Installation and Performance Evaluation of a Solar Steam Cooking System for 1500 Students in the Hills– A Case Study

Community cooking is becoming costlier as the cost of cooking fuel is rising globally and impacting the environment by emitting greenhouse gasses which are responsible for global warming. India’s main cooking fuel is LPG which is being imported and is a depleting natural resource. The use of fossil fuels results in the emission of GHGs. This necessitates the harness of solar energy for community cooking. The campus receives daily horizontal solar radiation of 3.66-7.53 kWh/m2 which can be harnessed for cooking food. A solar steam cooking system consisting of 22 solar dishes has been installed at the university campus for 1500 students. This will generate heat of around 2.54 million Kcal/day and save LPG amounting to 33,600 kg/year while reducing the CO2 of 99,456 kg annually thereby mitigating climate change. Solar steam cooking will meet SDGs 7 and 13. The payback period for the solar steam cooking system will be 3 years. The cooking system meets Sustainable Development Goals7 & 13