Plans For Solar Cookers etc

[Jez]

Got so many links to put in here some day when the Time Fairy allows me a spare day or so, but in the meantime I better start adding a couple each day or two or it will soon become a week of work and may amount to nothing more than endless procrastination. :D

Solar Cooking Archive (http://solarcooking.org/)

[Above Link] Lots of plans for building different varieties of solar cookers to suit differing needs along with plenty of other info.

Rural Kenyan women on vanguard of African 'solar revolution' (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1548&ncid=1548&e=1&u=/afp/20060615/lf_afp/kenyaenvironmentenergy_060615163655)

[Above Link] A 'good news' story about how solar cookers (Cookits) are making a positive impact in Kenya and other parts of the '3rd World' - reducing household expenditure, reducing deforestation, and also providing those involved in manufacture and dissemination with a secure, higher than average income. The most basic models can be made from materials most households already have or can easily access as scrap materials.

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Solar cookers are a fantastic way to use the abundant sunshine that most of us in Australia are blessed with. They can not only reduce your energy consumption by allowing you to forego typically energy intensive methods of cooking, but also, for those who have sampled good 'slow-cooked' food, it really can be a better way to cook all round.

[Tezza]

Hiya Jez How are you ....

Thanks for the links Its great to know that for one of the most important happenings of Life "meals" that People are inventing all these magical cooking machines.......

Says a lot about the suns Magical properties also

Tezza

[Jez]

G'day Tezza,

Going well mate, very busy but happy! Glad you enjoyed the link and I hope you're doing well yourself.

Yep, the sun booms an enormous amount of energy down on us each day...sometimes taking advantage of it is expensive (i.e. pholtovaic solar panels), but in this case virtually anyone can make a solar cooker cheaply and easily and then start harnessing the sun to good effect.

[Jez]

DIY Cheap Solar Thermal Panel (http://www.thesietch.org/projects/solarthermalpanel2/index.htm)

A bit dodgy in some respects, but may give someone out there inspiration to work off.

On another note, I had a good article (the link has subsequently become unavailable) on a fairly recent Chinese invention which can heat all your home hot water using just a few glass cylinders mounted on the roof - was incredibly cheap compared to traditional systems for obtaining solar hot water. They're not available in Australia yet, but would be worth looking into/waiting for for those considering the solar hot water option in the near future.

[Jez]

There's now a great resource for solar cookers on Wiki...pretty much covers all you could ever want to know:

Solar Cooking Wiki (Click To View} (http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page)