Yum, how good grilling is!
With a barbecue, food takes on a whole new dimension.
The problem is that having a barbecue is not very green!
Indeed, despite what you might think, BBQs are far from being good for the planet.
Why ? Because in reality, charcoal or propane BBQs emit greenhouse gases and fine particles.
Not great for air quality!
As for traditional solar ovens, they only work in the middle of the day, with sunlight.
Morality, you have to forget the grills at the end of the day or in the evening...
Which is a shame, since it's the best time to enjoy a barbecue, isn't it?
Well not anymore! Because imagine that a solar energy genius has found the solution! Explanations:
David Wilson is a professor of mechanical engineering at the very prestigious MIT.
He invented a new solar technology that will, in the short term, produce a new solar cooker that also works at night .
His invention will be particularly useful for developing countries, which mainly use wood-fired cooking.
Professor Wilson's technology uses solar energy, but has the particularity of storing latent heat for 25 hours, with cooking at around 250°C .
The solar cooker works thanks to a Fresnel lens, the same lenses used in marine signaling lights.
This lens concentrates solar energy to melt lithium nitrate stored in a container.
Once melted, the lithium nitrate acts as a thermal battery with a lifetime of 25 hours once charged.
For the rest, it works like other solar cookers and allows you to prepare delicious grilled meats, even at night!
“As of today, there are already several types of solar cookers,” says Professor Wilson.
“But curiously, these solar cookers do not use latent heat storage for cooking food.”
In other words, current solar cookers have a huge flaw:they only work in the middle of the day, when the sun is out!
It was during a visit to Nigeria that Professor Wilson became aware of the many problems with traditional cooking methods.
Indeed, in developing countries, cooking over a wood fire causes respiratory diseases and increases deforestation.
MIT students are developing Professor Wilson's technology to build a prototype solar barbecue.
Derek Ham, Theodora Vardouli, and Eric Uva are leading this study, as part of the multidisciplinary iTeams (“Innovation Teams”) program.
Their study will evaluate Professor Wilson's concept, with the goal of creating a company that would produce and distribute a latent heat solar cooker.
But that's not all!
Besides bringing a solar barbecue to market, these students have an even bigger goal .
They hope to establish a business model that would sell these solar barbecues to those who need them most:developing countries .
If you are interested in this revolutionary invention, click here to learn more about the advantages and the latest advances in solar cookers.
We can't wait for this solar barbecue that works even at night and without coal!
But as you will have understood, unfortunately it is not yet for tomorrow.
So in the meantime, which solar oven to choose?
The best model so far seems to be the GoSun solar cooker which you can check out in the English video above.
The concern is that it is only available in the United States for now.
In France, there are a few models like these, but we haven't tested them yet.
So maybe the best solution is still to build one yourself. Yes it is possible ! Here is a book that explains how to do it.
If you know models of solar ovens that work well, do not hesitate to share them in comments with our community :-)
