Design of Solar Energy based Hybrid Community Cooking System

Abstract

Energy is considered to be an essential factor contributing in the economic and social development of any nation. Shortage of energy or energy imbalance is an impediment to the growth of a country. Energy generated from the non – renewable sources like coal, petroleum etc. harm the environment by emitting harmful green house gases. Using alternative renewable sources for generation of energy will save our earth and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Renewable energy sources can serve as alternatives to conventional fuels (LPG, coal, petroleum etc.). Most of the community messes use LPG as a prime source of energy for cooking purposes. This research work focuses on the design of solar based hybrid community cooking system which is a good alternative to LPG based cooking system. Heat required for boiling rice, pulses and green vegetables per day was calculated for 400 persons in community mess. A hybrid cooking system based on solar water heater, heat pipe, biogas and boiler was designed and integrated as per the heat requirements of 400 students. The integration also aimed at the reduction of wood consumption in the boiler of hybrid cooking systems, thus reducing emissions of harmful gases to a minimum.