Solar cookers – or solar-powered ovens – can be used to cook foods at low temperatures (60–120°C) for anywhere from 30 minutes up to four hours. This makes them perfect for a range of dishes, such as potatoes, vegetables, rice, stews and even cupcakes.
EPFL scientists have been working on an enhanced version of the conventional solar cooker since 2018. In research that appeared in Solar Energy, the scientists show how their design can operate in Switzerland’s sunniest areas, such as Valais Canton, for 240 days per year – or two thirds of the year. And in the country’s cloudiest areas (such as Zurich), it can operate for 155 days per year, a figure that surprised even the researchers.
The scientists in question work at EPFL’s Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory (LESO-PB). But how did building experts come to be interested in cookers?