PERFORMANCE OF DIRECT CONCENTRATED SOLAR THERMAL COOKING FUEL AT THE PEAK OF RAINY SEASON FOR KADUNA RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Direct concentrated solar thermal is the most sustainable cooking fuel with an edge over photovoltaic which depends on collection storage and conversion to electric energy and later to heat energy, at this stage it takes the non sustainability element of electricity. Concentrated solar thermal is the cheapest source of cooking fuel in sun rich areas with vast advantages: cooks meal up to a high temperature without burning the menu and vitamins, and food does not stick on pot. The hindrance of it acceptance and spread is not only the inability to cook at night but also in bad weather such as: dusty atmosphere, clouds and precipitations. This paper aims at assessing the effectiveness of this cooking fuel during rainfall in Kaduna town. It carried out a literature review of the climatic elements from January to December and found August to be the peak of the rainfall with lowest hourly sunshine and solar radiation. It furthered performed a cooking experiment from the 1st to the 31st of August 2017, during this period a primary data of the hourly sunshine was recorded by direct observation. The findings showed the minimum hourly sunshine received during this period contains enough radiation for cooking. It is therefore concluded that the rainy season at its peak with clouds and high humidity in Kaduna town still receives enough sunshine as a cooking fuel for it dwellings. It is therefore recommended architect to implement the direct capturing of the sunray as a cooking fuel in residential buildings