Internet of Things Connected Hybrid Solar Cooker

The potential of cooking during off sunshine hours is investigated using an energy storage unit in the solar cooker, such as a thermal energy storage material or thermal heating of the absorber plate of solar cooker by photovoltaic (PV) technology. To determine the viability of a solar cooker during the off-sunshine hours, performance experiments on a hybrid solar cooker utilizing phase change materials (PCMs) and PV technology have been carried out. In order to improve user experience, the hybrid solar cooker has also been upgraded with an internet of things-based monitoring interface. The Bureau of Indian Standards are also used to test the thermal characteristics of solar cookers. The duration of cooking in a solar cooker using various PCMs in sunshine and off-sunshine hours being is the main emphasis of the present experimental study.