Photovoltaic Solar Grill

The Office of Sustainability at Illinois State University regularly participates in tailgates at campus events. Tailgating involves cooking food on large gas or charcoal grills, and the events typically last for several hours. To raise awareness of sustainability-related issues, the Office of Sustainability asked the Renewable Energy Society if they would design and build a more sustainable grill for use at these tailgates. The Renewable Energy Society is a student-led organization that is dedicated to the study of renewable energy systems. The students agreed to take on the challenge and formed a team dedicated to the project. After some preliminary research, the students discarded the traditional “solar cooker” design because experience showed that the design does not achieve adequate temperatures to cook meat in a short amount of time. Next the students explored the idea of converting a propane grill to a battery-based solar electric system. The team performed tests by connecting various battery configurations to an electric stovetop burner. After additional research, consulting with system design experts, and obtaining price quotes, the team decided to use an off-grid inverter and a commercially available outdoor electric range. The system is fed from a bank of batteries that is sized to provide 2-3 hours of continuous grilling time. The batteries are charged with a set of PV modules with a portable racking system that can be set up at the tailgate location, or a wall outlet for cloudy days. The group is enthusiastic about using the grill as a branding and marketing opportunity for their student organization. They also intend to use it for fundraising purposes by selling grilled meat sandwiches on the quad during warm weather.