Fraser Symington is a pioneer in the design and manufacture of solar cookers and solar ovens.
Under Symington Solar Ltd. in Almonte, Ontario, Canada, Mr. Symington's early vision for solar solutions to developing world economies has resulted in solar concentrating arrays like the the Apollo, the Helios and the Phaeton are all products whose hallmarks are:
- Simple designs, freely available
- Materials available worldwide
- Require no complex mathematics or modeling
- Require no uncommon tooling or fabrication skills
- Simple enough for a child to operate
- Low capital cost; nearly nil operating cost
- Require only easily-acquired skills
- Yield annual energy values up to 100% of initial capital cost
- Major impacts as regards health. e.g. drinking water sterilization, reduction of smoke inhalation, improved nutrition (preservation of seasonal produce, etc.)
- The Phaeton and Helios designs reduce womens' hours of work, save fuel costs, and expand earning opportunities
- In regions such as Africa, India and Haiti, reduce deforestation, desertification and loss of soil fibre
The simplified story runs as follows: Fraser's son, Tracy Symington, saw a boy in India driving a grain mill with an ox. He thought to himself, “This boy is harnessing the power of an ox.” He then looked at the sun, and wondered, “Why can’t this boy harness the power of the sun?”
Fraser then proceeded to develop the technologies he called Symington Solar Arrays and which have since become known as Fuego Solar, Solar Fire and/or Feu Solaire. Their activities can be found at www.solarfire.org a website run by the Solar Fire Project .
Mr. Symington and his grandson Lorin Symington, under the banner of ASTRA, the Agency for Solar Technology Research and Application, are looking for opportunities to get arrays into the hands of people that need them.