TR-38 for determining standard power of solar cookers using low-cost instruments

Paul Arveson, SHE Research Director, produced technical report 38 describing a method for measuring standard solar cooker power with low-cost commercial instruments. A previous Technical Report, TR-17, concluded that a low-cost lux meter can be used in place of a pyranometer for measuring solar irradiance. This report combines a lux meter into a complete package of common instruments for measuring power in accordance with international standards, provided proper calibrations and procedures are followed. It also provides an excel sheet for data entry which calculates required variables such as a solar cooker’s intercept area on the day of testing given testing latitude and maximum intercept area.  The technical report can be found under “Research” on the home page.