The SUNTASTE, a new cork based solar box cooker

Abstract

Following the experience with the SUNCOOK [1], a plastic based box type solar cooker incorporating non imaging optics as a way to produce a certain degree of solar energy concentration (a factor of 2.0 X concentration on average) while retaining it stationary for full operation for periods as large as 3 hours, the idea came for developing a new cooker, the SUNTASTE [2], with an improved geometrical configuration and ease of operation (stationarity), this time based on a natural material: cork. The choice of cork offers the possibility of having it both as the structural element for the whole box, and at the same time taking advantage of the fact that it is highly insulating. Two versions of the SUNTASTE with different sizes but essentially with the same optics, were produced and tested according to the method defined in [3,4]. The tests of both versions were carried out in several consecutive high DNI days and also included a SUNCOOK for the sake of a direct comparison. The paper provides a brief description of the new cooker and presents the testing results of the two prototypes of each size produced. It can be reported that preliminary measurements show that is fair to expect for the new product, a performance in many regards comparable to that of the SUNCOOK.