René Núñez Suárez
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René Núñez Suárez | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945-46 San Salvador |
| Education | University of El Salvador University of Salford |
| Occupation | Engineer |
René Núñez Suárez (born 1945–46)[1] is a Salvadoran engineer who created the "turbococina" (turbo-cooker), a type of kitchen with low energy consumption that aims to reduce fuelwood consumption by around 95%.
In the mid-1990s,[2] Francisco Serrano persuaded Núñez to write a chapter about El Salvador's energy resources in the Baccalaureate book Historia natural y ecología de El Salvador (Natural History and Ecology of El Salvador). When he finished writing the chapter, Núñez realized that "firewood was the most important energy resource in the country".[3] After doing several investigations, Núñez concluded no one had treated the problem of firewood consumption, and incorporated his findings to create an appliance that was simple, economic, and minimized the consumption of firewood. He completed it in 1997[1] and called it the turbococina.[3][4]
The turbococina consists of a stainless steel cylinder that has ten air injectors, two electric fans, and a steel plate that regulates the inlet and outlet of air.[4] It has a pressurized combustion system where the heat produced is administered to a single point to minimize the use of firewood in the country by 95%.[1][3] Its development cost around one million dollars.[5]