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The SUNplicity parabola​

The poPOP, foldable Solar Cooker

” It is easy to live with, efficient and compact and opens like a flower in 1 minute without tools ! It closes just as easily. “

SUNplicity

le-popop de sunplicity

Cooking

Empty, the pot will heat up to 230°C-446F within 10 minutes on average,
1 liter of water takes ½ an hour to boil.
The heat well distributed is perfect for tasty cooking.
There is no sticking at the bottom of the pot, no burning; this gives extra freedom to the cook.

Materials

The SUNplicty solar cooker is all metallic for longer lifespan.
Some of the aluminum comes from recycling. The SUNplicity is designed to be recycled.
The cooking is healthy and the carbon footprint exemplary.
One of our goals is to ban plastic.

The making

SUNplicity is proud of its local partenships who are all very involved.
SUNplicity aims for sustainability and ethics, both for the environment, and for the people involved.Learn about our partenerships here.

SUNplicity Containers

THE ACCESSORIES

The grey pot

The grey pot, which can be painted black (barbecue paint), is the original SUNplicity pot. We could say that the solar cooker has been conceived with this very pot in mind. It is very light and can be fixed to the folded cooker for easy carrying. Alain Bivas recommends this pot for stews, soups and liquids, as well as to bake cakes, bread, and why not a lamb shank etc, etc…

The enameled steel pan

The enameled steel pan is practical for pies, meat, fish, eggs… as its shape allows tilting to keep the pot level. Alain Bivas recommends the use of a lid. This will increase the heat and enhences the flavor. This will also make very tender moist delicious cooking.

The glass lid

The glass lid gives you good view of what you are cooking. The metalic knob withstands the heat the best.

Frequently asked questions about parabolic solar cookers

How does a parabolic solar cooker work ?

Unlike a traditional stove, a parabolic solar cooker is not connected to any grid. It operates without electricity or natural gas, and heats using solar energy alone. It achieves high temperatures by concentrating radiation on a black pot using a series of mirrors. Facing the sun, the metal container rises in temperature under the effect of the radiation, then transfers its heat to the food by conduction. This container is the equivalent of an electric oven’s resistance!

Which pots to use for solar cooking ?

Pots play a key role in solar cooking. It’s imperative to use a dark-colored metal pot. Black enamelled steel pots heat up very quickly. What’s more, they’re very inexpensive. Deep-fat fryers and skillets are available for just a few dozen euros. Cast-iron pans are a good option. The explanation is quite simple: their atoms heat up more strongly when hit by solar radiation. Glass and stoneware, on the other hand, give very disappointing results. The plastic handles on the glass lids of pans should be replaced with wing nuts, otherwise they may melt.

How hot can a solar barbecue get ?

The solar barbecue is the most powerful of all ecological stoves. In fact, this prototype makes particularly good use of the sun’s rays thanks to its refractive power. Indeed, when the sky is clear, the Earth’s surface can receive energy from the sun equivalent to over 1,000 Watts/m2 (1). Thanks to its wide, funnel-shaped reflector, the parabolic solar cooker is able to deflect much of this radiation onto a focal point, where the temperature becomes very intense. With a diameter of 85 cm, the Sunplicity reaches 230°C on an empty pot. It can boil a liter of water in half an hour.

Which dishes can be cooked in a parabolic solar cooker ?

There are many different types of solar cooker. These include vacuum-formed glass tubes, glass boxes and simple reflective panels, often reserved for low-temperature cooking. All of them have their own particular way of working. The Sunplicty solar dish concentrates the sun’s rays over an area of around thirty centimetres, directly onto the walls of a metal container. It produces an enveloping heat similar to that of a traditional oven. This cooking method enables you to cook a wide range of recipes without the need for natural gas, electricity or charcoal. You can bake pastries like cakes, grill meats, bake a loaf of bread, or boil water to prepare pasta or rice. And cooking times are not much longer than with a traditional cooking appliance.

Does a solar dish work in winter ?

Yes, a parabolic solar cooker can work in winter. This cooker needs direct sunlight to heat up. As soon as the sky is clear, it’s possible to make the most of the sun’s rays, even if it’s -10°C. What’s more, this type of device works very well in the mountains, as the sun’s rays are stronger at higher altitudes. Certain geographical areas are therefore more conducive to solar cooking, even if in absolute terms it’s possible to cook anywhere with the sun. The Pyrenees region is particularly well-suited to this practice. It’s no coincidence that the large solar oven at Odeillo was installed near Font-Romeu in Languedoc-Roussillon. There, at an altitude of 1,500 m, the site receives over 2,400 h of direct sunlight a year, summer and winter alike..

Is there any danger in using a solar dish ?

A parabolic solar cooker is a cooking appliance in its own right. As such, it requires certain safety precautions. But it’s less dangerous than a conventional oven or a wood fire. What’s more, the Sunplicity solar cooker is a deep dish. In other words, the sun’s rays are concentrated inside the funnel. This appliance does not present a fire hazard. It is advisable to wear sunglasses when cooking to avoid being dazzled by the light flare. However, the Sunplicity is designed so that all operations take place from the rear, in the shade, so that the Sunplicity viewfinder can be adjusted to avoid looking into the sun, and the simple tilting of the dish allows safe access to the container in the shade. It’s also imperative to handle pots with potholders to avoid burns. Once these basic instructions have been followed, solar cooking is a safe, non-polluting practice.

What are the advantages of solar cooking ?

Many people think that solar cookers are reserved for poor countries, often located on the equator, where the sun’s rays are at their strongest. But solar cookers are perfectly usable in our latitudes. What’s more, France’s solar deposits enable us to produce electricity using photovoltaic panels, so why not cook food too!

This cooking method has several advantages:

  • Free energy

Energy prices are skyrocketing, and given the current economic situation, there’s no sign of that stopping. But sunlight is an inexhaustible source of energy, available to everyone, without distinction. Combined with a traditional stove, a solar dish allows you to take advantage of this gift from the heavens whenever possible, and reduce your electricity and gas consumption. In the long run, the savings will pay for the purchase of a solar cooker and beyond.

  • Energy autonomy

A solar dish needs no energy infrastructure to generate high temperatures. It operates off-the-grid. As a result, as soon as the weather’s fine, you can cook outdoors in complete freedom. This is especially true of portable, foldable solar cookers like the Sunplicity. This cooking mode is ideal for motorhome owners, hikers, people who want to be self-sufficient, and so on.

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