Solar Kitchens: Refrigerators, Freezers and Sun Ovens
You want to store your food or prepare a hot meal, but the nearest electrical outlet is ten miles away. Well you're in luck, because the invention of high efficiency solar refrigerators, solar freezers, and solar ovens allows you to harness the sun's power to not only cook but refrigerate foods year round in far-flung places around the world or even at your cabin here at home. Pretty cool, eh?
Solar Refrigerators and Solar Freeezers
Solar powered refrigerators and freezers are an excellent way to stay connected to civilization even when you are far away from the grid. You may be going to a underdeveloped country in Africa or to your cabin in the Appalachian Mountains. And the freeze dried food just doesn't provide you with the life you need anymore. By upgrading to super-insulated, rechargeable battery-powered fridges and freezers, you will be able to store food as if you were home.
With over four inches of polyurethane insulation SunDanzer solar refrigerators and freezers are extremely energy efficient, and can be powered in most locations by a single 100 Watt photovoltaic module. The batteries are designed to quickly recharge in about five hours, and the system comes complete with a smart thermostat to minimize energy consumption. The SunDanzer refrigerator works a lot like a traditional one, using a vapor-compression system for cooling. But it can store excess solar-generated power so it'll stay cold for a week without sunlight. The solar fridge maintains an average temperature of 38°F, consistent with conventional plug-in models. This makes them ideal for off grid applications such as cabins, farms, hunting lodges, field hospitals, and for consumers already generating solar power. Because they are direct current, the SunDanzer products are easy to install and do not require additional components. Simply arrange the solar module, connect the appliance, and start keeping your food cool in a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and energy efficient manner.
Solar Ovens
Now you have your stored foodstuffs in your solar oven, but you want to prepare a home-cooked meal. A solar cooker oven lets you enjoys a baked meal without having to start a fire. Maybe you are simply going for a picnic and want to bake some bread or cookies while you are playing soccer. Sun ovens, like the Global Sun Oven or the Tulsi-Hybrid Solar Oven, use mirrors to reflect and focus the sun's energy into the insulated and enclosed oven chamber where temperatures can reach 400°F in direct unobstructed sunlight. By employing highly insulating materials, the sun ovens can capture and retain heat very well, allowing them to reach high temperatures during winter months and over 300°F on cloudy days. Many sun ovens are portable, light weight and constructed with a rugged design to withstand wear and tear so as to be easily transported or setup up for use in minutes virtually anywhere.
As a result of the high temperatures reached by the sun oven, it can be used to cook virtually anything. But don't take our word for it, here's what consumers have to say about their Global Sun Oven:
"I've made rice in this oven....beans, chicken, cookies...all sorts of things. And they all come out fantastically (and it has nothing to do with the chef whatsoever). Seriously, sun ovens are great. They keep in the moisture while slowly cooking everything to perfection"
"I tried it out first at a family member's house. I cooked a 4# chicken with carrots that was incredibly delicious. The chicken cooked down to the bone but stayed juicy. The next day I cooked steak tacos;...delicious, and in the same day cooked my nephew's birthday cake. That was the topper. My family members where so impressed they requested I leave the cooker behind. Now I have to send them a solar oven. Oh, and I cooked all that without disturbing the air conditioning in the house."
Sun ovens are catching on in other parts of the world as well. Many can now be found in rural third world villages where open flame cooking methods have been the practice for centuries. Often done in small shacks with poor ventilation, smoke inhalation contributes to countless illnesses and premature deaths annually. The use of a solar oven literally clears air, allowing for a safe convenient way to prepare a large range of foods.
Many organizations and charities distribute solar ovens in poor regions of the world. Global Sun Ovens has been working in Haiti for several years improving the quality of life for people through the distribution of its ovens through the Friends of Haiti Organization (FOHO), donating more than 1,400 sun ovens over the past 5 years. However, it is in the time following the catastrophic earthquake that the sun oven is poised to make a real difference for thousands of people. Sun ovens are a reliable and non-toxic way to prepare food and boil water, and FOHO and Global Sun Ovens are partnering to send 270,000 meals and thousands of Sun Ovens to Haiti in the form of disaster relief.
The sun is an abundant resource that provides the energy to all of the food that we eat. As the world continues to evolve and redress the conventional practices of today, solar powered cooking and food storage technologies are going to really heat things up. Their ability to capture an abundant resource cheaply and efficiently makes them an ideal tool for preparing delicious meals. You can expect to see them in homes across the globe as the growth and popularity of these solar appliances catches on. Be the first person in your neighborhood to cook with the sun. SolarTown carries many solar cooking and food storage solutions, as well as other resources and information for going solar and leading a more sustainable lifestyle.
Tags: solar refrigerators, solar freezers, solar fridges, solar ovens, Sun Ovens, Global Sun Oven, Tulsi-Hybrid Solar Oven, SunDanzer, SunDanzer refrigerators, SunDanzer freezers, solar cookers