Design and Fabrication of a Solar-Powered Electric Stove for Rural and Urban Communities of Ghana

Capstone Project submitted to the Department of Engineering, Ashesi University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, April 2019This report presents the optimisation of a ceramic-matrix composite (anthill sand and cement), reinforced with treated coir fibres for applications in the construction of a low costsolar powered cooking stove to solve the current trends in the depletion of forest spaces in Ghana due to excessive destruction as a result of using firewood for cooking by a higher percentage of rural communities. The reinforced coir fibres reduce undesirable traits in ceramics including, low fracture toughness and low flexural strength. Sample characterisation involved; fibre modification, tensile tests of fibres, three-point bend tests on the composites, water absorption tests on the composite materials, hardness tests, and compressive tests. A prototype was developed and tested for thermal performance and analysis before the first prospective model of the stove was fabricated.Ashesi Universit