Introduction

Solar steam cooking system is parabolic concentrator dish based system using solar energy to generate steam. The solar steam generation plant consist of solar parabolic concentrator, circular receiver, boiler, automatic E-W tracking system, and valves as per code requirement, feed water system and control panel. Parabolic dish concentrator shall automatically track the E-W motion of the sun and concentrate the sun light at a focus point on a fixed receiver. Hot water is circulated between receiver and steam drum. Saturated steam up to 10 bar pressure is built up inside the steam drum. The conventional steam boiler will be utilized when solar thermal system is not able to meet the complete requirement. The solar steam generation system will be integrated with the conventional steam generation system in such a manner that utilization of solar thermal energy for cooking is maximized. The solar steam cooking system is installed at Gargi Hostel on MNIT Jaipur campus. The system is sufficient to boil all foods items (except for Chapati) throughout the day for approximately 600 girls, having two meals. There is automatic switching system to the LPG based back up arrangement for ensuring uninterrupted cooking during overcast days and at the time of any breakdown in system.

India derives the bulk of its cooking energy needs from solid fuels, such as firewood, crop residue and cow dung cake. In contrast, economically developed countries, such as the USA, UK, Italy, Denmark and others use cleaner cooking fuels. India also displays a striking rural-urban division in its choice of cooking fuels. An overwhelming majority - about 80 % of rural homes in India - continue to use biomass - firewood, crop residue or cow dung - as their primary cooking fuel.

This report provides an overview of the households by the type of fuel used in India. The analysis of data of “Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation” 2004-05 has been made for categories of households classified by type of fuel used. These are firewood, crop residue, cow dung cake, kerosene, LPG, electricity, biogas, any other and no cooking.

Indian subcontinent is blessed with ample amount of sunlight almost all through the year. Roughly 80% of all seasons are sunny of which 50% is dry and hottest. There is urgent need of switching over to a perennial source of energy reserve as a powerful alternative so as to replace all the fast depleting fossil fuels. There is much interest in non-conventional energy nowadays so as to tap energy from unassuming but promising quarters such as Solar. In order to tap this abundant energy we require an efficient design of a solar concentrator which heats up the ambient in the quickest pace. A cost effective solar concentrator is made with locally available raw materials which is efficient enough to make water reach steam point and air reach its hottest phase.

The objective of this report is to make aware of indoor pollution and its impacts due to traditional cooking system of India. To give the solution as Solar steam cooking system and also promotes community cooking.

1.  SCENARIO OF COOKING SYSTEM IN INDIA

1.1.   Primary source of energy used for cooking in Rural area.

(Source: Energy Sources of Indian Households for Cooking and Lighting , 2004-05 Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation,” vol. 511, 2007)

In rural area of India traditional fuels such as firewood and chips, dung cake are still the main sources of household cooking energy. In the rural areas of the country, the households used mainly three primary sources of energy for cooking, viz., firewood and chips, dung cake and LPG. The firewood and chips was used by three-fourths of the rural households. However, there was a marginal decrease in the percentage of households using firewood and chips over the period 1999-2005: the percentage decreased by 1 point over 1999-2005. The pattern of use of firewood and chips for cooking was similar for all the major States except Punjab (31%) and Bihar (50%). But in both these States, the use of dung cake for cooking was relatively common. Besides these two States, the other major States where dung cake often used were Uttar Pradesh (26% of households) and Haryana (19%). The use of LPG was relatively common in four States, viz., Punjab (24%), Haryana (19% of households), Kerala (18%) and Maharashtra (15%) and relatively uncommon (less than 3% of households) in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. However, LPG was slowly gaining acceptance because of its improved availability and convenience. The use of LPG increased by 3 percentage points during 1999-2005 at all-India level. The use of LPG for cooking increased drastically by 14 percentage points in the rural areas of Punjab.

(Source: Energy Sources of Indian Households for Cooking and Lighting , 2004-05 Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation,” vol. 511, 2007.)

2.2.     Primary source of energy used for cooking in Urban area

(Source: Energy Sources of Indian Households for Cooking and Lighting , 2004-05 Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation,” vol. 511, 2007.)

