Solar restaurants and bakeries

Solar restaurants and bakeries have been established in various parts of the world as income-producing enterprises. Not only do they provide clean cooking options to communities, they offer unique business advantages such as reduced overhead due to not requiring expensive cooking fuel. Below you will find examples of small, medium, and large-scale solar restaurants and bakeries in regions around the world. For information on opening a solar restaurant or bakery, visit the business development page for resources on this topic.
====
*November 2024: Solar Cooking Program by SELF - The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) uses the power of the sun to fight poverty and climate change. For the pilot program, SELF partnered with the Rape Hurts Foundation (RHF), a Uganda-based organization that provides refuge and support to survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence. The organizations deployed two solar bakery businesses in Uganda, one in Jinja at the RHF head office and one in Kamuli at the RHF Bukyerimba vocational school. These locations, known as the Sanyu (or “happiness”) bakeries, are equipped with Lytefire solar cooking units. As of November 2024, the program has trained 1,738 people. It has also raised awareness for the importance of clean cooking, and raised local demand for clean alternatives such as solar. In a region of Uganda that remains largely without electricity, stand-alone solar appliances offer a sustainable and practical solution for food production.
:
SELF 1, 11-20-24.png|The participants gather the ingredients to begin a baking session 
SELF 5, 11-20-24.png|The Lytefire solar array oven
SELF 8, 11-20-24.png|A tray of rolls are ready for sale
 
*September 2023: 100 Suns is being used for solar barbecuing in Zimbabwe. The trials are being conducted by Alex Machipisa based in Harare with plans to establish the first solar restaurant in Zimbabwe.
*September 2023: Solar brewery grand opening - Microbrasserie Hélie, in Dampierre-les-Bois, is inviting everyone to visit their solar brewery opening celebration from 16-17 September 2023, from 8:00 - 4:00 GMT, and taste some of their new creations.
*April 2023: New solar bakery - The Al-Wissam solar bakery, is located in Remhala, Lebanon, 27km south of Beirut. It uses a roof-mounted solar trough array to heat an oil-filled pipe positioned along the array to . The hot oil is then directed to the kitchen where it heats convection ovens for baking. More information... 
*January 2022: New solar-fueled restaurant in Yerevan, Armenia - Founder of the Machanents Center, Grigor Babakhanyan, decided it made sense to highlight the work of local scientists, and incorporate solar cooked menu options at the Center restaurant. Vahan Hamazaspyan, began studying uses for solar energy after the devastating Spitak earthquake disrupted traditional grid-based energy sources in the 1980's. He experimented with parabolic solar cooker designs, and tried to convince local authiorities to help make them available within the country, with little success. Finding a new audience, patrons now seek out the restaurant for its solar prepared fare, many commenting they prefer the preparation over conventional stove use. Read more...
*September 2021: New solar restaurant joins others in Villaseca, Chile - EntreCordillera Restobar is the latest restaurant to join other establishments offering solar cooked meals in Villaseca. The new restaurant is a member of the Association of Solar Artisans of Villaseca, which helps support and promote the local community of restaurants. Read more at: The Desert Chefs Who Cook with the Sun - BBC Travel
thumb|250px|Head Chef Joshua Murray at the Conrad Hotel in Washington, D.C. discusses his journey with solar cooking, and how it fits with the sustainability goals of the hotel
*May 2021: Solar cooking smoker - Head Chef, Joshua Murry, at the Conrad Hilton, Washington D.C., USA, explains how the hotel wished to take greater advantage of the roof deck to be able to serve meals to guests. However the space has limited electrical access, and Joshua drew upon his experimentation with solar cooking as a young man. He has found a way using a 'smoke gun' to inject smoke into the cooking chamber of an All American Sun Oven for the first 45 minutes of cooking a large pork roast. Then the chamber is completely sealed, and the meat cooks for another couple hours, resulting in the smoke flavored roast he desired. 
 
