Introduction: Solar Kitchen (english Version)

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Nowadays in Peru, 25.8% of the population is beneath the national poverty line, meaning they have no access to the most rudimentary services such as water or electricity. Furthermore, more than 60% of the Peruvian population has a great chance of developing a serious illness due to malnutrition, for which we have the urge to highlight the importance of cooking our food, procedure that performs a cleansing function that eliminates the presence of most harmful pathogens.

As for the main reason we developed our solar kitchen, it flourished from our will of helping our community, as it solves both problems. Considering its relatively low cost, in comparison to a conventional oven, it is economically accessible to most of the population. Moreover, it reaches 60°C, it being the minimum temperature needed to eliminate any harmful microorganism.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Materials:

  • Umbrella
  • Cardboard
  • Aluminium tape
  • PVC tubes
  • Stainless steel wire
  • Metal rack
  • Plastic "cintillos"
  • Wheels
  • Movable flowerpot base

Tools:

  • Razor
  • Pliers
  • Perforator
  • Hammer
  • Saw

Step 2: Parabolic Structure

  1. Remove the umbrella's cloth and cover the rib assembly with 8 equally-sized cardboard triangles, tied up with plastic “cintillos”.
  2. Attach the cardboard to the umbrella's shaft using the stainless steel wire.
  3. Making use of the same plastic "cintillos", attach the inferior part of the whole structure to the movable flowerpot base.

Step 3: Stove Pillar

  1. Cut the PVC tube in two meter-long pieces and two of a half-meter long pieces.
  2. Slit a small rabbet in each side of the half-meter tubes and introduce the metal rack. Adjust with more "cintillos".
  3. Connect the smaller PVC tubes to the meter-long ones with the PVC elbows, then connect them to the PVC tees. This tees and small wheels should be joined previously.

Step 4: Solar Kitchen

  1. Cut two holes, both facing each other and big enough for the PVC tubes to fit perfectly, in the parabolic structure.
  2. Trim the umbrella’s shaft in order for it equal the PVC pillar’s height.
  3. Disassemble the PVC pillar and join it again once the tube has already gone through both holes in the parabolic structure.

Step 5: Try It Out!

Take the structure outdoors, somewhere in which there is direct sunlight, and wait a couple of minutes for the temperature to start rising. Once the temperature's gone up, place whatever you wish to cook in the stove (or pan) and do so!

Tip: Cover the pot/pan with its glass lid for it to cook faster.