New Products :

Many people in India have seen or used solar box cookers also called as ovens. Now a days there are many more solar cooking appliances to choose from depending on one's need, interest and budget.

1. Domestic Parabolic Dish Cooker.
   
2. Community Parabolic Dish Cooker.
   
3. Scheffler Community cooking system.
   
4. Community Steam Cooking system.
   
5. Dish Cooker with Shed and Window.
   
6. Solar Vegetable Dryer.
   

1. Domestic Parabolic Dish Cooker (SK-14):
   
   Salient Features :
   
• Cooking capacity: Up to 10 persons.
• Dish dia. 1.4 m, Aperture area 1.5 sqm,
• Cost : Approximately Rs. 6000/-
• Subsidy up to Rs. 1500/- is possible.
• Frame manufactured in rigid steel with powder coating for attractive looks.
• One pressure cooker with Rice, Dal and Vegetables for a family of 5 takes approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
• Taste of food improves a lot.
• Two different designs (Fixed and portable) are available.
  

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2. Community Parabolic Dish Cooker :
   
   Salient Features :
   
   • Cooking capacity: 30 to 40 persons.
   • Dish dia. 2.3 m, Aperture area 4 sqm, Heat at pot is @ 2 KW.
   • Cost : Approximately Rs. 28000/-
   • Best quality German reflectors with more than 85% reflectivity
   
   

   Current Status :
   Life size unit designed, manufactured, tested and commercialized. Few units are already in use for community cooking, agro-processing, and industrial applications. Two different designs are available.

   Applications:
   

   • Community Cooking.
   • Industrial Heating applications for Low and medium temperature requirement.
   • Processing of Agricultural produce.

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3. Scheffler Community cooking system.
   Scheffler Cookers is a revolutionary concept developed by Wolfgang Scheffler. This innovative cooker permits the reflector to be mounted outside the kitchen while the focus inside the kitchen permits indoor cooking. Many such community cookers are in use all over the world. For principle of operation of these systems click here.

   Scheffler direct cooking systems are autotracking. These systems are capable of performing operations like frying and roti making, which is not possible on other solar cooking systems.

   These indoor cooking systems are available in two sizes, 9.3 sqm and 16 sqm.

   9.3 sqm system delivers around 2.5 kW of heat and costs around Rs. 85000/- and is capable of cooking meals for up to 60 people. 16 sqm system delivers around 5 kW of heat and is capable of cooking for up to 100 people and costs around Rs. 160000/-

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4. Community Steam Cooking system.

    

   Based on Scheffler Technology few community cooking systems are developed and are in use at different locations in India. In these systems the steam is generated by using series of Scheffler reflectors at roof top. This steam is transported in kitchen through insulated steam pipes and food is cooked in special vessels on this steam.

   Mr. Deepak Gadhia and Shirin Gadhia have the honor to put Scheffler technology in use for large scale community cooking in India. They work in association with Wolfgang Scheffler. Mr. Gadhia has supplied and installed the world's largest solar cooking system at Tirupati, which cooks more than 30000 meals per day. Similar systems for 20000 meals per day at Mount Abu and for 6000 meals per day at Shirdi have been installed.

   Mr. Deepak Gadhia (In the Center) demonstrating the Scheffler Technology to the trainees. Prof. Ajay Chandak on left. This Steam cooking system at Shirdi cooks 6000 meals per day.

    

    

   Wolfgang Scheffler organizes training workshops for developing new entrepreneurs, especially for NGOs and charitable organizations. Prof. Ajay Chandak and Mr. Rahul Kulkarni of PRINCE has undergone training with Mr. Scheffler and Mr. Gadhia at Valsad in 2003. Later Mr. Rahul Kulkarni set up his own firm and started manufacturing these systems. For any commercial inquiries he can be contacted at

   • Mr. Rahul Kulkarni,
   Essential Equipment, Bhide Baag,
   Deopur, DHULE: 424 002.
   PH: 91-2562-220291, 223164. MB: 098222787693
   essential_equipments@yahoo.co.in

   
   

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5. Dish Cooker With Shed & Window :
   
   Salient Features :
   
   • Window on rare side of the dish permits comfortable access to the cooking vessel.
   • Adjustable frame with shade allows comfortable working in Shadow.
   • Because of shadow working this new design gains ability to frying, roasting, baking etc. apart from boiling and steaming.
   • Higher dish diameter (1.6 m) to compensate for window.
   • Food items requiring continuous attention like omelets, roties, uttappa, tea, coffee etc. are now easily possible to cook on this new design.
   • More heat concentration at the bottom of the cooking vessel, which is favorable for cooking. This imparts better cooking speed.

   Current Status :
   

   • Life size unit designed, manufactured, tested and commercialized. Performance is better than the conventional SK-14 dish cookers.
   • Intellectual Property Status: Patent Pending. Prof. Ajay G. Chandak.
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6. Solar Vegetable Dryer:

   PRINCE designed few solar dryers, suitable for vegetables and fruit drying. All solar dryers are designed for combined draught, natural and induced air flow. Earlier designs used electrically operated fans for inducing air flow through the material to be dried. However most of the rural areas have severe power cuts in daytime and hence this design of dryer had serious limitations. In new designs, turboventilators are used for inducing air flow. These turboventilator operate on outside wind and hence the gadget becomes a truly renewable energy dryer. Few key issues with dryers,

   •  There is no standard specification regarding the dryer capacity as different materials will have different starting and ending moisture levels. As a thumb rule, moisture removal in dry areas is 3 kg per square meter per day.

   •  Cost of dryer is not justified over fuel savings. However there is big quality improvement in the product as solar dryers improve quality of the product by retention of ‘Color', ‘Aroma' and ‘Taste'. See photographs of ‘Amla Candy'. Open Sun dried products turn brown and black because of ultraviolet radiation exposure, while solar dryers cut down this UV exposure.

   •  Minimum size of solar dryers recommended for commercial application is 50 sqm.

   •  Cost of solar dryer is approx. Rs. 5000/- per sqm.

   •  Solar drying is hygienic way to dry vegetables, fruits and processed food.

   
   

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7. Open sun dried Candy	Dried on solar dryer

   
   

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