*December 2020: Solar baked foods - La Sazón del Sol, located in , Mexico, has a mission to make solar energy an integral part of the local daily life through food, economy and health. In this training center dedicated to women, passion is created for solar cooking. From the construction of an oven-dehydrator to cooking, pasteurization and solar conservation. As a way to strengthen the autonomy and social ties in the community with providing solar baked and dried products. 
thumb|right|250px|This video (with subtitles) shows Pierre-Andre Aubert running his mobile solar restaurant, using a Scheffler reflector, and describing his plans for Le Presage.
*April 2020:  Pierre-Andre Aubert, solar chef, is setting up a solar restaurant - Le Presage - in Marseilles, France. He is collaborating with the local university to sponsor a PhD in restaurant-scale solar cooking, heat retention, and passive solar heating. If you have an interest in solar cooking, a degree in mechanical engineering (and preferably some French), you might want to apply. More information...
*November 2019: Community bakery - GoSol.org reports that one of their solar array cookers, first put into use in 2017 in the Kisumu area, in Kenya is still in use. It was later transferred to Friends of Ndere, a very active baking community, which already had a GoSol concentrator. In spite of this being one an early pilot unit, they are still using this unit to bake bread. Below is a video in Swahili showing the concentrator in action. More information...
thumb|250px|Solar array cooker transferred to Friends of Ndere
*April 2017: Solar bakery employs eight people and produces 500 loaves a day - With funding from the Energy and Environment Partnership of Southern & East Africa (EEP S&EA), R20 and its local partner implemented a solar bakery project in Gitega. The results to date are: 1) A solar bakery with the capacity to produce up to 500 loaves of bread per day; 2) Employment for eight local women A bakery business plan; and 3) A draft Integrated Climate Plan for Gitega City. More information...
*January 2017: Solar Cookers International (SCI) connected five organizations with solar cooker restaurant experience at its 6th SCI World Conference 2017. Said Rocio Maldonado: "Pierre's experience with a solar cooker restaurant in France will be very useful to us in Bolivia." Representatives from several countries expect to create guidelines for starting solar cooking restaurants, which they will share with international partners.
*November 2015: An experimental solar restaurant in Aubagene, France - The restaurant, "Le Présage", was open from 3 November to 3 December 2016. It was organized and operated by chef, Ghislaine Milliet. The restaurant was open to the public as weather permitted. They used a Scheffler reflector as one of its cooking sources. A little more information is available at: "Le Présage" in Aubagne
 
*April 2016: Vietnam Solar Serve writes: A man from France came to visit us in Danang. He runs a restaurant in Vung Tau, a popular seaside resort in the south of Vietnam. He knew all about solar cookers and other environmentally friendly devices. He was very excited and wanted to buy several devices for his restaurant (three solar box cookers, two parabolic cookers and three clean cookstoves). He also ordered two solar lamps. For us it was interesting that after several years someone requested our box cookers again. Because of the sunny weather in the south they could be an attraction for tourists eating in his restaurant. 
*November 2015: Members of the Imani Women's Group in Msumarini, Kenya bake cupcakes and larger cakes using only a wooden box and the sun. They earn enough money to help support their families and send their children to school. On a sunny day they produce up to 150 cupcakes, which they sell for 10 shillings (0.10 US$), and 30 cakes that go for 200 shillings (2.00 $US). Kenya, which straddles the equator, receives (according to the Kenyan Ministry of Energy) an average of 4.5 kWh per square meter per day. 
*March 2014: R20 initiates second phase of solar bakery project in Burundi - The second phase of the project began with a stakeholder consultation workshop where 32 participants (women bakers, local officials) gathered to discuss the potential benefits of having a solar bakery as well as concerns they may have. The workshop was a success, and the women bakers expressed their gratefulness to R20 and CIRID for helping to start this project that will reduce the amount of smoke they inhale as much less wood will be needed to bake. The solar bakery project will provide a solar-powered oven to a small bakery in Gitega, Burundi, that employs women that have been marginalized by their communities. 
*January 2014: International aid organization seeks solar cookers for bakery in Burundi - The global relief organization R20-Regions of Climate Action has organized a solar bakery project in Rutegama, Burundi. Currently the bakery, in operation since 2006, has relied on wood-fired ovens, with the wood needing to be gathered by the women working at the bakery. They are soliciting proposals from tenders interested in providing three institutional solar ovens required to convert the bakery to solar. The ovens must be limited to three meters(a little under 10 ft.) in height, and if carried, weighing no more than 10 kg (22 lbs.). Unfortunately, proposals need to be submitted by January 31, 2014. Interested parties will find more information here: . The scale of the project may be rather small, but the funding and implementation is coming from world leaders in the field of economic and environmental relief.
*December 2012: In the hot and dry village of Villaseca in central Chile, the sun's rays are hard at work here at Delicias del Sol restaurant, cooking up delectable dishes in the eatery's 20 solar ovens. The ovens were originally introduced to the village as a trial project from the University of Chile and the Institute for Nutrition and Food Technology. Delicias del Sol, which started out with a 16 person capacity, now seats 120. The future looks bright for Delicias del Sol.
==Examples by regions==
===Africa===
none|thumb|350px|ISOMET operates a solar bakery that produces 1500 loaves a bread per day in Burkina Faso.
thumb|none|350 px|Friends of Ndere, a very active baking community, operates bakery in Kenya.
 
