NEW DELHI: Amid rising LPG prices, oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday unveiled a solar-electric indoor cooking stove developed by state-run IndianOil, a device that has the potential to reduce household fuel bill and the government’s subsidy outgo but the initial price may be a dampener.
Named ‘Surya Nutan’ — which takes off from a brand name synonymous with kerosene stoves in the 70s — the new device uses a solar thermal battery that gets charged by a outdoor solar panel.
Solar thermal batteries produce heat unlike solar storage batteries that produce electricity. The solar stove can also be charged from a household socket during cloudy weather.
