Last edited: 27 December 2021
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In 2016, USA NGO Solar Cookers International and the International Solar Energy Society began the process of creating a solar cooker testing program called the Performance Evaluation Process (PEP) under the direction of Dr. Alan Bigelow. The project involves establishing a uniform method of testing, and then providing information for interested parties to build their own testing station. |
Events[]
- NEW: 21-24 June 2022: ASES Solar 2022 (Albuquerque, New Mexico): Energy Transition with Economic Justice - The 51st Annual National Solar Conference at the University of New Mexico and online. The theme of this year’s conference is “Energy Transition with Economic Justice,” focussing on an equitable renewable energy transformation. Schedule and registration information...
- NEW: 20-21 May 2022: Solar Zentrum 2022: Cooking and Drying with the Sun - Aquaponics - Coordinated from the Solar Zentrum in Wietow, Germany with assistance from Michael Bonke. The Zoom conference Program Schedule, with the first day in English, the second day in German. This is a free event. Zoom link information to come.
- See also: Global Calendar of Events and past events in USA
News[]

Public library in Hubbard, Ohio receives grant for solar cooker lending. Photo credit: Solar Education Project
- January 2021: Grant for solar cooking lending at library - The Hubbard Public Library in Ohio has received a grant from Constellation Energy Resources, LLC to implement a solar cooker lending program. Specifically, the funding was used to purchase an All American Sun Oven and selected accessories. “Constellation’s Community Champions program is designed to support causes that are important to the community, especially those causes for which the project, organization, or initiative focuses on education, environment, or youth,”

Luther Krueger on his podcast tour 2020
- October 2020: Luther Krueger is establishing himself as one of the foremost solar cooking enthusiasts in North America. He has created a solar cooker museum, with many of the cookers preparing meals in his Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA backyard. The goal is to have one of every solar cooker ever produced. He also recently completed a tour of the western United States to visit with a number of other enthusiasts and solar cooking professionals to record dialogue for his solar cooking podcast. On his trip Luther acquired a Villager Sun Oven, which he towed back home to Minnesota. Solar Today published a profile of Luther in their Fall 2020 publication Cookin'in the Sun.
- June 2019: School of Engineering and Sciences developing solar cooking technology into their curriculum
- May 2019: 37th annual solar cooking demonstration held in Tucson, Arizona - Citizens for Solar held their annual solar cooking demonstration in Tucson, Arizona. Pictures from the event...
History[]
Some of the many solar cooking non-governmental organizations based in the US are Solar Cookers International (SCI), Rotary International, the Solar Oven Society, and Solar Household Energy, Inc.
No precise numbers are available, but estimates suggest that perhaps as many as 10,000 Americans use solar cookers regularly. The electrical utility of the Sacramento, CA area, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), has been a strong supporter of solar energy usage. SMUD serves an area of more than a million people. Under earlier leadership, it pioneered the development of cleaner electricity generation, including building the first solar-powered generating station in the United States. It has offered rebates for replacing old appliances with energy-efficient equipment, and it cooperated in planting trees to lower the cost of air conditioning to consumers, as examples. For purposes of this report, it is important to note the strong support of SMUD for solar cooking education, including outreach to schools and community organizations. They have placed solar cookers with Scout troops, offered workshops in 65 schools of the area, and made available plans to build cookers to customers throughout their service area. In 1991, SMUD even produced a solar cooking cookbook. Reducing the use of electricity is in everyone's interest; this interesting example of a public utility's contribution to solar cooking as one contribution to solving the problem was noteworthy.

The "Umbroiler" parabolic solar cooker designed by George Lof, in use with his daughter, Linnea, in 1955.
The late George Lof, a former director of the Industrial Research Institute at the University of Denver, Colorado, was an early pioneer of solar-powered technology, including solar cooking. In the fifties, he experimented with a parabolic solar cooker design that he dubbed the "Umbroiler" because of its umbrella-like structure. He marketed the design, but it was a commercial failure for the times.
Considerable activity can also be found in the state of Arizona, probably the sunniest of the U.S. fifty states. The most important solar cooking fact about Arizona is that the late Barbara Kerr, the foremost expert on solar cooking in the U.S., lived in a small community in this state. She created and lived in the Kerr-Cole Sustainable Living Center, which demonstrates a wide range of ways to live lightly, rather than destructively, on the earth. Barbara is the author of several books (The full text of one is here) and articles on solar cooking, the creator and marketer (with her colleague, Sherry Cole) of a cardboard box cooker, the refiner of the CooKit as the first inexpensive but efficient solar cooker, and a never-ending source of information to those who seek her knowledge on the internet. A visit to Taylor, Arizona, is a trip to an important piece of solar cooking history.
