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 Advantages and disadvantages of Solar Cookers

Solar cookers are an ingenious way of cooking food without the use of any kind of fuel. It is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional LPG-cylinder-based or electricity-based cooking technologies. Solar cookers share advantages and disadvantages with most other solar-based products. Just like any other solar-based product, solar cookers cannot function or be of any use without sunlight. In this article, we are going to carefully lay down all the advantages and disadvantages of solar cookers. We are also going to discuss the various types of solar cookers that are currently available in the market, as they tend to eliminate the problems which have traditionally been associated with solar cookers. We would urge you to go through this article carefully to find out more about solar cookers. It will be of great help to you if you are considering installing a solar cooker at your own place.

Advantages of Solar Cookers

1. Cost-effectiveness

Unlike an LPG-based cooking solution where you need to spend money every time you get a new cylinder, a solar cooker requires no such recurring payments. This is because sunlight is free and unlimited and hence, cooking on a solar cooker is effectively free. You just need to make an initial investment of installing a solar cooker, and that’s all!

2. Environment Friendly

Natural gas is a non-renewable energy source, and if you reside in a hot area, a conventional cooker makes your house hotter while cooking. A solar cooker produces no emission of gasses like carbon monoxide, maintaining better air quality indoors. Besides, sunlight is unlimited and a renewable energy source. The environmental impact is thus, minimum when you are using a solar cooker.

3. Nutritious, tasty and hygienic cooking

Solar cookers make cooking more nutritious, hygienic, and tasty. It eliminates the possibility of burning food when you are cooking, baking, grilling or roasting. The latest solar cookers can even direct the sun rays in a more precise manner, thus, offering better efficiency. Moreover, in baked food, moisture and softness are retained.

4. Power cuts is not an issue

Induction ovens and microwaves require electricity to run, and power cuts are a major challenge in India. However, as solar cookers use sunlight to cook food, you do not have to worry about power cuts.

Disadvantages of Solar Cookers

1. Useful only for cooking in the daytime

The biggest disadvantage of using a solar cooker is that it is dependent on sunlight for cooking. As a result, you cannot cook using a solar cooker at night. Besides, rain, low sunlight penetration, cloudy weather, etc. also serve as impediment to cooking on a solar cooker.

2. Eye damage

One needs to be careful while using a solar cooker, as accidental reflection of sunlight into your eye can damage your eyesight.

3. Requires Backup

It is impossible to be completely dependent on a solar cooker for cooking. You will require a conventional cooker, which can be used when sunlight is not sufficient, or on a rainy day. Besides, with a solar cooker, you need to start cooking early in the day, when the sunlight reception is maximum.

4. Less Efficient

Solar cookers take a lot more time to cook than conventional stoves. Hence, if you are in a hurry to cook your food, you will have to use a normal stove. Besides, solar cookers are costlier than regular gas stoves. You will also need to find a suitable place in your house to place a solar cooker, where the sunlight reception is maximum. You might also be required to change the position of the reflector, according to the position of the sun.