Solar energy for institutional cooking in India: prospects and potential
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Solar energy for institutional cooking in India: prospects and potential Sunil Indora1 · Tara C. Kandpal1 Received: 2 April 2019 / Accepted: 10 September 2019 © Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract A framework to estimate the potential of solar cooking for institutional level applications is presented. Using the weather data of a given location (such as solar radiation, ambient temperature, and wind speed), the proposed framework estimates the number of days in a year when solar cooking is feasible and consequently the amount of useful energy saved. Around 57% of the annual useful energy required for cooking (5475 TJ/year out of 9562 TJ/year) in the institution-types considered in this study can be met with solar energy. The adoption of solar cooking in these institution-types is expected to save 197 thousand tonnes of LPG annually. The corresponding annual amount of CO2 emissions mitigation is estimated at 592 thousand tonnes. Amongst the six institution-types considered in the study, cooking of mid-day meal (MDM) in government schools of India has the maximum potential of solar cooking. The annual potential of useful energy savings with the use of solar energy for cooking of MDM is estimated at 3881 TJ out of a gross requirement of 6960 TJ/ year. The framework developed and approach used in the study can be used for assessment of potential of institutional solar cooking as well as identification of niche areas for immediate intervention in any other country as well. Keywords Concentrating solar cookers · Carbon emissions mitigation · Institutional solar cooking
1 Introduction Cooking is performed at both household and institutional (including community/commercial kitchens) levels, and a significant amount of energy is required for this purpose daily (Mehetre et al. 2017). In the case of institutional cooking, food for beneficiaries is prepared in a centralized kitchen. Cooking in the kitchens of hostels, orphanages, prisons, community/spiritual trusts as well as in the canteens of hospitals, industries, hotels, railways is some examples of institutional cooking. These kitchens very often utilize commercial fuels (mostly fossil fuels) to meet the demand of energy for cooking. Table 1 presents a list of * Sunil Indora [email protected] 1
Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
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Cooking appliance(s)
Traditional cookstove Improved cookstove Gasifier-based cookstove
Liquid fuel burner Steam generator
Gas burner Steam generator
Electric oven/induction stove
Solar cooker (box/concentrating)
Fuel type
Solid (fuelwood/charcoal/coal)
Liquid (kerosene/diesel)
Gaseous (LPG/PNG/biogas)
Electricity (conventional/renewable)
Solar thermal
Table 1 Fuel mix options for institutional cooking (UNHCR 2002, 2014)
High emissions Non-renewable Import considerations (foreign exchange and energy security) Handling, transportation, and storage are difficult Robust infrastructure is required for distribution Uncertainty of
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