Solar cooker

Zero-fuel cooking on sunny days; output timing depends entirely on weather.

Cost

Low

Upkeep

Occasional

Skill to build

Basic

Lifespan

10-20 years for a well-built reflective-panel cooker (reflective surface needs earlier renewal, every 3-5 years, to keep efficiency)

Embodied carbon

Low

Space / material use

Medium

Output timing

Weather/time-dependent

Skill to repair

Basic

Note: Cost, carbon and footprint are rated against the other options for this same need, not in absolute terms.

What your site needs

Unobstructed sun exposure at cooking times

Inputs

• Solar Radiation

Outputs

• Heat

Sources

• Outils de l'Autonomie, cuisiniere solaire (Dolios, dual-parabola)

Tutorials

• https://outils-autonomie.fr/cuisiniere-solaire/
• https://wiki.lowtechlab.org/wiki/Cuiseur_solaire_parabolique/fr

What this page does not tell you

No sizing or quantities: how much a technique yields, and how much a household needs, both depend on the build and the people, so the catalogue compares options rather than dimensioning them. It carries no bill of materials and no build sequence, and it is written for an oceanic, clay-soil climate (Normandy, France). Regulatory notes are indicative and need confirming locally.