Solar Cooking

[Desert Rat]

Building a solar oven......

There are many ways to build a solar oven, one of the easiest is using a pizza box.

Materials

All you need for your solar oven is a pizza box, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, black construction paper, and tape or glue. You will also need a knife to cut a hole in the box and a stick to prop open the door on your solar oven.

Cutting The Lid

The first thing you need to do when building your solar oven is to cut a hole into the lid of the pizza box. Cut around three edges so that the lid can flap open, leaving about one inch of space around each edge. Do not cut the lid out completely. If you make a mistake though, and you did completely remove the lid, you can always tape one edge back to the box with heavy duty tape like duct tape. Also, since you are working with a sharp knife, always remember to cut away from you instead of towards you.

Building The Reflector

Once you have made your cuts, fold the flap out so that it can stand up on its own. You may need to use the stick to secure it in its position. Use your tape or glue and your aluminum foil to completely cover the inside of the lid (the part that is enclosed by the box when the lid is closed) with aluminum foil. This aluminum foil will reflect the sun’s rays into the box.

Window

Now take your plastic wrap and create a window over the hole you cut in the box. Open the pizza box and flip it over so that you can look out through the hole. Lay your plastic wrap over the hold and tape it down so that it is nice and sturdy. Use the tape or glue generously so that no dirt or dust will be able to get into the box through this hole.

Heating

With the box still open, take your aluminum foil and line the inside of the box with it. You do not have to use tape, but make sure that the aluminum foil is securely placed for the best results. Now cover the aluminum foil with black construction paper, which will absorb the heat that is produced in your box. The combination of the heat reflective aluminum foil and the heat absorbent construction paper will create an oven atmosphere in your solar oven.

Cooking

To use your solar oven all you have to do is take it to a sunny spot and open the lid. You will need to adjust the lid’s opening so that the sunlight is reflected off the lid and into the plastic window. Once you have determined the proper angle, you can use a stick, or some other object to prop open the lid to the proper position.

[greencat]

Can a couple of cardboard boxes, black paint, tin foil, and an acrylic cover help solve major environmental and social problems? Forum for the Future certainly thinks it's possible.

The Kyoto Box, a surprisingly simple solar-powered cooker, won a $75,000 first prize in the sustainability group's climate competition.

Jon Bomer, the Kenya-based entrepreneur who invented the cooker, set out to transform the lives of villagers in developing world who use firewood to cook. What's more, the cooker costs about $6.60 to make, so it can actually benefit the people who need it most.

"We're saving lives and saving trees," he says in a press release. "I doubt if there is any other technology that can make so much impact for so little money."

Ironically, the Kyoto box uses the "greenhouse effect" to help the planet. An acrylic cover set atop two cardboard boxes (one inside of the other) traps the sun's energy. Black paint and silver foil help to concentrate the heat. A layer of newspaper or straw placed in between the two boxes provides insulation.

Here are just some of the ways this brilliant invention can make an impact:

Decreases carbon emissions created from burning firewood.
Slows down deforestation by curbing the need for firewood.
Removes indoor smoke pollution and the health problems associated with it.
Lowers the cost of energy since fuel from the sun is free.
Allows families to easily boil water so they can have access clean drinking water.
Eliminates the need for children to spend time looking for firewood so they can spend that time in school.
This just goes to show that sometimes less is more.

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpic...rst-prize.html

[Desert Rat]

Tulsi-Hybrid Solar Oven



* Thermostatically controlled with built in electric heaters....Ultimate in solar oven "Food Safety Protection"
* Rugged scratch resistant 95% reflective one piece reflector panel....Higher reflectivity than a standard glass mirror.
* Double paned oven window instead of the typical single pane....Condensation virtually eliminated.
* Double rubber oven seals instead of a single seal....Better long term heat retention.
* Attachable "Temp. Booster" reflector panels....Higher temperature cooking.
* Larger internal cooking chamber....Cook 4 different foods at one time.
* 24/7 electric back-up system is energy efficient using typically 75% less electrical energy than your standard in-house oven....Costs only pennies to operate.
* Portable for easy transporting....Fits in the trunk of your vehicle.

More...The Tulsi-Hybrid solar cooking oven

[rachard1583]

As populations in Africa and Asia climb it is likely that using firewood as a source of fuel will be hard to sustain. Alternatives need to be developed, produced and implemented into the daily lives of the billions currently using firewood as fuel.

[alaina]

Hi,
Solar Funnel Cooker


The box cooker: Basically an insulated box with a glass or plastic lid, often with a reflecting lid to reflect sunlight into the box. Light enters through the top glass (or plastic), to slowly heat up the box. Problems: energy enters only through the top, while heat is escaping through all the other sides, which have a tendency to draw heat away from the food. When the box is opened to put food in or take it out, some of the heat escapes and is lost.The Solar Funnel Cooker is safe and low cost, easy to make, yet very effective in capturing the sun's energy for cooking and pasteurizing water.
__________
Water Pipe

[halcolenergy]

aslong as it can cook sun dried tomatoes and eggs sunny side up i am happy!

[Dorian]

It's so interesting! I should try it one sunny day)

[Michaelbrave]

Modern solar photovoltaic (PV) systems available today are lightweight, efficient, strong and durable even in heavy hail conditions, and actually add to the more value to your home than the after tax, after rebate cost of a system.

Thanks

[tsmg143]

Solar cooking is the safest,simplest, most convenient way to cook food without use of fuels.A solar cooker consumes sunlight and transforms sunlght into heat. Depending on the cooker's shape, design and weather conditions, solar cooker temperatures range from 180–500°F/82–260°C or it may be higher. the simplest solar cookers can cook simple meals for one or two people.