Performance Evaluation of an Inclined Solar Box Cooker Under Different Climatic Conditions of Agadir City

Abstract

Solar energy is increasingly vital in global strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Solar cooking is a key application, especially in rural areas where it lowers reliance on wood, improving health and reducing deforestation. This study focuses on designing, simulating, building, and testing a solar box cooker. Thermal performance was simulated using TRNSYS, followed by outdoor tests in Agadir, Morocco, under varying conditions—different water loads, with/without reflectors, and with/without thermal load. A solar tracking system was implemented to keep the cooker aligned with the sun, improving efficiency. The prototype achieved a strong first figure of merit F1 (0.124 m2°C/W), indicating high optical efficiency, and a second figure F2 (0.436), showing effective heat transfer. The cooker reached energy and exergy efficiencies of 19.36% and 10.12%, respectively. Overall, the tracking system significantly enhanced the performance of the solar box cooker.