Guides · Faisalabad, Lahore, Punjab
Cooking on Solar: Induction Stoves and Electric Chulhas
Short answer
You can cook on solar with an ordinary induction or infrared electric chulha (stove), as long as your inverter can supply about 1.5 to 2 kW for the burner on top of your other loads. Cooking in daylight uses solar power directly; cooking after sunset needs a battery sized for it, or the grid. Most products sold as a "solar chulha" are simply electric stoves, and they work on any home solar system.
Solar Works Pakistan does not sell stoves. We design the solar system, inverter and battery that run them. This guide explains what to look for and how to size for cooking.
Why people are asking
Piped gas has become less reliable for many households in Punjab. For example, SNGPL's winter schedule for December 2025 to February 2026 gave domestic consumers gas in three daily windows, morning, midday and evening, and asked them to cook within those hours. LPG cylinders cost more. Families with solar on the roof naturally ask whether they can cook with it.
Cooking on solar
Stove load
Best in solar hours
Inverter
Must carry the stove plus the house
Battery
Evening cooking drains storage fast
What a "solar chulha" usually is
The term is used loosely. In practice it means one of three things:
| What is sold as a "solar chulha" | How it works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Induction stove | A magnetic field heats the pot directly | Needs a flat-bottomed steel or iron pot that a magnet sticks to |
| Infrared or ceramic electric stove | A heating element glows under a glass top | Works with any pot, but heats the glass too |
| Sun-heated solar cooker (box or dish) | Mirrors or a box trap sunlight directly | No electricity; slow, outdoor, daylight only |
The first two are normal electric appliances. Some are sold with a "solar" label or with a DC input for a dedicated panel kit, but the cooking part is the same. This guide is about running them from a home solar system.
How much power does an electric chulha use?
Typical ratings for planning, not model specifications:
| Stove type | Typical rated power per burner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single induction plate | about 1,200 to 2,000 W | Power changes with the setting |
| Single infrared/ceramic plate | about 1,200 to 2,200 W | Cycles on and off to hold temperature |
| Double-burner induction or infrared | about 2,500 to 3,500 W if both run at full power | Many models share power between burners |
| Electric hot plate (coil) | about 1,000 to 2,000 W | Slower and less efficient |
Check the rating plate on the stove you buy.
Induction is efficient because it heats the pot, not the air. A consumer guide published on icl.coop, citing a study by the US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), puts the share of energy reaching the food at about 90% for induction, 74% for a standard electric range and 40% for gas. The real figure depends on the pot and how you cook.
Energy per meal
What matters for solar is power (kW) at the moment and energy (kWh) over the meal. If these terms are new, see kW vs kWh explained.
Example arithmetic only: an induction plate averaging 1.5 kW for 40 minutes uses 1.5 × 0.67 ≈ 1 kWh. A family cooking three meals like this uses roughly 2.5 to 3.5 kWh a day on the stove. Roti on a tawa, slow-cooked salan or boiling large pots of water use more; reheating and tea use less.
Cooking in daylight: the easy part
Between late morning and mid-afternoon a home system usually has power to spare. Cooking lunch, or preparing the evening meal early, on solar uses power your panels are already making, and under net billing a unit used at home is worth more than a unit exported. See sizing under net billing for why self-use matters.
Check that your inverter can carry the stove plus everything else at once. Example arithmetic only: two inverter ACs at about 1.2 kW each, fans and fridge at about 0.6 kW, and an induction plate at 2 kW add up to about 5 kW. That needs a 6 kW class inverter, with some margin, rather than a small one. Our inverter price guide shows the sizes.
Tips:
- Cook the main meal around midday where your routine allows, and reheat in the evening.
- Avoid running the stove, an iron and a water pump at the same moment.
- Use a pressure cooker on induction; it shortens cooking time and saves energy.
Cooking in the evening: plan the battery
Dinner usually falls after sunset, when the panels have stopped. You then have two choices:
- Cook on grid power in the evening and use solar during the day. Simple, but evening units cost your full tariff, and during load-shedding you have no stove.
- Cook on the battery. Add the stove's energy to your night-time load and check the battery can deliver its power.
Example arithmetic only: a 1 kWh evening meal adds about 1.2 kWh to the battery once you allow for depth of discharge and losses. On a home that already needs about 8 kWh at night, that pushes the design toward a 10 kWh battery or a little more. Our battery sizing guide shows the full method, and the lithium battery price page lists options.
Power matters too. A 2 kW burner plus fans, lights and a fridge is about 2.5 to 3 kW from the battery. The battery's maximum discharge rating and the inverter's continuous rating must both cover that.
In winter, solar output is lower and evening cooking adds to the battery's load just when it recharges least. If cooking on battery is your main goal, design for winter.
Wiring and safety
- Use a proper socket and circuit. A 2 kW stove draws close to 9 A at 230 V. Plug it into a sound socket on a circuit with the right breaker, not a light extension lead. See breakers and protection.
- Check which circuits the inverter backs up. In many homes only selected circuits run on battery. Make sure the kitchen socket you use is on the backed-up side.
Hot water is another big gas use
If you also want to move water heating off gas, see our comparison of solar geysers, heat pumps and electric geysers. For other appliances on solar, see the appliances guide.
Related guides
Get today's price or a free site survey
Tell us how and when your family cooks, along with your last 12 months of bills. We will size the inverter and battery so the stove runs with the rest of the house.
- WhatsApp or call: 0336 666 4321
- Email: info@solarworks.pk
- Head office: Main Boulevard, Sargodha Rd, Block F FDA City, Faisalabad
- Lahore branch: 2nd Floor, Jeff Heights, Gulberg, Lahore
- Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, daily
- Service area: all of Punjab. See our Faisalabad and Lahore pages, the solar system price guide, or contact us.
Site surveys are normally free. Solar Works Pakistan was founded in 2021 and has served 300+ customers, including 50+ industrial clients.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run an induction stove on solar?
Yes. An induction stove is an ordinary electric appliance and runs on any properly sized home solar system. In daylight it uses solar directly; after sunset it needs a battery or the grid.
How many watts does an electric chulha use?
Most single induction or infrared plates are rated roughly 1,200 to 2,200 W. Double burners can draw more if both run at full power. Check the rating plate on the model you buy.
What is the price of a solar chulha in Pakistan?
We do not sell stoves, so we do not quote stove prices. Most "solar chulhas" are induction or infrared electric stoves sold through appliance shops. What we price is the solar system, inverter and battery to run one.
Can I cook on my solar battery at night?
Yes, if the battery has enough spare capacity and can deliver the stove's power along with other loads. Add the cooking energy to your night-time load when sizing. A 1 kWh meal adds roughly 1.2 kWh to the battery requirement after allowances.
Is induction or infrared better on solar?
Induction is usually more efficient, so it uses fewer units for the same cooking, but it needs magnetic pots. Infrared works with any pot and heats the glass top, so it wastes a little more energy. Both run on solar.
Will cooking on solar trip my inverter?
It can, if the stove and other heavy loads together exceed the inverter's rating. A 6 kW class inverter usually handles a stove alongside ACs and fans. Avoid starting a pump or iron at the same moment as the stove on full power.
Sources
- Profit (Pakistan Today), "SNGPL issues winter gas schedule for Punjab, KP with three daily supply windows" (8 Dec 2025)
- Al Jazeera, "'Whole morning revolves around gas': Pakistan's fuel crisis enters kitchens" (12 May 2026): https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/5/12/whole-morning-revolves-around-gas-pakistans-fuel-crisis-enters-kitchens
- icl.coop, "A consumer guide to stovetops" (citing EPRI efficiency figures)