U.S. expert
THE University of Guyana (UG) School of Earth and Environmental Science has demonstrated a new innovation with Solar Cookers and Solar Cooker International (SCI) of the United States.

The best way to test the merit of the solar cooker is a taste test.

The demonstration, in accord with the quest of reducing carbon emissions, was done Tuesday by UG students at the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

It showed that food can be easily and conveniently cooked with solar energy as with liquid fuel.

The solar cookers work on the basic principle that sunlight is converted to heat energy and retained for cooking.

Because dark surfaces get very hot in sunlight, the food cooks best there or in shallow, thin metal pots with tight-fitting lids to hold heat and moisture, they said.

In the process, transparent heat trapped around the dark pot lets in sunlight but keeps in the heat. For the purpose, a clear, heat resistant plastic bag or large inverted glass bowl (in panel cookers) or an insulated box with a glass or plastic window (inbox cookers) can be used, the cooks said.

Ms. Patricia McArdel and the solar cooker.

Curved concentrator cookers typically do not require a heat trap as one or more shiny surfaces reflect extra sunlight onto the pot, increasing its heat potential, they explained.

The demonstrators pointed out that solar cookers are an ideal addition to any kitchen, wherever there are predictable hours of sun many days of the year.

Ms. Patricia McArdel, from SCI, here to assist UG with the introduction, said the solar cooker technology helps communities to use sun power for cooking food and pasteurising water for the benefit of people and their environment.

She said SCI spreads solar cooking awareness and the skills worldwide, particularly in areas with plentiful sunshine and diminishing sources of liquid fuel.

Since its founding in 1987, SCI has enabled 30,000 families in Africa to cook with the sun energy, freeing women and children from the burden of gathering firewood and fetching it for miles, McArdel said.

Objectives
According to her, SCI objectives are intended to:

* influence local, national and international agencies and related networks, in support of solar cooking, water pasteurisation and testing (SC/WP&T);

* develop programmes, in partnership with international agencies, government ministries, educational institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and/or community-based organisations, for the purpose of promoting SC/WP&T;

* facilitate broader access to SC/WP&T knowledge and enhance SCI expertise and

* partner with other relief agencies to assist refugees and disaster relief with SC/WP&T training and follow-up services.

McArdel said she uses solar cookers in her home all the time and attested to the fact that they are effective for cooking and baking; easy and safe around children; clean, convenient, non-polluting and easy on the environment.

She lauded the Guyana Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) in combating climate change and said, like LCDS, solar cookers have many benefits.

They benefit not only households but also the health sector, businesses, governments, humanitarian, development and relief organisations and environmental programmes.

UG student, Ms. Behonka Dey agreed, adding that the use of solar cookers utilise a renewable source of energy, which is in sync with Guyana’s development strategies for reducing emissions.