Affordable Solar Cookers
The SUNSTOVE® was invented by Richard Wareham, a US-based engineer who envisioned a way to help people feed their families using free, abundant, renewable solar power.
The SUNSTOVE® is a proven, affordable, quality solar cooker that has been tooled, manufactured and used since 1992 in South Africa. The nonprofit SUNSTOVE Organisation sells SUNSTOVES at cost, with all proceeds used to manufacture more units. Other than the research project study, only seed money has been donated to the project.
Key SUNSTOVE® materials are: l) A low cost housing which is blow molded from 75% recycled plastic bottles and 25% virgin material. The case is cheap, strong, light, UV resistant, weather proof and allows the aluminum sheet (walls and bottom) to be snapped into place over the insulations 2) Sloped internal walls and bottom are made from a scrap aluminum off-set (lithograph) printing plate which can be cleaned. 3) Wall insulation from fibreglass blanket, and bottom insulation of high density fibreglass to support the pots of food. 4) A clear cover of glass, plastic sheet or plastic film. In Africa “medium impact acrylic” was chosen because of low cost, availability and strength.
The SUNSTOVE Organization is a non-profit company and has patents issued for the SUNSTOVE® in India, South Africa and the USA. Rights have been given to Rotary in India and the SUNSTOVE Organization in South Africa, while Solar Cooker International has been given permission to use the reflector design in their CooKit.
