Is Solar Cooking the answer?

Question

Do you think solar cooking could be the solution to providing free energy to the poorer third worlds?

Why isn't this simple technology more abundant. The Governments of the world tell us they dealing with debt. So why aren't they encouraging free and alternative energy technologies such as solar cooking, Stirling engines, Joe Cell device, etc. I could go on.

Answer 1

I cook all my meals by moon light.

Answer 2

Yes, but patented solutions cost money, so maybe you have the answer in your pocket for at least one family.  I do not like to sound too much like an advert, but maybe sponsor a child and be like the familiar “Starfish story”:

A young boy walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish are stranded. He picks one up and rescues it by throwing it back into the ocean. A man passing by criticizes the boy by telling him that, with so many dying starfish, he couldn’t possibly expect to make a difference. The boy stooped again to pick up another starfish and tossed it into the sea. He then replied to the man by proclaiming, “It made a difference to that one!”

Answer 3

There are many organizations doing just that. We have scientists and engineers looking for viable ways to purify water and bring communications and energy to needy communities. The problem is many of the governments whos citizens are in the greatest need are unstable, many times when aid is taken to a remote area it is highjacked, sometimes the government won't allow aid because the recipients are political refugees. Then there is the money problem, when you have an unstable or corrupt governement rarely does the money get to those who need it the most.  

Answer 4

brilliant tech. for sunny countries, looks like lots of action now, with good mix of commercial and sustainable living sites on this quick search;

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&cli...

i live in cold country, and burn wood, so my favourite low tech cooker is the rocket stove, twice as efficient as standard wood burner. this group show diy designs under creative commons regs;

http://www.e-geo.org/home322

Answer 5

Energy companies rule the world.  They don't want people to do these things and not buy energy so they suppress the information.  Also, it's hard for poorer countries to get the information anyway.  They don't have the internet and many people can't read.  A lot of the people that go over and try to teach poor countries how to do things better are actually teaching them how to do things like us and how to use more energy too.

Answer 6

yes!

Answer 7

The question is a good one but the answer is quite complex.

Although these alternate technologies are being introduced and used around the world, the uptake rate is low. Some of the reasons for that are:

The first is to do with education. People around the world are resistant to new ideas and to change, especially if it is cultural/traditional (e.g. "this was good enough for my mother/father"). It is particularly difficult to spread knowledge when there are billions who need it, illiteracy is common, radio & TV rare and the number of languages huge... but people are trying!

The second is financial. Large donors (incl. governments) like to support large projects (e.g. dams, ARVs for AIDS) - these technologies are very small. However, to the recipients, even the cost of a solar oven (a curved piece of metal) can be very high.

Thirdly, security. The most vulnerable and the poorest of people often live in areas of high insecurity - any possession is liable to be stolen, washed away in a flood or left behind when fleeing danger.

Fourth, suitability. No technology is suitable in all areas. For example, most of Africa is quite cool and cloudy for large parts of the year making solar cooking impractical. There are numerous examples of aid and technology being provided by the outside world (often 'the West') that proves to be totally inappropriate for the circumstances. Understanding and managing cultural as well as technological suitability takes a long time and there aren't that many people willing to spend significant parts of their lives in these places to do a proper job.