The restaurant located inside the Machanents Center has a menu that includes a number of dishes from Armenia.
The Sunny meals section has become a hit with diners. The order goes to the kitchen after they choose from options such as beef, chicken, or trout. The chefs don't heat an oven. Instead, they head to the backyard where the dishes will be cooked by the sun.
The Machanents cultural center is located in the capital of Armenia. The staffs and youths have an interest in creativity, the arts and innovation, which brought the satellite dishes to the backyard. They are covered by hundreds of small mirrors.
The cooks place walnuts on the bottom and meat or vegetables on top of a pan made of glass when customers order aunny meals.
They put the pan into a cradle with two metal arms that held the satellite dish. They adjust the angle to point the pan at the sun. The food is ready. It cooks in less than 20 minutes on sunny days. The preparation time can range from three minutes to seven minutes during the hot summer season in the country. There is no cooking with the satellites on cloudy days.
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The satellite dish is working on a sunny day.
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The satellite dish is working on a sunny day.
The satellite dishes were created by the scientists with dreams of distributing them around the country. After the devastating Spitak earthquake, the first prototypes of the study of solar energy use were developed by Hamazaspyan. He hoped that satellite solar ovens would help his countrymen during hard times.
In the following decade, the project was resumed amidst conflicts in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories. Due to the failure of mediation efforts, the region continues to see increased militarization and frequent cease-fire violations.
Turkey closed its eastern border with Armenia, and on the other side of the country, Azerbaijan closed its border, imposing restrictions and blocking Russian gas. There was a severe crisis of supplies and energy.
Despite the shortages, Hamazaspyan failed to win government support for distributing satellite dishes. He says that it is easy to handle and can be adjusted for a variety of uses. He says it is simple and affordable. The government would need to invest in mass production to bring down the price tag from its current $200-600, and convince families to adapt to an oven that doesn't work at night or during cloudy days.
The entrance of Machanents House is in Ejmiatsin, Armenia.
The three satellite dishes arrived at the Machanents Center. Grigor Babakhanyan thought it would highlight the work of the scientists in Armenia and give the project a chance. The sun hours of light in Armenia are 2,700 a year.
The main difference between the satellite-reflection technique and a regular oven is that the heat comes from the outer surface to the middle. The heat comes from the center of the pan because the mirrors are designed to redirecting it.
The trout I ordered at Macchanents was tender and juicy. We have to make sure it is fresh from the catch of the day so we can get all this juiciness. She says that they did a blind test with some customers. The beef was cooked in a gas oven and in the satellites. She says that everyone preferred the second version. The walnuts add smoky notes to the food while also blocking the sun's rays to aid in cooking.
The beef was cooked in a gas oven and in the satellites. The second version was preferred by everyone.
It is not new for the sun to be used for cooking. Projects can be found from Nepal to Africa. The restaurant Entre Cordillera Restobar Solar in the village of Villaseca serves its dishes using only the sun's rays. They heat food in transparent boxes in the shade of parked cars. In Oaxaca, Mexico, an engineer is experimenting with solar cooking in distilleries and bakeries.
It is solar cooking at home that could make a difference. He says that most governments around the world show little interest in using clean and sustainable technologies.
A cook is cooking trout in a satellite dish.
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A cook is cooking trout in a satellite dish.
It means that projects like his have to be done as small initiatives, such as in the Machanents Center, and nonprofits try to distribute or fund solar ovens to poor families in developing countries, especially in poorly ventilated homes where cooking fires cause illness and poor health.
The ultimate goal should be to help people eat better, not just businesses. The technology is easy to use and affordable. The sun shines for everyone.
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