We’ve been thinking about solar oven for some time now, and yesterday decided to have a go at making our own.
The builders have left us a few off-cuts of the insulation stuff, and I had an old ‘super’ from a beehive.
To start, I screwed some t&g to the bottom of the super, to make it into a complete box, with a bottom. Then some of the blue polystyrene stuff needed cutting to size and fitting in.
After a quick look at plans on the internet, we had to have a long look at what junk was lying around, that could be used to make the reflective flap.
A old metal panel from a dead computer did the job, pop-rivetted onto hinges which were screwed onto the back of the box. Covered with tin foil, and protected with copious amounts of sellotape, does the job of reflecting the suns rays into the box.
And it works! Just made a cup of tea and some leek and potato soup.
The shiny back flap could be improved, as we come across materials that would work better. Some designs use a mirror, although I wonder if this might be too hot in the summer and dangerous to eyes.
And our original perspex top was tinted, so that didn’t work. Luckily we had another broken sheep that will do for now, but when we find a proper replacement we will use that.
Quite amazing really. Its april and we can cook using the sun’s rays – in July and Aug this contraption will probably boil water quicker than a gas cooker. And we have recently ordered a parabolic solar cooker, after finding a cheap supplier in spain, although if we had an old satellite dish and some aluminium sticky tape (such as we used to seal the insulation in the roof) we could build our own one of them too.
Solar Cookers / Fornos Solares (Portuguese website):
Tá-Sol, Fornos Solares e outras curiosidades
COOKING WITH SUNSHINE
Author – L. Anderson
Complete guide to solar cuisine with 150 easy recipes to start you off and give you the basic principles
i’d just like to point out that, contrary to what andy types, no sheep were harmed in the making of our solar oven !!!
Nice post, some great pictures showing how easy solar cookers are to build.
May I suggest that you bling your cooker up. Why not replicate the reflective panel, and attach 3 or 4 panels, thus maximizing the amount of solar heat absorbed in the cooking compartment.
Also, why not use chrome reflective vinyl and plastic sheeting instead of foil. this will significantly increase the efficiency of your cooker.
You mentioned you purchased a parabolic solar cooker. I offer parabolic solar cooker kits for only £16.99 on my site, as well as reflective vinyl for the building and construction of any type of solar cooker.
Regards
Sol
http://www.solreka.com
hi sol
thanks for your comment!
maybe you’d like to have an advert at http://www.ecolivingportugal.org and help support sustainable living projects, courses and events!
x sophie
In summertime I have seen a thermometer once in the sun go up above 60ºC, so you could well cook
I have written a comment on the previous photos.
We also started now to grow an urban garden with plenty of stuff.
Congratulations for the beautiful garden, we look forward to visit you one day when we return to central Portugal.
Abraços,
[...] Cooking with the sun just makes sense, and ovens can be really simple to construct: http://www.portugalsmallholding.org/2009/04/diy-solar-oven/ [...]
Try using a black cooking pot.. It will make all the difference.
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