COMMENTS RECEIVED
Ever since its inception in June 1999 this site has been receiving lot of visitors and comments, only some of them are presented here to enthuse the reader to respond rather than boast about the site. I would have been very happy if the visitor, like Keshav Jaini ( quoted bellow ),or that of of Ms. Deris, who had tried out any one of these designs, or invented a new one,and informed me about the same. I am very hopeful of getting such a response in the near future.
Recently the SCI team has once again recognised the site and has decided to link it on to theirs, this would make it easier for the browser.
( Most of the respondants have E-mail addresses, but as I have not got their formal permission to include their addresses here, I have not disclosed the same, but if anyone wishes to contact them for on some perticular issue, I can send the address )
1. BEV BLUM, (former) Vice President, Solar Cooker International, USA- 9th Feb. 1999.
" Thank you very kindly for sending the TIDE issue with your excellent summary article on Review of Solar Cooker Design. It is a wonderful taxonomy of Solar Cookers"
" _____ is it possibly available on the WEB ? "
( Note : Encouraged by this gesture I was prompted to launch the Review Paper on the net )
2. Prof. Thomas E Bowman, FIT, USA - 24th Aug. 1999
" your review paper arrieved a few days ago,and I have greatly enjoyed reading through it. It is excellent, and I thank you very sincerely for sending me a hard copy. You seem to have done an excellent and and comprehensive job of putting together all the older as well as newer work and presenting it all in very clear,logical easily readable fasion, with a stisfying number of illustrations. I should think that it would be regarded as the "standard" for understanding the state of art of Solar Cookers for many years to come"
"I am also grateful for your kind treatment of my work in the field"
( Note : Way back in 80's, I was fortunate enough to get copies of Prof. Bowmans works through VITA. His work was indeed pioneering,very inspiring. He had presented several useful variations including the FIT Design of Solar Cookers. It is rather unfortunate that his classic design has not caught the attention of Solar Cooker enthusiasts. )
3. Ms. JERRY - USA - 21st July 1999.
" I must congratulte you for putting up one of the most through and comprehensive sites I have seen. Thank you very much " " In the section on Box Cooker you refer to a material designated as 'MS' I am not familier with it "
( Note : 'MS' stands for Mild Steel )
4. Ms. Dishna Schwarz, Ph.D., Student,
" ______ I read your information on Solar Cookers on the mentioned URL with great interest "
5. Mr.Narayanaswamy, Keral, India.
" Congratulations on your comprehensive article on Solar Cookers Design on the Web. It must have involved a lot of effort to bring together at one place the diverse facts lurking in different places.
An interesting piece of information is that one ADAMS, in the 18th century was active in Bombay designing a Solar Cooker.
It is important that we should be looking out for easily available material for making solar cooker. Your efferts in finding suitable plastic and ways of putting the shine on aluminium Sheets are laudable "
( Note : I am yet to find and make a final list of suitable materials for use in solar Cookers, I would appreciate if readers help me in doing so, best and long lasting reflectors, insulations, Glass bowls, vessels, paints etc., the list is rather long. )
5. Prof. ROGER BERNARD, FRANCE, ( inventor of 'COOKIT' & 'NELPA" Cookers. )
" ___ now I have read and enjoyed your ' Review of Solar Cooker Designs' , a big work with judicious comments.
Conceept VI you have suggested ( a double walled glass cover with vacumn inbetween ) would work well with 'Cookit' but I am afraid that the Cook may find it very difficult to handle the cooking pot ".
( Note : At the time of writing the review I had not paid much attention the this aspect, for in Solar Box type of cookers handling pots was easy though it ment lot of heat loss. Inverted Glass bowls and the like have been suggested in the past, but the best option is to use a upright bowl just covering most of the vessel and a lid also with a Glass cover to prevent heat loss as suggested by Prof. Bernard. This aspect is covered in detail under Prologue as well as Box type Cookers).
6. Prof. Barbara Kerr, USA ( one of the active workers in the field of Solar Cooking, and prolific respondents on solarcooking-l@igc.topica.com )
" Solar Cooking , as we both know, is the only truly sustainable methods of cooking. I have read your posting and honor all the work you have done and the devotion you have given to it over many years. I could not see where I can add to your efforts "
7. Mr. Keshav Jaini, New Delhi, India
" I have been reading your review on Solar Cookers, congratulations on a lot of work on compiling the data.
" __ I was at Tibet and saw the Chinese Parabolic Cookers with 2 reflectors, which is very popular and easy to fabricate, but wwould not get one to India as it was too heavy and cumbersome.
" The 'Cookit' is a very good design for introducing solar cooking. I had taken one to Tibet, and it was quite effective."
8. Mr.Tom Sponhheim, SCI, USA.
" I like the work you've done on improving your fine document. How would you like to host them on the Solarcooking.org. site?"
( Note : I have given my consent, and very soon enthusiasts should be in a position to get to my site through solarcooking.org )
9. Dr. Brett White, Australia.
"I have just visited your amazing website and I am so happy that you have put all the information on the net, it is really a testiment for you "
( Note : Dr. Brett has updated the folding Umbrella type of Cookers, you would find his URL under other links )
10. Dr. Quinton Stowell, UK.
" I have just found your website, and wish I had found it earlier. Very good work "
( Note : Dr. Quinton is doing commendable work in popularising Solar Cookers especially at PERU. You could get to his beautiful, informative and well layed out site, through other links )
11. Ms. Deris Jeannette, California, USA.
" I just read through your incredible review about solar Ovens and discovered that you missed one type of design. It is called as 'Clear Dome Solar Oven'
( Note : I would appreciate letters of this type too informing me of the designs I have missed, once I have all the designs it would be easy for the reader to select the type he likes or the inventor or designer to improve upon the existing designs. Deris's ' Clear Dome Solar Cooker ' has been added to this site. She is a prolific inventor, has a wonderful site too and you could find URL under other links )