India is a vast country containing almost 17.7% of the world’s total population. That’s about 1.38 billion people and still ranks second to China. With that many mouths to feed and many people to educate, you can expect that there will be issues in the food supply, waste management, and energy production.
In Indore, the biggest metropolitan in central India, Padmashri Janak Palta McGilligan leads the celebration of Jimmy McGilligan Memorial Week. Among the events, the demonstration of solar cooking is featured. Solar farmers gather and tell tales of their journey to create awareness of alternative cooking methods amidst the ongoing energy crisis.
What are Solar Cookers and Solar Dryers?
Before we go deeper into how the people in Indore have adopted solar cooking, let us first understand what a solar device and a solar cooker are.
Most people confuse between a solar dryer and a solar cooker. However, the former is for drying only, and the amount of heat may not be that controllable. It is a simple device that uses sunlight to dry substances.
There are two types: direct solar dryer and indirect solar dryer. The direct solar dryer utilizes exposure to evaporating the substance’s water content, while the indirect solar dryer heats the surrounding air. The substance is then passed through a confined space to dry.
On the other hand, a solar cooker is a cooking device that directly harnesses sunlight to heat the ingredients. Nevertheless, a solar cooker is designed to manipulate the degree of exposure.
So far, there are more than 300 designs of solar cookers and numerous components that use renewable energy available out there. Some are suited for activities like camping, while others are as powerful as the standard stoves that use gas or electricity. There are also solar cookers for large-scale purposes wherein they can cook food for hundreds of individuals.
The Journey of Indore Solar Farmers
The Indore farmers have been resourceful enough in building their solar dryers. Varun Raheja from Indore shares how they learned to make a solar dryer and use it to dry fruits and vegetables. Retired Colonel Anurag Shukla and his wife Archana Shukla also expounded on the benefits of solar cookers and dryers to the environment.
The events, conducted each day online, will involve specific individuals sharing their journeys with the viewers. They will also be allowed to do some demonstrations for the viewers.
How Indore Farmers Use of Solar dryers
The farmers explained the solar dryer’s importance in drying crops, fruits, and vegetables. Here are some examples wherein the device is applicable:
- Coriander
- Chilies
- Pepper
- Mangoes
- Turmeric
- Sapota
- Bitter gourd
- Potato
- Banana
- Grapes
- Carrot
- Papaya amla
- Beetroot
Aside from those, they also use solar dryers for herbs and other plants that can be useful for alternative medicine. Examples of such are:
- Seeds
- Tulsi
- Cashew
- Tea leaves
- Neem
- Paddy
- Mushroom
- Marine food
- Tobacco
- Coffee beans
- Wheat
Conclusion
Solar cooking is very useful in places with much exposure time to sunlight. India is close to the equator, and it is expected that the majority of its climate is hot. Along with the issues concerning energy supply and environmental care, solar cooking can greatly help society and the environment.
