How to build a Solar Oven Using the sunshades from your car you can build a solar oven that works, and is completely portable. It does work well even in winter, and can cook your meals if you are stranded off road or in an emergency. There are versions that take one or two sun shades to work but they can reach 200 degrees F. That is more than enough to melt snow or kill bacteria in water to make it safe to drink. Very few bacteria can withstand that temperature. In the summer and at lower latitudes it can go up to 300 degrees. The solar oven has the ability to act as a slow cooker like a crock pot. It will generate the same heat approximately as a two or three setting on an electric burner. It is sturdy enough to set outside and make your meal while you are out collecting wood, or to sanitize water for you to drink. There are several models that are easy to make and worth the effort. The sunshade models could be made with two sunshades some duct tape and an oven bag. The one model shown uses styro foam as a support on the sun shade but this is not necessary card board will work as well. Build these and keep a set in your trunk, they take little space and as a solar cooker or solar oven will serve you as long as the sun shines. They do work best in southern latitudes but will work as high up as Idaho in November. The efficiency goes up the closer they are pointed to the sun so by moving them slightly every 15 to 45 minutes the cooking time will go down and the heat in the solar cooker will go up. In the summer it may be only necessary to move them every hour or two. The will cook best between the hours of 10 am and 2pm on average. The box type solar cooker on the bottom of the page will tend to get hotter and is insulated so does not loose heat as readily as the simple window shade solar oven does. But it is larger and not something you are likely to carry around with you in an emergency, but makes a nice back yard solar oven for making your favorite pot roast. They can also make very tasty beef jerky to put in your survival kit and take no energy to operate.
Making the funnel type solar oven Cooker with stabilizing stick I have found this totally simple solar oven extremely practical, as it is so
lightweight and easy to carry along anywhere. But in addition, it has reached a
higher temperature in a shorter time than all the other models I have
experimented with so far (I haven’t used a parabolic) - a little above 350
degrees F. I have cooked black beans in about the same amount of time as on a
gas stove; I’ve used it to bake breads, granola, brownies, lasagna, all sorts
of vegetables, and to purify water. The sunshade may not be available
everywhere, but I suspect it can be found in most urban areas, since I found it
here.
The Velcro was also available in fabric stores. Cost of the sunshade was about
$3.00 USD; the Velcro about $.25.
This variation using foam panels for support was designed by Andrew Kotowski. Our object was to build a simple cooker, dismount, light, cheap and easy to carry. It is good for a demonstration and to cook simple meals. Materials used: Sunshades car and plate of polystyrene (1.5 cm thick or about 3/8 of an inch). Kettle Cooker variation
Sharon Cousins built this powerful cooker from an old kettle grill. The addition of windshield shade reflector at the back makes it a very strong cooker. On its maiden flight, temperatures in the cast iron fry pan under the glass lid reached 225° F by 8:30am, 250° F by 8:45am, and by mid-afternoon it was running just shy of 325° F. The tilt angle of the reflector can be adjusted to keep the hot spot over the pan. This is a very good cooker for demos, as it can turn out a hot quesadilla or pan of nachos (slip black plates or shallow pans of nachos into the pre-heated cast-iron fry-pan—use an upside down Pyrex pie pan or bowl for a lid if your glass lid is too shallow for a pile of nachos) in under ten minutes. A disposable aluminum pie pan is used to close the hole in the bottom of the kettle and the rest of the kettle is lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. The fry pan rests on the grill that formerly held the charcoal and is covered with a glass lid from a thrift shop. The top of this kettle is covered with a 24"x30" oven bag, available from restaurant supply stores that carry specialty bags. It is laid flat, so it is actually a double cover, and held on with binder clips. As shown, the cast iron pan with glass lid gets very hot, but the ambient air temperature in the kettle is not tremendously hot, so any clear plastic might be worth a try if you do not have access to an extra-large oven bag, or you could cut open two turkey-size bags to get large flat pieces and cross them over the opening, which might work depending