CUISEUR SOLAIRE COOK'N GO
COLLECTIF AFTARKEIA
Aftarkeia is a political and commercial cooperative which missions are to speed solar cooking techniques so they can create a innovative way to work and to sell their products in an a more ethical. With ther fairtrade approach they aim at a better distributing the profits and being able to make a living. They make a point of finding new methods and tools to organize collectively, so they can face the Oil Peak threatening their activities,
Several reasons for this project: natural resources are becoming scarce, climate change is impacting our environment, fighting wasteful lifestyles is becoming crucial, so is using clean and free energy. They believe, like more and more people, that it's time for humankind to change its lifestyle and way of thinking.
On the morning of our visit, they introduced us to a product they designed from scratch : the Cook'n go solar cooker.
There are many occurrences of the use of solar energy for cooking, past or present:
- solar dryers
- solar ovens, as used by Napoleon during his campaigns, and by the Agnio Ores
priests.
- the use of lens to boil water and steam cook, as used by Augustin Marchot
- Solar techniques are also well-known in Africa and Asia due to the scarce fossil fuels available.
Solar energy can produce about 1000 W per square meter, yet only part of it is usable. Solar panels, or the green house effect allow us to raise the temperature thanks to the sun, reaching 90 to 250 degrees.
At 65°C, bacterias and micro-organisms die
At 75°C, food is pasteurized
At 80°C, food starts to cook
This is "slow cooking", and it has a lot to offer:
- less energy used
- no fire-related incidents
- preserved vitamins
- food gets dehydrated meaning it can't burn
- no need for costly repairs or technical knowledge
- easy to make a device by yourself
But there also is drawbacks to slow-cooking:
- it relies on the weather conditions
- the food takes longer to cook
At the moment, there exist 3 different types of solar cookers:
Panel cooker Box cooker Satellite dish cooker
Easy and cheap to make. Expensive. Very expensive
Food for 2/3 people 5 people small tank
Mobile, light, small. Large, heavy. Has to be oriented
Low temperature, can't fry High temperature Fast, same temperature Needs to cook 2 times as an electric oven
Cook'n go is a panel cooker which requires few water, Aftarkeia provides recipes online. When clouds are around (in the winter for example), the food won't cook as fast, you might have to finish with a oven, but it still saved energy.
The best time to cook is between 9am and 3pm.
You have to be very careful not to tear or open the bag or else you'll loose half the heat gathered. It takes about three weeks to get comfortable with this tool.
For now, sun power is free. Let's hope it remains that way...
"For now, sun power is free. Let's hope it remains that way..."
Name of the project : Afterkeia
Status : productive and distributive cooperative network
Field of work : Renewable energies, "green" technology
Main activities : Solar cooking, creating and advocating for open-source technology,
© 2015 by An Oasis In The Crisis.