Solar PV Cook-stove

The Solar PV Cook-stove is designed to use sunlight to cook all types of food typically eaten in India, at any time of day or night.

The design includes one or two 1 kW induction rings depending on the model and an optional 500 W resistive cooker to heat the pots and pans. The induction rings are capable of producing cooking temperatures over 160 °C making it capable of being used for cooking all types of typical Indian cuisine. The developers specify that “It can be used for all cooking processes like boiling, steaming, frying, griddling, etc.”

The largest version of the system is capable of supplying 3 kWh of energy sufficient to cook 3 meals per day for a 5 person family. It operates on 48 V DC electricity produced by 4 solar PV panels providing a total of 1 kW of power. 4 Lead Acid batteries (total storage 7 kWh) enable cooking at night and provide a day of back up for rainy or overcast conditions.

The induction rings are housed in a plastic casing designed to increase durability and ease of use of the cookstove and safety for the user. The casing has a battery power meter to indicate it’s state of charge and usage and ventilation gaps in the sides. For the larger model, the rings power levels are adjusted using rotatable knobs similar to those found on typical electric hobs for usability, while on the smaller model three switches control the degree of heat.

The commercially available smaller model of the cookstove (single ring) weighs approximately 1 kg (excluding panels and batteries) and has the following specifications:

For those using the product in Bancha village under the pilot, two villagers have been trained to maintain the stoves, and IIT-Bombay are still monitoring the pilot so can provide additional technical support as needed.

Dr. Solanki, a professor at IIT-Bombay who supervised the team that designed the Solar PV Cook-stove, estimates the lifetime for similar products at 20 years and 5 years for batteries. A 1 year manufacturer’s warranty is provided with the cookstove.

Testing performed by the manufacturer determined the cookstove offers 3-4 hour cooking time per day on a full charge and is both suitable for all types of domestic cooking processes and sufficient for a family of 5 members. Manufacturer testing results are in the below table. No third-party testing has been completed.^{Interview with representative in 2020}

The product uses a 48 V DC power supply from it’s solar panels and batteries to improve electrical safety, however users should take appropriate precautions when using electrical devices and be cautious that the stove-top may remain hot for some time after cooking.