Solar devices are also manufactured in this area. Early pioneers, the late Bob Larson and his wife Heather Larson, produced cookbooks and plans for solar dryers until their untimely deaths. Jay Campbell, a New Mexican engineer, has invented a range of cooking devices that won prizes for ingenuity and efficiency, though he is not a manufacturer but rather an idea person. One firm, Zone Works, makes and sells parabolics out of Albuquerque, NM.
Unlikely as it may sound, the state of Minnesota has also made contributions to the development of solar cooking. Mike and Martha Port, founders of the Solar Oven Society, have worked in a variety of Central American and Caribbean nations on various projects. Recently, they completed research and development of a new cooker, manufactured from recycled soda bottles; the device will help to fill the gap between the very inexpensive (but not so long lasting) CooKit and the more expensive box or parabolic cookers. With the assistance of a small business development grant from the State of Minnesota, charitable contributions from a range of churches and organizations, and the dedicated volunteer labor of the Ports over many years, they have recently been able to begin the sale and marketing, both in the U.S. and abroad, of the Sport. A collectivity of Minnesota churches made possible the shipment of 400 unassembled cookers to Afghanistan for sale at a subsidized price to people whose need for cooking energy is great.
The Nevada Solar Cookers Association was formed to share recipes, ideas, and stories and to spread the news about solar cooking in their area. Solar Cooker Review, March 2003.
The Sacramento, California NGO Solar Cookers International, the sponsor of this Wiki, has worked since 1989 to promote solar cooking around the world.
- Main article: History of solar cooking
Archived articles
- 20K Watts
- AMANECER
- Alan Gallagher
- Alfalit International, Inc.
- Alice & Heinz Hoenecke
- Arlus Walters
- Ashok Gadgil
- BASIC Initiative Mexico Program
- Baja Arizona
- Barbara Kerr
- Barbara Knudson
- Barby Pulliam
- Bart Orlando
- Benjamin Brown
- Berta Nelson
- Blazing Tube Solar
- Bob Larson
- Brookings Rotary Club
- Carbon Manna
- Carl Peters
- Catlin Powers
- Colin Hoskins
- Compassion Care Foundation
- Doug Augustine
- ETHOS
- Earthapprentice
- Edye Kuyper
- EnCorps International
- Engineers For a Sustainable World Solar Ovens Team
- Friends of Haiti Organization
- George Lof
- Give A Helping Hand
- Global Resource Alliance
- Global Roots
- Gordon Bauer
- Gordon Magney
- Gourmet Solar Ovens
- HELPS International
- Hawaii Solar Ovens
- Ishani Sud
- Jack Garvey, Jr.
- Jennifer Barker
- Jewish World Watch
- Jim Scott
- John Futhey
- John Roche
- Li-Yan Zhu
- Lift Up Africa
- Light Gives Heat
- Manda
- Manisha Javeri
- Marianne Walpert
- Max Ozimek
- Medina Baye Islamic Ecology and Environmental Learning Center
- Methodist Church Conference of Minneapolis
- Miami Country Day School
- Mike Pool
- Miriam Markus Zacuto
- Molly Baker Solar Oven
- Mária Telkes
- Nancy Crooks
- Nancy Ellen Crooks Foundation
- Nevada Solar Cookers Association
- One Earth Designs
- Partnership for Clean Indoor Air
- Paul Munsen
- Potavida
- Project C.O.P.E.
- Project Have Hope
- Project Surya
- Rachel Andres
- Reyel and Michaela Daystar
- Richard Wareham
- Rita Riewerts
- Robert Nepper
- Ron Mutebi
- Rotary Club of Naperville
- Rotary District 6450
- Safe Water Systems
- Sales for Social Impact - University of Houston
- Salud del Sol
- Samaritan's Purse
- Seattle Solar Cooking
- Shahjee Solar International
- Sherry Cole
- SolSource
- Solar Cooker Project Team at Cornell University
- Solar Energy International
- Solar Punch
- Solar Zenith
- Solarcookingnut
- Solavore
- Sophie Brock
- Spirit in Action
- Stellaris Ministries
- Steven Jones
- Steven Watson
- Sun Catchers Project
- Sun Chef Cooker
- Sun Fire Cooking
- Sustainable NE Seattle
- Terri Brooks
- Texas Solar Cookers
- The NOMAD Foundation
- True Vineyard Ministries
- Ugandan American Global Initiatives
- United Religions Initiative
- University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus
- Wendell and Sammie Rickon
- Wilfred Pimentel
- World Concern
Climate and culture[]
Resources[]
Possible funders[]
- Find a Kiva microfinance partner in USA.
