Knowledge Sharing

Insulated Solar Electric Cooker

The Insulated Solar Electric Cooker (ISEC) was invented in 2015 by California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo students as an alternative to biomass cooking for people without access to renewable and reliable electricity. The ISEC has been further developed by a global learning community consisting of student groups, nonprofits, and local enterprises, directed by Dr. Pete Schwartz. The technology’s construction and use manuals are open source and publicly available as a document on the internet and are continuously being updated along with technological developments. To encourage local and sustainable manufacturing, international collaborators are expected to source production materials themselves and construct the cookers locally. In recent times though, ISEC collaborators have been having trouble successfully constructing and distributing cookers. Issues with sourcing, dissemination, and communication are all current barriers that ISEC is facing.