In this episode of The Fixers Podcast, host Amrita Kumar interviews Dr. Alan Bigelow, Science Director at Solar Cookers International, to explore how solar cooking technology is transforming lives for 2 billion people who struggle daily to access cooking fuel.

Dr. Bigelow shares powerful stories from Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where women are trading food rations for firewood, and explains how solar cookers—devices that use mirrors, black cookware, and greenhouse principles—can cook meals and pasteurize water using only sunshine. Listeners will discover how this elegant, low-tech solution addresses deforestation and energy poverty while saving money.

From his unique journey as a particle accelerator physicist who co-founded a solar-powered eco rock band called Solar Punch, Dr. Bigelow reveals how inclusive design and listening to local communities—especially women—has been crucial to scaling this technology globally.

Support the Mission: Visit solarcookers.org and solarcooking.org to learn more about solar cooking technology, access design plans, and discover how you can get involved in bringing clean cooking solutions to communities worldwide.

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