The focus of project SoCoNexGen is on the design, construction, experimental testing and analysis of four types of indoor solar cookers. The solar cookers will be tested in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Portugal.
For three solar cookers the design phase is nearly completed and the construction phase will be starting shortly. One of these solar cookers uses a thermal energy storage and is powered by a photovoltaic panel. Another and almost identical solar cooker with the same thermal energy storage is powered by a flat-plate collector. The third solar cooker is powered by photovoltaics panels as well as a flat-plate collector or vacuum tubes, and shall be equipped with a small electrical battery.
Regarding the fourth solar cooker, the Mohammed Premier Oujda University (Morocco) has advanced work on the design and realization of a photovoltaic cooker with a power of 1.2 kWp, with storage in batteries (48V/200 Ah). In the case of a power of 600 Wp and storage in batteries of 24V/200 Ah, the cookers tested in the laboratory and in families of the rural commune of a forest zone of Tafoghalt (800 m of Altitude, 80 km of Oujda) have been the object to publications and communication in international congresses. Results show the good functioning and the validity of this system powered by photovoltaic panels (600 Wp) and solar battery (24 V/200 Ah), demonstrating the feasibility of heating water and cooking food using autonomous solar cookers.
The publications below by Mohammed Premier Oujda University detail these results:
