What places in the world would benefit most from solar cooking (with a high functioning oven)?

Question

What places in the world would benefit most from solar cooking (with a high functioning oven)? What times of the year would be the best? When would solar cooking not be a good choice? What is more important to effective solar cooking – air temperature or cloud cover? Why? How many sunny days do we have in San Diego each year? Compare this with one other major city in the world.

Answer 1

deserts

Answer 2

As inexpensive as a solar oven is, any place and everyplace would benefit from having one available at least as a secondary consideration. As a primary source of food prep heat though being able to at least have the ability to turn on the gas would be a good idea. Solar ovens are only good for about 8 hours a day and only mostly clear days. they are fairly unreliable over any period where conditions change. Even with the best design considerations your limitations for any actual "cooking" will be evident immediately. Size and location are really a restriction. Small ones would not be of value beyond simple heating over a long time, and large more sophisticated designs would be too bulky, require placement that is an inconvenience, and still be useless 16 hours a day and in poor conditions. If you have to rely on them you would be better served rubbing sticks together or just going to the raw bar. Seattle would be an example of a place they would be useless, as well as anyplace where it is colder than the norm and winter sun is almost non existant.

Answer 3

Obviously, any place that got a lot of sunshine. Summer would be the best time of year. Solar ovens would not be a good choice for any place that got a lot of cloud cover and rain. Cloud cover would be less effective. San Diego would have a lot of sunny days, many more than Seattle.

Answer 4

Actually, the best places are those without wood. Haiti springs to mind.