Life cycle assessment analysis, embodied energy evaluation and economic aspect study of double mirror reflector box type solar cooker for NEH region of Sikkim

Clean cooking fuel is currently a prime need of human beings. Solar cooking is said to be one and thus needed to be tested and compared with other cooking options. This study deals with the multi-criteria assessment analysis of a double mirror reflector box-type solar cooker for the north-eastern Himalayan region of Sikkim. Multi-criteria assessment analysis was comprised of life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, and embodied energy analysis. Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) was considered as a reference system for the comparative assessment. The solar cooker was tested for its performance using standard testing methodologies. Life cycle assessment analysis for predicting environmental impacts was conducted using software tool SimaPro 9.0 with a functional unit of use of a device for cooking per year. The impact 2002+ method showed that LPG cooking option had impacted more than solar cooker on human health, climate change, ecosystem quality, and resource depletion predicted that for determining the impacts. The embodied energy and outputs of both systems showed that cooking with a solar cooker can replace around 5 cylinders of LPG annually. The Energy payback period for the solar cooker was found to be 4.13 years. Life cycle assessment results of solar cooker fabrication showed that the largest contributor within impact categories was aluminum, glass, and steel sheet. Economic analysis for substitution of LPG by solar cooker has a positive internal rate of return and payback period of 1.89 years. Thus, this study projected sustainability of double reflector box-type solar cooker over LPG cooking option.