In urban areas of our country, the households used mainly three primary sources, e.g., LPG (57% of households), firewood and chips (22% of households), and kerosene (10% of households), as primary source of energy for their cooking. There is no change in percentage of households using firewood and chips over 1999-2005. Of all these sources, LPG was predominantly used. LPG is slowly gaining acceptance in India. Only 44% households were using LPG as primary source of energy for cooking in 1999-2000 while 57% used it in 2004-2005. Use of kerosene decreased drastically over 1999-2005 by 12 percentage points.

Need of study

2. Health issues caused by traditional cooking system of India

2.1. Impact on women

The effect of domestic cooking fuels producing various respiratory symptoms was studied in 3,701 women. Of these, 3,608 were non-smoking women who used four different types of cooking fuels: biomass, LPG, kerosene, and mixed fuels. The overall respiratory symptoms were observed in 13 % of patients. Mixed fuel users experienced more respiratory symptoms (16.7 %), followed by biomass (12.6 %), stove (11.4 %), and LPG (9.9 %). Chronic bronchitis in chulah users was significantly higher than that in kerosene and LPG users (p less than 0.05). Dyspnea and postnasal drip were significantly higher in the women using mixed fuels. Smoking women who are also exposed to cooking fuels experienced respiratory symptoms more often than non-smokers (33.3 % vs. 13 %).

(Source: Respiratory symptoms in Indian women using domestic cooking fuels.,” Chest, vol. 100, no. 2, pp. 385–8, Aug. 1991)

 

2.2. Impact on children

This study undertaken in India was aimed at identifying the effects of the indoor air pollutants SO₂, NO₂ and total suspended particulate matter (SPM) generated from fuel used for cooking on respiratory allergy in children in Delhi. A total of 3,456 children were examined (59.2% male and 40.8% female). Among these, 31.2% of the children's families were using biomass fuels for cooking and 68.8% were using liquefied petroleum gas. Levels of indoor SO₂, NO₂ and SPM, measured using a Handy Air Sampler (Low Volume Sampler), were 4.60 +/- 5.66 microg/m3, 30.70 +/- 23.95 microg/m3 and 705 +/- 441.6 microg/m3, respectively. The mean level of indoor SO2 was significantly higher (p = 0.016) for families using biomass fuels (coal, wood, cow dung cakes and kerosene) for cooking as compared to families using LP gas. The mean level of indoor NO2 for families using biomass fuels for cooking was significantly higher in I.T.O. (p = 0.003) and Janakpuri (p = 0.007), while indoor SPM was significantly higher in Ashok Vihar (p = 0.039) and I.T.O. (p = 0.001), when compared to families using LP gas. Diagnoses of asthma, rhinitis and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) were made in 7.7%, 26.1% and 22.1% of children, respectively. Respiratory allergies in children, which included asthma, rhinitis and URTI, could be associated with both types of fuels (liquefied petroleum gas [LPG] and biomass) used for cooking in the different study areas. This study suggests that biomass fuels increased the concentrations of indoor air pollutants that cause asthma, rhinitis and URTI in children. LP gas smoke was also associated with respiratory allergy.

(Source: Impact of Domestic Air Pollution from Cooking Fuel on Respiratory Allergies in Children in India,” pp. 213–222, 2008)

To provide clean & eco-friendly cooking fuel is a very challenge nowadays. After going through the survey of “The department of medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, we found that our conventional cooking system (i.e. fire wood, LPG, kerosene, Bio-gas) emits CO, CO₂, NO₂ & non-methane organic compounds that causes an indoor pollution, which affects women as well as children up to 13% & 26% respectively. It may cause various respiratory symptoms e.g. asthma, rhinitis and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). We have to concern the limitation of fossil fuel and also the price hikes of LPG, we have to come on renewable source of energy e.g. solar steam cooking system. The availability of the sun is mostly everywhere about 300 days in India. So, we can utilise simply tapping the heat and infra-red ray from the sun using solar concentrator and water as appropriate mediums for circulation of heat and generating steam pressure.