Housely
Grilling outdoors is one of the most loved parts of summertime here in the United States, but in other parts of the world it’s a necessity. For that matter, some people in the US also have to grill regardless the weather to save money on utilities or due to not having working appliances inside their homes. For these households, buying tons of propane, kerosene, or charcoal to cook isn’t financially feasible, so they often use makeshift devices such as the rocket stove.
Even people who barbecue as a matter of choice have increasingly looked towards alternative methods to be more environmentally friendly. Grilled dishes are healthier to eat than fast food and things that are fried, but the trade off is releasing harmful emissions and pollutants into the air. To help solve the problems of both camps, MIT professor David Wilson has come up with a concept for a solar powered grill, the Wilson Grill. The idea behind it is that solar energy could be used by the device to heat and cook food, all without harming the environment and remaining cost efficient.
Breakthrough Solar Lens
The Wilson Grill is designed to use a Fresnel lens, which is the advent of Augustin-Jean Fresnel, a physicist from France. Equipped with this highly powerful component, the Wilson Grill would be able to reach temperatures of 446 degrees Fahrenheit/230 degree Celsius. That is hot enough to cook and even bake most foods, and the Wilson Grill would be a game changer if it makes it to the consumer market. In addition, the solar powered grill would have a lithium nitrate battery that could store up to 25 hours worth of solar energy, enabling people to cook meals all throughout the day and night. Being so efficient at converting the sun’s energy into something that can be practically used means the Wilson Grill doesn’t have to rely on electricity. It also wouldn’t produce any CO2 emissions. This novel piece of equipment sounds almost too good to be true, and in a way it is.
Potential Benefits
If manufactured and brought to market, the Wilson Grill would definitely be an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional grills and outdoor stoves. If people started using the grill to cook year round, it would mean significant energy savings across the globe.
One of the primary benefits touted by the researchers behind the Wilson Grill is that it would allow impoverished people all over the world to finally have a reliable, efficient means to prepare their meals. However, there are some practical matters that would need to be solved before the Wilson Grill can be a solution for the world’s poor.
Currently, this solar powered grill hasn’t been produced and is just a concept. There’s no telling when or if it will be made available for sale. Even if it is sold one day, the cost would be prohibitive for most people regardless the country they’re in. Here in the US, the majority of the population can’t spend thousands of dollars on a grill without going into debt — there’s no way that the Wilson Grill as it’s currently designed can be produced inexpensively.
Sure, Americans can and often do go into debt for things they want and don’t necessarily need. Economically disadvantaged people in other parts of the world, however, don’t have that option. To be affordable to them, the Wilson Grill would need to cost less than $5. Unfortunately, the technology incorporated into this concept cannot be made or sold that cheaply without a huge financial loss. Considering that the Wilson Grill has not been produced yet due to lack of funds, it’s reasonable to guess that its creator won’t be able to give away his creation or put a low price tag on it.
Future Challenges
One option to get the Wilson Grill into the hands of the people who need it most would be to set up one in the center of neighborhoods and villages and allow residents to use it communally. It wouldn’t be the most convenient route to take, but if the grill stores up to 25 hours of energy it would be capable of round the clock use. There’s just one catch: it’s highly unlikely that the Wilson Grill can easily store and provide 25 hours of cooking time. Approximately 17 minutes of energy could feasibly be stored by the solar powered grill each day, and that’s if an optimal amount of sunlight hits the device. To reach the 25 hour threshold would take over three months of perfect sunshine.
The Wilson Grill definitely looks toward the right types of solutions to helping the environment and providing a practical option for those who aren’t wealthy, which is the bulk of the world’s population. However, in its current design the Wilson Grill is best for the wealthy. They would be able to afford it most and the aesthetic would likely appeal to them as well. It certainly would look out of place in a rural village or an area full of subsistence farmers. True, looks aren’t the point here. Still, the Wilson Grill was obviously designed with looks that appeal to a very narrow audience, and that audience is not the one that it would benefit most.
The concept photos for the Wilson Grill show two scenes. One is of the solar powered grill superimposed onto an image of a third world village. The other is of the Wilson Grill superimposed onto an image of a wealthy group of people barbecuing. Right now, it would make the most sense for the developers of the grill to go with the latter and completely abandon the former — this grill popping up in impoverished nations just isn’t going to happen anytime soon. However, if it is marketed to the wealthy first they can kick in the money needed to produce the device — crowdfunding would make a world of difference. Once it’s in the hands of the moneyed, research and development could continue with the goal of bringing the cost of the Wilson Grill down. Absent that it will remain just a concept, albeit a neat one.
References
Wilson Grill Uses Solar Energy To Make You The Perfect Steak
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