USA, explains how the hotel wished to take greater advantage of the roof deck to be able to serve meals to guests. However the space has limited electrical access, and Joshua drew upon his experimentation with solar cooking as a young man. He has found a way using a 'smoke gun' to inject smoke into the cooking chamber of an All American Sun Oven for the first 45 minutes of cooking a large pork roast. Then the chamber is completely sealed, and the meat cooks for another couple hours, resulting in the smoke flavored roast he desired.

La sazon del Sol aerial location — The production location of La Sazón del Sol in Tlacochahuaya, Oaxaca, Mexico

December 2020: Solar baked foods - La Sazón del Sol, located in Oaxaca, Mexico, has a mission to make solar energy an integral part of the local daily life through food, economy and health. In this training center dedicated to women, passion is created for solar cooking. From the construction of an oven-dehydrator to cooking, pasteurization and solar conservation. As a way to strengthen the autonomy and social ties in the community with providing solar baked and dried products. More information... -

Restaurant_Solaire_Le_Présage — Restaurant Solaire Le Présage

This video (with subtitles) shows Pierre-Andre Aubert running his mobile solar restaurant, using a Scheffler reflector, and describing his plans for Le Presage.

April 2020: Pierre-Andre Aubert, solar chef, is setting up a solar restaurant - Le Presage - in Marseilles, France. He is collaborating with the local university to sponsor a PhD in restaurant-scale solar cooking, heat retention, and passive solar heating. If you have an interest in solar cooking, a degree in mechanical engineering (and preferably some French), you might want to apply. More information...

November 2019: Community bakery - GoSol.org reports that one of their solar array cookers, first put into use in 2017 in the Kisumu area, in Kenya is still in use. It was later transferred to Friends of Ndere, a very active baking community, which already had a GoSol concentrator. In spite of this being one an early pilot unit, they are still using this unit to bake bread. Below is a video in Swahili showing the concentrator in action. More information...

Friends_of_Ndere-0 — Friends of Ndere-0

Solar array cooker transferred to Friends of Ndere

April 2017: Solar bakery employs eight people and produces 500 loaves a day - With funding from the Energy and Environment Partnership of Southern & East Africa (EEP S&EA), R20 and its local partner implemented a solar bakery project in Gitega. The results to date are: 1) A solar bakery with the capacity to produce up to 500 loaves of bread per day; 2) Employment for eight local women A bakery business plan; and 3) A draft Integrated Climate Plan for Gitega City. More information...

January 2017: Solar Cookers International (SCI) connected five organizations with solar cooker restaurant experience at its 6th SCI World Conference 2017. Said Rocio Maldonado: "Pierre's experience with a solar cooker restaurant in France will be very useful to us in Bolivia." Representatives from several countries expect to create guidelines for starting solar cooking restaurants, which they will share with international partners.

Ghislaine Milliet of Le Presage, 11-30-16 — Chef, Ghislaine Milliet of the Le Présage restaurant

November 2015: An experimental solar restaurant in Aubagene, France - The restaurant, "Le Présage", was open from 3 November to 3 December 2016. It was organized and operated by chef, Ghislaine Milliet. The restaurant was open to the public as weather permitted. They used a Scheffler reflector as one of its cooking sources. A little more information is available at: "Le Présage" in Aubagne

April 2016: Vietnam Solar Serve writes: A man from France came to visit us in Danang. He runs a restaurant in Vung Tau, a popular seaside resort in the south of Vietnam. He knew all about solar cookers and other environmentally friendly devices. He was very excited and wanted to buy several devices for his restaurant (three solar box cookers, two parabolic cookers and three clean cookstoves). He also ordered two solar lamps. For us it was interesting that after several years someone requested our box cookers again. Because of the sunny weather in the south they could be an attraction for tourists eating in his restaurant.

Imani Women Group November 2015 — Imani Women's Group

November 2015: Members of the Imani Women's Group in Msumarini, Kenya bake cupcakes and larger cakes using only a wooden box and the sun. They earn enough money to help support their families and send their children to school. On a sunny day they produce up to 150 cupcakes, which they sell for 10 shillings (0.10 US$), and 30 cakes that go for 200 shillings (2.00 $US). Kenya, which straddles the equator, receives (according to the Kenyan Ministry of Energy) an average of 4.5 kWh per square meter per day.

