DSC_1275
This butterfly solar cooker, commonly found in yunnan, xizang, and other provinces of China, shows wear after use. Mylar tape used as the reflective material is cracking, peeling, and losing its reflectivity, all decreasing the cooker’s functionality and use.
3 comments
Scot Frank wrote...
An easy-to-build solar cooker that fails after only months of use is not a useful and successful product!
Ange Halle wrote...
I know what you mean. On the other hand, I also understand people with very limited means, and admire their ingenuity in finding solutions despite lack of funds or other limitations and still find a temporary way of doing things. (Sometimes these are even time constraints). "Everything has to be efficient" seems to me an industrial type of strategy, excellent in many contexts. It would be nice if always possible, but the middle way is often the only way, when one has limited access - instead of giving up altogether. I also believe that these intermediate stages somemtimes help in starting up a trend. The neighbour might want to build a better one. I've been thinking and talking about cookers to colleagues. This summer was especially warm in my part of Europe But why were people still using charcoal for grill parties. Why wasn't the do-it-yourself market here not selling those solar cooker kits (which I was told exist. Can be supposedly ordered online here. But the link did not work.) So, why not use solar cookers in Europe, as the sun is good enough in summer. An intermediate cooker is much better (for a time) than none at all. (I also understand the danger of starting a trend in the "wrong" direction, which often happens.)
Ah ! but it still demonstrates how easy it is to build a solar cooker.