===Asia===
thumb|right|350px|"Kai Yang Palang Saeng Arthit" 6632-428250 This restaurant uses a solar heating system made of 1,000 hand-mirrors to cook chicken nicely in 14 minutes. Located in Cha Um, a three hour drive from Bangkok, Thailand. [https://coconuts.co/bangkok/food-drink/vendor-grills-delicious-chicken-solar-heat-thai-sun-two-decades-video/ More information...]
 
 
===Caribbean===
===Europe===
 
thumb|none|335 px|Le restaurant solaire Le Présage http://restaurantlepresage.fr, https://www.facebook.com/pg/RestaurantLePresage 
thumb|none|335px|[https://www.facebook.com/festinsphotoniques/ Les Festins Photoniques] à la TV, dans l'émission "C'est en France" de FRANCE 24 sur la cuisine responsable soucieuse de l'environnement, avec le chef Pierre-André Aubert de Le présage
===India===
 
===Latin America===
[[File:EcoAndina_reuters_2009.JPG|none|thumb|300px|Solar power gives Andean villages a new lease on life - Reuters (Also a Reuters video shows an EcoAndina project in the village of Misa Rumi in Argentina where everything is powered by the sun. Pictured above is the town bakery where 5 kg of bread are cooked every hour.)]]
thumb|320px|none|Solar cooking at Restaurant Ayllu in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
 
 
===North America===
 
 
thumb|none|350px|Executive Chef Joshua Murray at the Conrad Hilton, Washington D.C., USA, has discovered a way to turn a solar box cooker into a smoker to prepare pulled pork. Solar cooked pulled pork, carrot hummus, hibiscus sun tea, solar fondue, and the use of a solar dehydrator to prepare the bar garnishes, are currently menu items at the rooftop Summit Restaurant at the hotel. 
==Articles on individual solar restaurants==
==Audio and video==
*February 2022: Pedro Serrano Rodríguez discusses solar restaurants, feasibility and their temporality. Watch on YouTube
*June 2021:
::none|400px|thumb| (French with English captions)
*January 2020: 
::none|thumb|400px|For more info see Bethel Business and Community Development Centre
*January 2017:
::none|400px
*January 2017: Facebook video showing steaming loaves of bread being removed from the trough solar cooker by Ivan Yaholnitsky
*July 2015:
::thumb|none|400px|Creating a Model for a Micro-Solar Oven Factory and Off-Grid Bakery
==Articles in the media==
*June 2017: 
*December 2014: We want the black hole of sunlight: solar power breaks new frontiers - The Guardian
*July 2014: Solarna Vine Bridge
====
*January 2020: - Pedro Serrano
*January 2018: Restaurant Solaire - Le Présage (, ) - Pierre-André Aubert
*January 2017:  - Pierre-André Aubert
*January 2009: - Christoph Müller
*July 2006: - Armando Alvarez
==See also==
*Bread
*Baking in a parabolic solar cooker
* Cooking for large groups
* Institutional solar cooking
* Scheffler Community Kitchen
* Infinity Bakery
* Business development
* Solar food processing
==External links==
*April 2021: Saturday Solar Baking in Kenya
* A large collection of documents and construction plans for various Scheffler Community Kitchens around the world - Christoph Müller
* Colorado Bob's Solar Oven: A Solar Oven for the Small Street Vendor
Category:Solar restaurants and bakeries
Category:Curated pages
Category:Business development