Have you ever been in a warmer climate and people advised you not to wear black since it tends to absorb the sun’s rays more?
The same principle is true when it comes to absorbing the sun’s rays as far as cooking.
Solar energy can be used to provide power for your cooking source – a solar oven. Basically, the solar oven works by taking energy from the sun and converting it to heat. The heat is then used in cooking your meals.
Solar ovens are also called solar cookers. The oven cooks and works with the aid of the sun. Green benefits as far as using a solar oven are that you need not use any electricity in order to affect its use and secondly no fuel is consumed with respect to its operation.
How do they work?
A cooking container used in conjunction with the oven is set inside of it. It is the container that absorbs the heat. Also, the container is dark in color as opposed to light – the reason being that dark colors do a better job of absorbing heat from the sun.
Also of note, you can cook anything inside a properly designed solar cooker that you can cook in the traditional oven. Solar ovens come in many different forms including the parabolic style, box ovens, and solar kettles if you don’t count the hybrid ovens in addition.
Below are some instructions for constructing your own green solar cooker.
First, before you even begin to make a solar oven you will need to gather the materials necessary in order to construct it. this is not the least bit difficult.
You will require aluminum foil; scissors, one sheet of cardboard; newspaper, various sizes of cardboard boxes large and small; non-toxic glue; transparent tape, a pencil, a stapler, four sticks, and black construction paper.
Step one requires you to select one small-size box and one large box. Fit the smaller box inside the large box. In order to give you an idea as to dimension; once the small box is inside the larger-sized box there should be about two inches of room left around the smaller box.
Next, use the newspaper to fill the two-inch gap that is between the small box and the large box. Also, place black colored construction paper inside the interior of the small-sized cardboard box.
You will next cut out four (4) sheets of cardboard which are the same size as the side portions of the small box. Cover the sheets of cardboard with aluminum foil and glue in place with again a non-toxic brand of glue. Also, make certain the foil is smooth – not crinkled.
Place the cardboard covered with the aluminum foil sheets – now considered your reflector – at forty-five-degree angles. In order to accomplish this, use the rods or sticks to attach them to the edges of the large box.
Lastly, you take your homemade manufactured cooker to a sunny location. Ensure the cooker is set in the sun so that the reflectors are facing the sun’s rays.