Estimation of electrical backup for solar box cooker

Incorporation of an electrical backup in a Solar Box Cooker (SBC) makes it operative throughout the year. The backup should be such that the essential characteristics of the solar cooker are retained and the energy consumptio n should be as low as possible. An estimate of electrical power requirement of a heater for an Indian SBC is presented considering its no-load figure of merit and energy balance at stagnation. It is found that a 160 W heater is sufficient for cooking. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.