- Raising funds through grants and donations
- ACCION USA
- Opportunity Fund
- See Raising funds through grants and donations.Raising funds through grants and donations
Facebook groups[]
- Solar Cookers International (Sponsor of this wiki)
- Solar Household Energy
- Solar Education Project
- Secret Solar Institute of North Nevada
- Copenhagen Solar Cooker Group
- Minnesota Solar Cookers group
- Promote Solar Cooking in your Community
- Florida Renewable Energy Association
- Citizens for Solar
- Solar Smelters International
- Minnesota Solar Cookers group
- World Central Kitchen
Solar cooking blogs[]
- Colorado Bob's Solar Oven
- Utah Sun Ovens
- Root Simple - Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne chronicle their adventures as urban gardeners, farmers, and solar cookers.
- Little Homestead in the City - An American family in Pasadena living simply since 1985
- Solar Cooker at Cantina West
- Chef Tess Bakeresse
- Chile Chews Up the Road
- Sun Oven
- SunshineCooking
- ARNies-SolarCooking, last entry in 2009, still contains good advice
- Solar Moxie, Karyn Ellis' blog
- Sun Sky Soil
- My Sun Oven
- Solar Cooking for Mainstream Cooks
- Adventure in Solar Cooking
Solar cooking clubs[]
Project evaluations[]
- August 2006: Nogales, US-Mexico Clean Air Report Excerpts August 2006 - Report for the Thermal Construction and Alternative Heating and Cooking Technologies Project that outlines research conducted to assess the air quality along the US-Mexico border. Solar Household Energy collaborated with the research team to introduce solar cookers into the cities being studied.
- Main article: Project evaluations
Reports[]
- July 2014: Characteristics of Solar Cooking Households in the United States - Natalia Blackburn
- August 2013: Final Report: Designing a Low Cost Solar Oven for Rural Native American Communities - EPA
Articles in the media[]
- 'December 2021: Solar on La Crosse Wisconsin Schools, donates solar oven learning tools to district classrooms - Lacrosse Tribune
- July 2020: A solar oven is a fun project to try at home - Chicago Daily herald
- April 2020: Sun Power - Evolving practices help bring solar cooking to the world stage - Comstock's Magazine
- January 2020: Pasadena school tests its solar ovens
- October 2019: Engineering students crank up the heat at 'Solar Oven Throw Down' - KUGN 9 News
- September 2019: Alan Bigelow’s Solar-Cooking Revolution - The New Yorker
- July 2019: Is it hot enough to fry an egg outside? We got cracking to find out - The Washington Post
- April 2019: Allen changes focus to solar energy - Bingham County Chronicle
- April 2018: Hubbard, Ohio lawyer runs nonprofit to maximize US aid to poor nations - The Vindicator
- April 2018: Harnessing the Sun with a Solar Oven to Make Blue Hopi Cornbread - Mother Earth News
- April 2018: Solar Energy Cooking Challenge with Go Sun's Patrick Sherwin -Cision PRWeb
- March 2018: Middle school students compete in solar oven challenge
- December 2017: The Sun Shines in Denver - Green Fire Times
- December 2017: Arkansas Sixth-Graders Design Ovens for Uganda Community - USNews
- July 2017: Summer-long solar cooking study - Arizona State University
- June 2017: Baked to take first place in Science Fair
- February 2017: Workshop on solar power at i3 Academy yields lessons about benefits of alternative energy - Palm Coast Observer
- August 2016: Just-B-Solar Camp introduces youth to their future - MSR Online
- August 2016: Bolivians' kitchens become a passion for San Clemente teen - The Orange County Register
- July 2016: Local retired professor looks to improve solar cooking - 22News - WWLP.com
- April 2016: Baking a carrot cake on a boat led to buying a company - Star Tribune
- April 2016: Back to the future: A solar oven project (food waste recycling) - The Tiger
- April 2016: Churchville-Chili solar cooker team wins ASU Tech Challenge - Gates-Chili Post
- April 2016: These Clark entrepreneurs have some big ideas (Sun Top Solar Cookers)- Clark University
- December 2015: Solar Cooking Goes Mainstream - EcoWatch
