A device that looks like a satellite dish sits firmly on a rugged mountain landscape. The device has a parabolic surface that rests on a tripod stand. At the centre of the device, a black cooking vessel rests on top of a stand. Bright clear sunshine envelops the device and the contents of the vessel begin to boil. The satellite dish like device is a concept that aims to introduce the environment-friendly solar cooking method to the general public.
The ‘Solar Ibex Project’ is the name of the concept and is designed by Nir Beit-av who is an industrial designer. Its mission is to reduce the enormous carbon footprint left behind by cooking methods that use traditional modes of power — electricity and fossil fuels. The solar cooking concept is being developed to tap into the limitless potential of using the inexhaustible source of solar power to cook food. Many of you might consider solar-powered devices as a fantasy device relegated to the literature of science fiction, but the Solar Ibex Project is poised to bring solar powered devices into mainstream markets.
Its eco-friendly ideals aside, the Solar Ibex project has been conceptualized using the latest innovations in technology combined with an easy to use functionality. The disc-shaped solar cooking device features reflector slices that are covered with a trace of mirror film to provide the perfect parabolic reflector that can provide high temperatures required for mass cooking. The solar cooker also features a highly intelligent sun tracking system that rotates the reflectors to face the sun. With the intelligent sun tracking system, all that the user has to do is set the cooking time and heat intensity; and the Solar Ibex will do the rest.
Another impressive design feature of the Ibex is that all the parts of the solar cooker can be folded, which makes it extremely portable. If you are planning a trek or an outdoor camping expedition, the Ibex is the ideal cooking companion to carry along. As the cooker does not require any batteries or power supply of any kind, it can be used anywhere. The only requisite is sunlight.
There will come a time when the human race would need to shift from using the environmentally damaging and fast depleting fossil fuels, and use cleaner and more abundant sources of energy. The Solar Ibex Project is a minor, albeit important step in exploring and testing the possibilities of solar energy for mass usage.
To learn more about such concepts, make sure you go through Invico and Beanzawave.
