LPG Price Hike: How this restaurant cooks biryani with sunlight even after sunset

In the first week of May, ANI reported that the price of the 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder was hiked by Rs 993. After the hike, a 19-kg cylinder costed Rs 3,071.50 in Delhi, up from Rs 2078.50 previously.

Rates were last raised by Rs 195.50 per cylinder on April 1. Prior to that, prices had increased by Rs 114.5 per 19-kg cylinder on March 1. Across three hikes, commercial LPG prices have risen by Rs 1,303, which has affected large-scale food production units and restaurants. While many food entrepreneurs are still juggling with the hike, one restaurant in Odisha is using sunlight even after sunset and on rainy days to make intricate dishes like biryani.

Scroll down to read the details.

Which restaurant is this?

According to a Better India report, Golden Brew Cafe in Bhubaneshwar, cooks pulao, biryani and more such delicacies, using a 100% solar-powered system that works even after sunset and on rainy days. The kitchen runs completely on sunlight.

How does the solar cooker work?

It is reported that it is made of a solar coil and an induction cooking system, which remains active throughout the season. During the day, the solar panel powers the kitchen and the extra energy is stored which enables the cafe to serve biryani and food piping hot even after the sun sets.

Who has designed it?

The report states that it was developed by Indian scientists Dr Sudhanshu Sekhar Sahu, Dr Manoj Nayak and Dr Santosh Swain, and the system currently operates on a 3-kilowatt solar setup. This innovation lowers fuel expenses, minimizes harmful emissions, and enables households to cook without relying on LPG cylinders.“I, along with two other innovators, Dr. Manoj Nayak, who is currently a professor at NIT New Delhi, and Santosh Swain, an electrician from Dhenkanal, together we three designed this cooking system.

The old coil heating system has already been banned because it consumes more power and lacks efficiency. So, we reintroduced it and redesigned it to run on DC, which means we get DC power by installing solar panels,” the scientist Sahu told OdishaTV.He also explained that his team is developing a heating technology powered directly by DC (direct current) electricity, eliminating the need for battery storage. They successfully created the system and applied for a patent in 2021, which was officially granted in 2024. During the same year, they also engineered a method to operate induction-based cooking appliances using DC power, offering an alternative to the conventional AC-powered induction systems widely used today.