R20-bakery-March-2014 — Regions 20 initiates second phase of solar bakery project in Burundi

March 2014: R20 initiates second phase of solar bakery project in Burundi - The second phase of the project began with a stakeholder consultation workshop where 32 participants (women bakers, local officials) gathered to discuss the potential benefits of having a solar bakery as well as concerns they may have. The workshop was a success, and the women bakers expressed their gratefulness to R20 and CIRID for helping to start this project that will reduce the amount of smoke they inhale as much less wood will be needed to bake. The solar bakery project will provide a solar-powered oven to a small bakery in Gitega, Burundi, that employs women that have been marginalized by their communities.

January 2014: International aid organization seeks solar cookers for bakery in Burundi - The global relief organization R20-Regions of Climate Action has organized a solar bakery project in Rutegama, Burundi. Currently the bakery, in operation since 2006, has relied on wood-fired ovens, with the wood needing to be gathered by the women working at the bakery. They are soliciting proposals from tenders interested in providing three institutional solar ovens required to convert the bakery to solar. The ovens must be limited to three meters(a little under 10 ft.) in height, and if carried, weighing no more than 10 kg (22 lbs.). Unfortunately, proposals need to be submitted by January 31, 2014. Interested parties will find more information here: Invitation to Tender For Solar Bakery Project, Burundi. The scale of the project may be rather small, but the funding and implementation is coming from world leaders in the field of economic and environmental relief.

December 2012: In the hot and dry village of Villaseca in central Chile, the sun's rays are hard at work here at Delicias del Sol restaurant, cooking up delectable dishes in the eatery's 20 solar ovens. The ovens were originally introduced to the village as a trial project from the University of Chile and the Institute for Nutrition and Food Technology. Delicias del Sol, which started out with a 16 person capacity, now seats 120. The future looks bright for Delicias del Sol.

Examples by regions

Africa

The SOS Children's Village in Mamelodi, South Africa has a community-scaled solar box oven to serve as a bakery, funded by the Embassy of Switzerland. The new solar oven meets their own needs as well as generates a surplus of baked goods to be sold, providing an income for the institution. On a good day it takes the bakery about 40 minutes to bake 80 loaves of bread.	Vendors cooking fish with the sun on the beach south of Casablanca, Morocco
Since June 2005 the Bethel Business and Community Development Centre in Lesotho has used this parabolic trough cooker to bake 24-40 loaves a day. Even though the dough is kneaded by hand, an income double that of the minimum wage has been achieved.	This example shows a small bakery in the North of Namibia. The small-scale bakery is able to bake up to 100 loaves of bread a day or about 300 little fish-tin rolls. For more info, contact Rolf Behringer.
U.S-based True Vineyard Ministries provides sustainable opportunities for widows and children impacted by genocide, subsequent conflicts, and HIV/AIDS in Rwanda. Its “Bake the Cycle” project is helping to break the cycle of poverty by providing solar bakery jobs to 10 widowed women supporting families in Ruhengeri. The bakery provides a variety of breads to local businesses and families. The women use a commercial-sized Villager Sun Oven® that reaches temperatures in excess of 250 °C (482 °F) and can bake hundreds of loaves of bread each day. “For the first time in the widows’ lives, they are able to consistently provide food, clothing, shelter, and education for their families.”	Camily and Gaudenziah Wedende have started the Seeing is Believing Cafe in Eldoret, Kenya. They are cooking cakes, tea, and other solar-cooked goodies, and selling them in front of their Sun Cookers International business. Tanya Cothran, Director of Spirit in Action
Sri Lankan restaurant owner promotes eco-friendly cooking - Down south on the beach in Induruwa, Sri Lanka, chef Nelson Wimalasooriya, demonstrates how he can prepare his dinner late in the day without firewood or other fuels, except for the day's remaining energy from the sun. He uses a parabolic solar cooker originally designed by Dieter Seifert.	Tending the solar oven for the Imani Women's Group in Msumarini, Kenya. In 2014, the group began a bakery business as part of an initiative by German development group, Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevölkerung, to boost women entrepreneurs within the village. Photo credit: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Solar Bakery Burkina Faso ISOMET operates a solar bakery that produces 1500 loaves a bread per day in Burkina Faso.	Solar Project Gambia writes: "The best examples of success is the bakery and the restaurant. They really make solar food popular. The bakery sets an example of how it is possible to generate an income with Solar baking."
The solar restaurant at the Hajjat Zam Hotel in Kampala, Uganda - Photo credit: Kawesa Mukasa. The solar restaurant at the Hajjat Zam Hotel located in Kampala, Uganda, is operated by Kawesa Mukasa of the Solar Connect Association.	SOL5 Technology - Solar Energy for SMEs Friends of Ndere, a very active baking community, operates bakery in Kenya.
Baking at one of the two Sanyu (or “happiness”) bakeries in Uganda - Photo credit: Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF). The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), along with the Rape Hurts Foundation, open two bakeries in Uganda to help participants learn skills in solar cooking and baking, as well as marketing and accounting, leading to career pipelines in the culinary space.

