Did you know that you can cook food by using only sunlight? By achieving a particular temperature, we can utilize the sun as an oven.
History
Back in the 1700s, a naturalist named Horace de Saussure designed a device to harness the power of sunlight. In those days, there were scientists trying to convert sunlight into heat by using mirrors and focused it on a single point. But Saussure was more focused on the heat-trapping capacity of glass and has created the first solar cooker.
He put 5 glass boxes, one inside another and rested them on a black slab of wood. After hours of sunlight exposure, the temperature inside the box reached 190 ºF.
Solar Cooker Principles
- Sunlight is concentrated by means of polished glass, metal, or a metalized material.
- Light is converted into heat, with a black or low-reflectivity surface. Darker colors tend to absorb heat from the light as bright colors reflect light away.
- Trapping the temperature. Adding a tightly sealed cover helps by isolating air inside the cooker
Ready to create your own solar oven? Here are the steps.
What you’ll need:
- 2 cardboard boxes, with one smaller than the other
- Shredded newspaper
- Black construction paper
- Foil or other reflective material
- Plexiglas, for cover (optional)
Instructions:
- Cut the flaps from the smaller box. Line the interior of the smaller box with black construction paper.
- For the bigger box, glue the reflective material on its flaps. Put the flaps at a 45 degree angle where they can thoroughly absorb the sun’s rays. You can use rods beneath, or connect the reflectors together by tying adjacent corners with a thread. Place the smaller cardboard box inside the bigger box. There should be a clearance between the sides.
- Put the shredded newspaper to fill in the gap. The paper will act as an insulator.
- Wrap the food with foil or place it inside a baking pan (preferably dark colored) or cooking pot.
- Prop it inside the smaller box (the one lined with black construction paper) and position your own made solar oven under the full sun.
How Heat Is Formed: The sun has a lot of electromagnetic rays which possess great amounts of energy. Sunlight is converted into heat when photons (light particles) move within the light waves to interact with the molecules moving in an object. As the light strikes a matter, the energy from the sun causes the molecules on the object to vibrate. This activity forms the heat.
Advantages:
- Sunlight is free and more cost effective than regular fuels
- Solar cookers are safe and convenient. There is no fire to cause burns.
- Solar cookers can be created from different materials and are environmentally-friendly.
Image Source: Inspiration Green, Bajstor
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