In a novel measure, the authorities at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee have adopted solar technology for steam cooking in their student messes. The institute claims that it has saved 5,000 lPG cylinders a year by installing this technology in its campus.
The solar technology project is a joint venture between the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and IIT Roorkee. The MNRE Chair Professor, Alternate Hydro Energy Centre at IIT Roorkee, Arun Kumar said that Concentrated
Solar Technology generates temperatures in the range
of 150-160 degrees centigrade with pressure of 10-12 bars.
He said that the project started in the year 2010
and was completed last year. Kumar informed that the temperature and pressure from the system is ideal for the cooking process at the institution. “With the solar steam cooking process, the quality of food has improved dramatically. It has also
cut down on the time taken to cook vegetables and pulses and we have practically done away with the use of lPG cylinders. We are glad since we are also doing our bit to safeguard the environment,” he said.
The Solar Steam Cooking system provides three meals to about 8000 students of the University daily and has allowed the university to do away with the use of around 5,000 lPG cylinders, thereby translating into cash savings of Rs 30 lakh per annum. Nutrition experts are of the view that apart from financial savings, there are several other benefits from the
project as the steam cooking process ensures more
nutritional food because unlike conventional cooking, steam cooking does not
damage the nutritional
value of the components of food.
These systems are installed on top of all the nine messes of the university. It is learnt that the University
officials are explaining the intricacies of the solar steam cooking to the staff and
an elaborate plan to modify cooking schedule to
maximise the usage of technology is on anvil.