Question

How to use a solar cooker?

Answer 1

Solar cooker:

1. The solar cooker is a fine device. This device uses sunlight to cook food without any pollution.
2. Photovoltaic (PV) cell is used to make solar cookers.

Working principle:

1. Heat concentration on an object can only happen faster when the sun's rays (UV) focus on a specific place.
2. The reflecting surface of the solar cooker is comprised of a brilliant reflecting material.
3. These reflecting surfaces are made of metals such as chromium, silver, and aluminum.
4. Black absorbs the most heat of any color. Heat is reflected by light colors.
5. As a result, most solar cookers are black in color to absorb more heat and cook more effectively.
6. Furthermore, because these cookers are thin, heat is distributed fast and uniformly to the meal.
7. The heat absorbed by the solar cooker should be able to be trapped.
8. Otherwise, the heat from the food will escape. It will not adequately cook. As a result, the cooker has a tightly fitting lid.
9. In the figure, we can see that the sunlight coming from the sun falling on the reflector is reflected into the solar cooker through the glass cover.
10. Since the glass cover here acts as a greenhouse trapping the heat inside, the inside of the solar cooker gets heated and can be used to heat or cook food.
11. The other three sides of the cooker are made up of insulators to stop the heat from escaping and since the glass sheet cover is a plane mirror, the rays trying to go outside through the glass sheet cover get reflected back and hence help in keeping the cooker heated.

Uses of solar cooker:

1. Vegetables, pulses, and cereals are the ideal food that can be cooked in the solar cooker.
2. Solar cookers are used in areas where electricity is not available.
3. It is suitable for the environment because its source is natural. No chemical reactions happen.
4. Solar cooking is a solution for poor families who don’t have access to fuel for cooking.