Enhancing clean energy access in decentralized communities through novel design of solar thermal collector: Experimental validation through intermediate temperature cooking

The present work reveals a solar thermal collector's (STC) novel design and its use for intermediate-temperature solar cooking. The main aim of the work is to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed collector in attaining intermediate temperatures for decentralized energy applications, providing multiple sustainable energy solutions. The opto-thermal performance of the STC for cooking is evaluated using thermal performance parameter (TPP) based testing and rating. The impact of design-induced change on the performance is assessed by testing two configurations of STC for cooking. The effective concentration ratio (C_eff) is estimated using the thermal method. The levelized cost of solar-cooked meals (LCSCM) demonstrates the techno-economic feasibility of the proposed collector for cooking. The results showed that the value TPP, cooker opto-thermal ratio (COR) for the first and second configurations are 0.116 and 0.108 (m²·°C)/W, respectively. Also, the value of C_eff is 1.074. The LCSCM value for the best configuration is 0.0323 USD/Ml. Therefore, the present work provides valuable insights into developing and testing an efficient design of STC for multiple applications and provides recommendations for its future use for several other applications, such as drying, air and water heating, and a few more.