Taking up a challenge put forth by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to design a sustainable stove for middle-class households, oil marketing major Indian Oil Corporation Limited and the Union ministry of petroleum and natural gas have developed a solar cook top to cut down on gas consumption.
A demonstration of the innovative cook top, named ‘Surya Nutan’, was given at the residence of Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri at an event in Delhi, which was also attended by rural development minister Giriraj Singh.
‘Surya Nutan’ is a stationary, rechargeable and always kitchen-connected indoor solar cooking system, which has a patented product designed, an official statement said. It has been developed by the Indian Oil research and development centre in Faridabad.
The cook top offers online cooking mode, while also drawing charge from the sun, thereby maximising the system’s efficiency and ensuring high utilisation of energy from sun, the statement said.
The solar cooking equipment works on a hybrid mode and is capable of running both on solar and an auxiliary energy source simultaneously, which makes it a reliable cooking solution for all weather conditions.
Surya Nutan is available in three different models, and the premium one can cook all meals for a family of four. The base model will cost around ₹12,000, while the top model will cost ₹23,000.
The cook top can be used even when the sun is not visible for long durations, or for several days during monsoons and extreme cold, the statement added.