This paper presents detailed study of a novel lightweight, low-cost solar cooker developed by the authors using mainly solid waste and scrap material. The novel feature of this cooker is specially designed and developed double glaze of transparent insulating polymeric sheets, which enhances transmission of solar insolation by 13.5%, decreases top heat losses by 50% and reduces weight by 67% as against the glaze of the commercial solar cooker. Equations have been developed for useful base plate area for beam radiation for both the developed (LSC) and the commercial solar cooker (CSC). The top, body and total heat loss coefficients computed using Channiwala and Doshi's correlation are found to be much lower for LSC as compared to CSC. These factors result in comparable or even better thermal and cooking performances of LSC. The payback periods of LSC for various fuels have also been found to be significantly lower than CSC.
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