Cooking in rural Africa

[kenneal - lagger]

If you already have the setup OK. But if you're a poverty stricken African this is unlikely to be the case so why not encourage them to go down the cheaper more sustainable route?

[adam2]

The Africans in question are fairly well off by local standards, but as PV modules get cheaper this sort of thing will become more and more affordable.
A 200 watt PV module can be purchased for as little as £200, a few months income.
Only VERY poor people now have less than 100 watts of PV, and arrays of 1KW and more are no longer rare.
The problem until recently was the cost of the DC/DC converter, they have fallen from about £100 to about £15 in a few years.

The electric slow cooker works without attention for hours, allowing the wife to watch goats, care for children and shoot pigeons.
(there is ANOTHER plague of pigeons devouring everything, the local people allege that the pests are from London. A high power air rifle is the favoured way of killing the birds)

[RenewableCandy]

There's a bloke here who feeds the pigeons by the river. I wish the City Council would 'move him on'.

[kenneal - lagger]

................ and shoot pigeons.
(there is ANOTHER plague of pigeons devouring everything, the local people allege that the pests are from London. A high power air rifle is the favoured way of killing the birds)

Food aid from London then? Hope they don't waste it.

If it allows wifey to work elsewhere I suppose that it OK then.

[adam2]

"food aid" indeed ! the local people refer light heartedly to the pigeons as being biological warfare, sent by other countries to destroy crops.

The pests are killed and eaten and make a useful supplement to the diet, but the destruction of crops is a serious concern.

The pigeons also destroy thatched roofs, try and nest inside buildings, are generally a nuisance.
Kids catch the birds alive and release them during lessons at school, which is considered hugely entertaining !

[kenneal - lagger]

I went to Barcelona last year and to the Sagrada Família. There are thousands of people and equal numbers of pigeons wandering around outside and among those people was an old woman. She was notable because she was giving the pigeons food and then grabbing them one a time, wringing their necks and popping them in her bag. Only a few people realised what she was doing but no one complained. Do that in Trafalgar Square and she would be lynched!! Different cultures I suppose.

[adam2]

I have just heard from Ghana via my former neighbours in London, whom are originally from Ghana.

Electric cooking is increasingly popular as both the PV modules and the other equipment continue to reduce in price.

A pair of 250 watt modules can power a large fridge, lighting, and limited electric cooking.
Induction cooking rings are becoming the norm, with LPG increasingly being considered only as standby fuel due to the cost.
LPG lighting is now VERY last century.
I have recently sent out to Ghana some AMBER LED light bulbs for the lighting of outdoor activities without attracting insects.

A terrible accident occurred in which "strong insect killer" was accidently added to a stew in place of salt. Several persons died.
The accident was blamed on poor lighting in the community building where the food was being prepared.

[clv101]

Indeed, we've cooked exclusively on solar electric (oven, induction hobs, kettle, toaster) since March this year. No LPG or mains electricity on site.

... and we don't even live in the tropics!

[adam2]

Improvements are underway after the fatal accident.

The village school has had solar powered electric lights and other equipment for some years.
In the school grounds is a tin roofed shack used for cooking. It was placed some distance away from the school building in case of fire.
As the intended use was only in daylight, no lighting was installed.

The school is however now used in the evenings for various purposes, and food prepared in the dark. This led to the fatalities in which insect killer was accidently added to the food.

As a short term measure I have urged that a decent electric light be powered from the main building via an extension lead.
An LPG light would also help in the short term.

A new PV system is planned, shared between the cook house and two about to be constructed houses.
Probably 12 volt, due to the greater familiarity with that voltage.
Whilst a higher voltage would in theory be preferable, there is a strong preference for 12 volts on the grounds of safety, simplicity, and already existing 12 volt equipment.