- October 2015: UA Students Make Tasty Treats in 'Solar Oven Throwdown' - Arizona Public Media
- September 2015: Why not sun-roasted chilies for Presidio, Texas? - Big Bend Now
- August 2015: Only the sun, Local green builder gets community cooking with solar power - Chico News & Review
- July 2015: Solar cookers sizzle in Sacramento heat - The Sacramento Bee
- July 2015: Solar academy under way at Cal Maritime - Times-Herald NEWS
- July 2015: Everyday Solar Cooking - Mother Earth News
- June 2015: Bloomfield fifth-graders create solar ovens - NorthJersey.com
- May 2015: Glenpool students celebrate end of school with solar cook-off - Glenpool World.com
- May 2015: Friendship students win award for oven design - Olean Times Herald
- March 2015: Solar Cooking in the Snow with a Sunny Apple-Cobbler Recipe - Mother Earth News
- February 2015: Cedar Rapids engineering major develops solar stoves in India - Iowa Now
- January 2105: Thinking Globally and Acting Locally - Huffington Post
- October 2014: Using Solar Thermal Technology to Brew Beer in Colorado - Solar Thermal Magazine
- August 2014: First United Methodist Church volunteers help with solar oven - The Jamestown Sun
- July 2014: Solar ovens may stimulate student appetite for STEM - University of Arkansas
- July 2014: Ask James Dulley: Solar ovens are simple to make, easy to use - Rapid City Journal
- July 2014: Solar cooking conference extols virtues of cookers to developing world - Sacramento Bee
- June 2014: Young chefs harness solar power - Daily Press
- June 2014: Solar Cooking: The No-Fuel, No-Emissions Way to Make Dinner - Edible Manhattan
- May 2014: Solar ovens yield sunny side-up s’mores at WMS - Woodbury Bulletin
- May 2014: Solar Cooking in Third World Countries - Digital Journal
- January 2014: SUNY students build solar CooKits - Observer, Dunkirk NY
Audio and video[]
- November 2021:
Jamie O'Shea & Bjorn Quenemoen- Solar Popped-Bjorn Qorn (will Roasted Qoffee be next?)-2
Video credit: Luther Krueger
- January 2011:
Fun in the sun Solar cooking (04 24 09)
Ben Brown of Charlotte, Michigan, USA, demonstrates solar cooking at the Charlotte Community Library, 2009.
- July 2010:
Navajo Students Native Sun Fresnel Solar Cooker.mov
Science teacher Paul McCarl inspired his students at Whitehorse High School in Montezuma Creek, Utah to build and enter a Fresnel solar cooker in the Spirit of Innovation Award contest. The students' Native Sun Solar cooker which can make traditional fry bread was a finalist in the competition.
- July 2009:
Solar Potluck
Solar Cookout sponsored by Sustainable NE Seattle, Washington, USA, 2010.
Contacts[]
The entities listed below are either based in USA, or have established solar cooking projects there:
SCI Associates[]
- Alan Bigelow
- Allart Ligtenberg
- American Solar Energy Society
- Arline J. Lederman, PhD.
- Caitlyn Hughes
- David Chalker
- Earthbound Technology
- Ed Pejack
- GoSun
- Haines Solar Cookers
- Jackie Harsha
- Julie Greene
- Lorraine Anderson
- Luther Krueger
- Mary Buchenic
- Patrick Sherwin
- Paul Funk
- Paul Hedrick
- Public Private Alliance Foundation
- Rachel Andres
- Roger Haines
- Solar Brother
- Solar Cookers International
- Solar Oven Reflectors
- Sun BD Corporation
- Sun Buckets
- Susan Kinne
- Tom Hoffmann
- William Bradley
- Main article: Solar Cookers International Association
NGOs[]
- Advancing Sustainable Household Energy Solutions (ASHES)
- Adventures in Health, Education, and Agricultural Development
- African Millennium Foundation
- American Solar Energy Society
- Appropedia
- Aprovecho Research Center
- B4Dignity
- Border Partners
- Cal Poly Solar Cooking
- Central American Solar Energy Project
- Citizens for Solar
- Clean Cooking Alliance
- Climate Healers
- Developing World Solar
- Earthbound Technology
- Florida Renewable Energy Association
- Florida Solar Energy Center
- GEF Small Grants Programme
- Girl Scouts Heart of Central California
- Global Solar Education Project
- GoSol.org
- Kerr-Cole Sustainable Living Center
- NGO Sustainability, Inc.
