Let’s sum up: the world is getting warmer, our state is getting drier, energy costs are rising, and natural resources are diminishing. And yet, dire as all this is, there’s an environmentally-friendly silver lining emerging.
A surge in startups dedicated to solving, refocusing or reinventing the energy consumption landscape is ushering in a new era of entrepreneurship. Whether they’re creating better batteries, finding new methods for cleaning water, or harnessing renewable resources in smarter ways, it’s an exciting time to be in the tech industry.
One of these companies is right here in Sacramento, and they’re taking on one of our most cherished backyard activities: barbecuing. California Sunlight, which is currently an incubator company with SARTA, is looking to add a green twist to outdoor cooking.
“Almost everyone has a barbecue in their homes, said Bing Gu, CEO of California Sunlight. “What we wanted to create was a solar-powered barbecue. So you don’t need charcoal, you don’t need natural gas, and you don’t need electricity, but you can still have a barbecue anytime you want and keep it green.”
While Gu holds numerous solar patents and is working on a number of solar technology prototypes with uses ranging from indoor lighting to cell phone recharging, California Sunlight is already producing and selling two solar cooking products.
As a replacement for the traditional backyard grill, they offer a big cooker that uses a magnifying glass to reach temperatures of 800 degrees, and has attachments that allow it to function as a barbecue grill, oven, rotisserie, boiler or a food dehydrator. It’s both powerful and fast heating, and, on days when the sun refuses to cooperate, also acts as a hybrid cooker by using charcoal.
California Sunlight’s most recent addition is an affordable (just $39.95), ultra-portable cooker option perfect for backpackers and recreational uses. Using an inflatable Mylar balloon that focuses the sun’s rays to generate heat to cook food or boil water, this cooker can be used in areas where campfires are not permitted, firewood is hard to find, or when users don’t want to carry fuel. The Solar Balloon Cooker also easily refolds to fit in its drawstring bag and is easy to repair with simple tape.
While the market for both products has been largely local so far, California Sunlight is looking to ramp up its production of both models and get them stocked in outdoor stores like Sierra Outfitters and REI.
Solar cooking is not a new technology. However, it has primarily been seen as a crisis-focused tool used in the third-world. Repositioning these products as a mainstream device easily used by any household could go a long way in not only advancing the industry, but also reaping its renewable—and cost-saving—benefits for everyone well into the future.
A perfectly grilled burger with a side of saving-the-world, what could be better than that?