Financial Times

Cooked by the sun

By Lanelle Hills
For rural communities struggling to find the cheapest source of energy to cook a decent meal and relying so far on the smoky dara lipa, a local NGO called EMACE has come up with a promising answer - cooking by using energy from the sun or solar power.

The process requires the use of a simple wooden box called a solar box cooker. This simple contraption but innovative cooker is exposed to the sun with uncooked food placed inside it and within 1-2 hours, the food is ready to be enjoyed.

"Nobody ever thought that a box could cook their food," said E.M. Abeyratne, recalling the first reaction of an awe struck group of people in the southern town of Hambantota during the initial stages of this project.

EMACE (meaning Environment and Science, Manpower and skills, Adult and parenthood development assistance, childcare and women's rights, education and culture) is an NGO which helps Sri Lanka's most marginalised people to attain an adequate means of income generation, health care, education and security.

Central to this approach lies EMACE's belief that a 'healthy environment creates a healthy people' and it was this belief which compelled Abeyratne, EMACE director to contact a global company called Solar Cookers International for advice on how his NGO could teach Sri Lankans to use solar energy for cooking purposes.

At the same time two Canadian volunteers Lee Sentes and Kathleen Manion had completed a solar cooking project in Madagascar and were looking for a new training opportunity when Solar Cookers International invited them to contact Abeyratne. The link was made and work on the project began in December 2000.

"Five different solar cooker models were tested before it was decided that the box cooker was the most suitable for our environment," said Abeyratne who explained that six of EMACE's skilled staff were trained on how to produce, manufacture and maintain the box cookers. From there onwards workshops were set up and small village communities in the Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Puttalam districts received training.

Due to considerable progress in the project, organisers have been able to reach war torn areas such as Vavuniya where the response for such cookers has been 'positive', noted Oliver Walton, project coordinator who is a foreign volunteer. He added that "when we first went we had just one cooker and now there is a request for fifty." Future plans are to expand the project to districts such as Batticaloa and Jaffna.

The cooker consists of a wooden structure as its outline - about 60 cm x 41 cm x 13-27 cm which can be altered to fit an individual's request. The outline of the box is filled with coir fibre (inside its walls) while reflective material is attached to the outer surface of its lid and inside the base of the box as well. Uncooked food in covered black aluminum pots is placed inside the base of the box and allowed to rest on a thin metal sheet balanced on small objects to allow hot air to circulate thus making the cooking process much faster. "There's no big science involved," said Abeyratne explaining that the box cooker is positioned facing the sun with its reflector lid kept open. Sunlight reflected from the lid falls directly onto a transparent sheet of glass beneath which is located the uncooked food in the covered aluminium pots. The well-insulated base containing this trapped hot air begins the cooking process which takes place at a temperature of about 85C almost immediately. The cookers function between 85C and 135C and once food is cooked it stays warm.

Abeyratne, stressing that the project is a non-profit one, said its efficiency could be increased but that would raise costs and thus be beyond the reach of poor families. Cooker prices are planned to be reduced further in the future with the shifting of EMACE's manufacturing plant which is now situated in Moratuwa to Athurugiriya where its training centre is located at the moment.

Walton, commenting on the box cooker's ability to cook two meals a day, said that although cooking options are limited to meals that only require heat to cook them, (eg rice and curry) it is capable of appetizing treats such as cakes and pastries.

Recently a French Solar Company donated 100 parabolic cookers which are also being distributed by EMACE. Concave in shape, with reflective material attached to its entire outer surface these cookers are capable of reaching a maximum temperature of about 400F with the least amount of exposure to sunlight.

The solar cooking phenomenon has been so popular that EMACE has now produced over 300 box cookers.

Since production involves a cost and is not funded, the NGO is compelled to sell them in order for funds to be regenerated for the project. Prices range from Rs.2,100 for a small box cooker and Rs 16,500 for a larger one. "Even though this is a big amount, in a way the cooker pays for itself," said Walton who emphasized that the time and energy saved and also its low maintenance and durability makes it cost effective. In one instance a women's group in the refugee camps of Puttalam and Kurunegala purchased two large box cookers from EMACE. These large cookers are being used by several families who've developed bakeries in areas where employment is scarce.

Cooking with the box cooker entitles the user to many advantages such as zero pollution, no need for an external fuel source, low maintenance, low cost and no germs because box cookers function between 83C and 135C.

The water heated to 65C is free from bacteria including Escherichia coli, Rotaviruses, Giardia and the Hepatitis A virus. At 70C milk and other foods are capable of being pasteurized. Due to these reasons the box cooker is versatile enough to be used in other areas apart from cooking to - disinfect dry medical supplies such as medical instruments, bandages etc. heating of compresses, kill insects in grain and other dry food staples, sanitize dishes and utensils, heat water for household chores, removing covering from rice grains, and extraction of wax from honey.

Despite all its advantages an essential solar cooking ingredient is patience. "That's not really a problem," said Walton adding "while the food takes time to cook it gives people more time to do other things like childcare and other income generating activities and its safe to leave the cooker unattended."

In addition to this the cooker eliminates any inhalation of smoke which would otherwise cause respiratory problems, like pneumonia. Abeyratne also points out that a greater percentage of users are women and "for those who've cooked over burning stoves for 20 years this is a blessing!"

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