- New Energy Works
- Our 1 World
- Power From The Sun
- Project Gettysburg-León
- Public Private Alliance Foundation
- Rotary Club of Fresno
- Rotary Club of Los Altos (California)
- S.T.E.V.E.N. Foundation
- STAR-TIDES
- Solar Circle
- Solar Clutch
- Solar Cookers International
- Solar Cookers International Association
- Solar Cooking Plus
- Solar Education Project
- Solar Household Energy
- Solar Liberty Foundation
- Solar Oven Partners UMC
- Solar Oven Society
- Solar Sisters
- Solar Smelters International
- Solar Solutions
- Sun24
- Sun Ovens International
- Sunshine On My Shoulder
- Sustainable NE Seattle
- The Nature Conservancy
- Trust in Education
- United States Agency for International Development
- United Village Transformation
- World Central Kitchen
- Zahana
Manufacturers and vendors[]
- A Better Focus Co., Inc.
- All Season Solar Cooker
- Bjorn Qorn
- Blazing Tube Solar
- California Sunlight Corporation
- ClearDome Solar Thermal
- Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light
- Dale Schuck
- Dr. Solstice
- GoSun
- Haines Solar Cookers
- Jim La Joie
- SUNFLAIR
- Sharon Clausson
- Solar Brother
- Solar Chef
- Solar Chef International
- Solar Circle
- Solar Clutch
- Solar Cooker at Cantina West
- Solar Household Energy
- Solar Oven Reflectors
- Solar Oven Society
- Solar Oven Tracker (Privette)
- Solar Roast Coffee
- Solar Solutions
- Solar Solutions Central
- SunOK
- SunSpot Solar Electric Cooking
- Sun BD Corporation
- Sun Buckets
- Sun Ovens International
- Trust in Education
Individuals[]
- Afzal Syed
- Alan Bigelow
- Allart Ligtenberg
- Arline J. Lederman, PhD.
- Arvind Chel
- Benjamin Brown
- Bev Blum
- Bing Gu
- Budd Mackenzie
- Caitlyn Hughes
- Chef Tess Bakeresse
- Christopher Nyerges
- Craig Bergland
- Dale Andreatta
- Dale Schuck
- Daniel M. Kammen
- David Chalker
- David Stein
- Ed Begley Jr.
- Ed Pejack
- Gabrielle Simbriger-Williams
- Irene Perbal
- Jack Howell
- Jackie Harsha
- Jennifer Barker
- Jim La Joie
- Joel Goodman
- John Grandinetti
- José Andrés
- Julie Greene
- Karyn Ellis
- Kevin Adair
- Linda Stein
- Lisa Rayner
- Lorraine Anderson
- Louise Meyer
- Luther Krueger
- Malcolm Gee
- Martin Nix
- Mary Buchenic
- Mary Frank
- Matt West
- Merry Bevill
- Michael Nicholas
- Mike and Martha Port
- Natalia Blackburn
- Nathan Parry
- Pat Browne
- Patricia McArdle
- Patrick Sherwin
- Paul Arveson
- Paul Barth
- Paul Funk
- Paul Hedrick
- Pete Schwartz
- Raquel Redshirt
- Robert Metcalf
- Roger Haines
- Sam Brown
- Sharon Clausson
- Sharon Cousins
- Sheela Kiiskila
- Stephen and Sheila Harrigan
- Susan Kinne
- Suzette Bienvenue
- Tara Miller
- Tom Hallquist
- Tom Hoffmann
- Tom Sponheim
- William Bradley
Government agencies[]
Educational institutions[]
See also[]
- Category:Alabama
- Category:Alaska
- Category:Arizona
- Category:California
- Category:Colorado
- Category:Connecticut
- Category:Delaware
- First World Conference on Solar Cooking (1992)
- Category:Florida
- Category:Hawaii
- Category:Idaho
- Category:Illinois
- Category:Indiana
- Category:Iowa
- Category:Kansas
- Category:Kentucky
- Category:Louisiana
- Category:Maine
- Category:Maryland
- Category:Massachusetts
- Category:Michigan
- Category:Minnesota
- Category:Missouri
- Category:Montana
- Category:Nebraska
- Category:Nevada
- Category:New Hampshire
- Category:New Jersey
- Category:New Mexico
- Category:New York
- Category:North Carolina
- Category:North Dakota
- Category:Ohio
- Category:Oregon
- Category:Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Category:Rhode Island
- SCI Regional Convention - North America 2015
- SCInet Solar Cooking Convention 2014
- Category:South Carolina
- Category:South Dakota
- Category:Tennessee
- Category:Texas
- USA Solar Survey
- USA news archive
- Category:USA solar cooking clubs
- Category:Utah
- Category:Vermont
- Villager Sun Oven
- Category:Virginia
- Category:Washington
- Category:Washington, D.C.
- Category:Wisconsin