Design, development and testing of a portable parabolic solar kitchen

In this project we describe the design, manufacture and testing of a new portable solar kitchen with a large, parabolic solar reflector that folds up into a small volume. Technical trials carried out with a prototype have determined that the solar kitchen reaches an average power scale of 175 W, with an energy efficiency of 26.6%. This power scale provides sufficient energy to cook a simple meal for two people in an average time of 2 h. Improvements in the design have reduced the weight of the solar kitchen to less than 5 kg and the assembly and disassembly times to 2 and 1 min, respectively. Moreover, its competitive price (48.62 €) encourages the substitution of solar energy for conventional energy. The parabolic solar kitchen described here thus provides a portable, inexpensive, environmentally friendly food heating system that can improve the quality of life of needy people in the Third World and reduce consumption of conventional energy.