Asia

Solar Cooking "Grilling becomes thrilling" -Panasonic ecoideasnet "Kai Yang Palang Saeng Arthit" 6632-428250 This restaurant uses a solar heating system made of 1,000 hand-mirrors to cook chicken nicely in 14 minutes. Located in Cha Um, a three hour drive from Bangkok, Thailand. More information...	The Machanents Center restaurant in Yerevan, Armenia offers solar cooked menu items to appreciative patrons. More information... Photo credit: David Egui
The solar trough roof-top array heats an oil-filled pipe for the baking at the Al-Wissam bakery in Remhala, Lebanon, 27km south of Beirut. More information...

Caribbean

El Romero restaurant, Cuba — Chef Inti Langaney cooks vegetables with a parabolic solar cooker at the El Romero eco-restaurant in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

Europe

GloboSol has a solar creperie built on a trailer that can be towed to large events. The solar creperie is run by ExSol and active members of GloboSol	The Solar Kitchen Restaurant travels through Europe in the summer.
Food is prepared with parabolic solar cookers at the seasonal Sun Bridge restaurant in Poznan, Poland.	Le Presage Aubagne Le restaurant solaire Le Présage http://restaurantlepresage.fr, https://www.facebook.com/pg/RestaurantLePresage
Food is prepared with parabolic solar cookers at the Lo’13’to restaurant in Geneva, Switzerland	Les Festins Photoniques à la TV, Les Festins Photoniques à la TV, dans l'émission "C'est en France" de FRANCE 24 sur la cuisine responsable soucieuse de l'environnement, avec le chef Pierre-André Aubert de Le présage
French artisans have created the a solar bakery in Normandy, France called NeoLoco. They use a solar array concentrator oven to roast local seeds and bake bread.

India

In India a Sol-Café was built for a 100-children residential school in village Kothara in the Kutch district. The area is arid and severely short of fuel wood. It has on the other hand, abundance of sun. Commissioned in June 2003, it has been in regular use since. Since that time Sol-Cafés have been built in seven other villages.	Auroville Solar Kitchen, near Puducherry in South India.
Dentist, Dr. Minal Kabra is a co-founder of Kivu, a sunbaked vegan food tech startup, that creates healthy snacking options in Jalna-based Maharashtra	100 Suns solar stove installed at 2 Degrees Cafe in IIT Gandhinagar in Gujarat

Latin America

The Delicias del Sol in Villaseca,Chile uses a dozen or so box cookers and a few parabolic cookers to prepare food for their patrons. The restaurant is operated by the Association of Solar Artisans of Villaseca.	Solar power gives Andean villages a new lease on life - Reuters (Also a Reuters video shows an EcoAndina project in the village of Misa Rumi in Argentina where everything is powered by the sun. Pictured above is the town bakery where 5 kg of bread are cooked every hour.)
Solar Global Gourmet is a restaurant franchise for a business utilizing solar radiation for cooking food. Solar Gourmet is a new brand dedicated to promote and give glamor to solar cooking which represents a system of ecological friendly and healthy food preparation at gourmet levels.	Solar Women of Totogalpa using their solar box cookers to produce baked goods for sale in Nicaragua
The Solar Women of Totogalpa operate a solar restaurant in the small village of Sabana Grande, where they offer solar cooked foods, solar dried fruits and coffee.	The Taqueria Poncho, solar street vendor cart is the first of its kind in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Chef Inti Langaney cooks with a parabolic solar cooker at the El Romero vegetarian eco-restaurant in Pinar del Rio, Cuba.	Cocinas Solares en San Pedro de Atacama Chile.- Solar cooking at Restaurant Ayllu in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
Nicolau Bussolotti Francine of Pleno Sol, a solar bakery located in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.	The Kiosco SOLAR solar powered street food carts are operating in several cities in northern Argentina.
The production location of La Sazón del Sol in Tlacochahuaya, Oaxaca, Mexico, which provides local healthy foods	EntreCordillera Restobar joins the community of restaurants offering solar cooked meals in Villaseca, Chile
The production bakery location of TrinySol in Cardonal, Mexico, which produces solar baked goods and boils down agave syrup using Scheffler Community Kitchen reflectors