What it costs
| Size / type | Typical price | Range |
|---|---|---|
| solar dryers / cookers | KSh 122,500 | 19,999 – 175,000 |
Prices are approximate and vary by brand and seller.
Two kinds of solar cooker
Thermal solar cookers use the sun's heat directly. There is no panel, no battery and nothing to wear out except the cover and reflectors.
- Box cookers (solar ovens). An insulated box with a glass lid and a reflector. Slow and steady, good for stews, beans, rice and baking.
- Panel cookers. Folding reflectors around a dark pot in a clear bag. Cheap and light.
- Parabolic cookers. A curved dish that focuses sunlight on the pot. Hot enough to fry and boil quickly, but you must turn it to follow the sun and take care with the heat.
Electric solar cookers use solar panels and a battery to run an electric stove, usually an induction cooktop, a hot plate or an electric pressure cooker. They work at night and on cloudy days, but need a much bigger system.
What solar cookers cost in Kenya
Electric solar cookers cost roughly KSh 20,000 for a 24V DC induction cooker that runs from a solar battery, to about KSh 95,000 for a solar induction cooker sold as a package. Box ovens, solar jikos and parabolic cookers are often sold by small makers and community groups, so their prices vary.
For an electric cooker on an existing solar system, the cooker itself is the cheap part. The battery and panels to run it are the main cost; see below.
Solar induction stove: what it really needs
An induction cooktop typically draws about 1,000–2,000W on a normal setting. One hour of cooking can use 1–2kWh, about the whole daily output of a small home system.
To cook on solar every day you need:
- Panels big enough to supply the cooking energy on top of your other needs.
- A battery big enough for the evening meal. A lithium battery of about 5kWh typically sells for about KSh 110,000.
- An inverter rated above the cooker's full power, unless it is a DC cooker that runs straight from the battery.
An electric pressure cooker uses much less energy than an open pot, because it is sealed and insulated. On solar, it is often the best electric cooker to start with. Cook the main meal at midday when you can, so the panels carry most of the load.
Cooking with a solar jiko or solar oven in Kenya
- Cook between about 10am and 3pm, when the sun is high.
- Use dark, thin pots with lids. They absorb heat best.
- Start early. A box cooker takes longer than a charcoal jiko, but you do not need to stir or watch it.
- Keep a backup. On cloudy days you will still need your jiko or gas.
- Use a heat-retention basket. Bring food to the boil, then move it into an insulated basket to finish cooking. It saves fuel with any stove.
A thermal solar cooker will not replace your jiko completely, but it can take over a good share of daytime cooking at no running cost. On a clear day, a good box cooker can cook beans or githeri while you work, and the pot will not burn.
Solar cooking for schools, hotels and institutions
Large kitchens use a lot of fuel. Some cut it by heating water with solar water heaters before it goes on the stove, or by running electric cookers on a commercial solar system during the day. Each kitchen is different, so ask an installer to look at your cooking hours and fuel bills before quoting. See also our guide to solar energy for the basics.
