Cranfield experts help develop solar cooker
03/06/2013 Cranfield University
A solar cooker able to harness the sun's energy to cook food and purify water has been developed with expert help from Cranfield University. The cooker will significantly improve the quality of life for rural communities in the developing world.Many thousands of people are at risk of illness every day because of their inability to heat food or purify drinking water effectively.
The cooker works by using a system of mirrored strips tilted at different angles to concentrate sunlight onto an 'absorber' which then helps to convert the solar energy into useable heat. The process is known as 'concentrating solar power', or CSP, and is an area in which Cranfield is regarded as the number one expert in the UK.
Cranfield's Dr Chris Sansom, the UK's leading expert on CSP, commented: "This is a very exciting project as there are many areas of the world where solar cookers and water purifiers could impact significantly on people's quality of life."
As well as heating food, the cooker is able to store heat and can generate electrical power for essential mobile communications and air conditioning.
The solar cooker was developed by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, with expertise from Cranfield University. It was funded by the Government of Pakistan, who recognise the need to improve the lives of those living in the remote regions of Pakistan.
For further information, please contact:
Cranfield University
Cranfield
Bedfordshire MK43 0AL
Tel: +44 (0) 1234 758040
Email: f.c.siebrits@cranfield.ac.uk
Website: www.cranfield.ac.uk
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