on the size of your kettle. Sturdy spring clamps are used to secure the windshield shade and adjust the angle. If you still have the metal cover to your kettle grill and you are in the time of year when you use your kettle cooker almost daily, you can cover your cooker (at least if you used small binder clips, which do not interfere) and leave it out without having to end up with dew residue and excess dust clouding your cooker top. In the morning just take off the cover, clip on the booster, and let your pan start heating. To perform well, the cast-iron must be pre-heated, so if you're going to use it, the sooner you start it heating the better. Part of what makes this arrangement so hot is the thermal mass of the cast iron. One attempt to bake bread in it indicates that lighter pans would need to be oven-bagged or otherwise green housed in addition to the clear cover on top of the kettle. Sharon believes that this cooker will cook in alternative pans, but only with an additional greenhouse around the pan. This is a case where cast iron gives vastly superior performance, but only if it is well pre-heated. Armando Herculano variations
Other designs using windshield shades by Armando Herculano in Portugal Wheelbarrow variation
The "Minimum" Solar Box Cooker is a solar oven that you can built quickly from two cardboard boxes. The "Minimum" Solar Box Cooker is a simple box cooker that can be built in a few hours for very little money. When we designed this cooker, we named it the "Minimum Solar Box Cooker" because, at the time, it represented the simplest design we could devise. What we didn't communicate with that name was that this is a full-power cooker that works very well, and is in no way minimum as far as its cooking power goes. What You Will Need
Building the Base
Fold the top flaps closed on the outer box and set the inner box on top and trace a line around it onto the top of the outer box, Remove the inner box and cut along this line to form a hole in the top of the outer box (Figure 1). Decide how deep you want your oven to be. It should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deeper than your largest pot and about 1" shorter than the outer box so that there will be a space between the bottoms of the boxes once the cooker is assembled. Using a knife, slit the corners of the inner box down to that height. Fold each side down forming extended flaps (Figure 2). Folding is smoother if you first draw a firm line from the end of one cut to the other where the folds are to go.
Glue aluminum foil to the inside of both boxes and also to the inside of the remaining top flaps of the outer box. Don't bother being neat on the outer box, since it will never be seen, nor will it experience any wear. The inner box will be visible even after assembly, so if it matters to you, you might want to take more time here. Glue the top flaps closed on the outer box.
Place some wads of crumpled newspaper into the outer box so that when you set the inner box down inside the hole in the outer box, the flaps on the inner box just touch the top of the outer box (Figure 3). Glue these flaps onto the top of the outer box. Trim the excess flap length to be even with the perimeter of the outer box. Finally, to make the drip pan, cut a piece of cardboard, the same size as the bottom of the interior of the oven and apply foil to one side. Paint this foiled side black and allow it to dry. Put this in the oven so that it rests on the bottom of the inner box (black side up), and place your pots on it when cooking. The base is now finished. Building the Removable Lid
Take the large sheet of cardboard and lay it on top of the base. Trace its outline and then cut and fold down the edges to form a lip of about 3" (7.5cm). Fold the corner flaps around and glue to the side lid flaps. (Figure 4). Orient the corrugations so that they go from left to right as you face the oven so that later the prop may be inserted into the corrugations (Figure 6). One trick you can use to make the lid fit well is to lay the pencil or pen against the side of the box when marking (Figure 5). Don't glue this lid to the box; you'll need to remove it to move pots in and out of the oven.
To make the reflector flap, draw a line on the lid, forming a rectangle the same size as the oven opening. Cut around three sides and fold the resulting flap up forming the reflector (Figure 6). Foil this flap on the inside. To make a prop bend a 12" (30cm) piece of hanger wire as indicated in Figure 6. This can then be inserted into the corrugations as shown.
Next, turn the lid upside-down and glue the oven bag (or other glazing material) in place. We have had great success using the turkey size oven bag (19" x 23 1/2", 47.5cm x 58.5cm) applied as is, i.e., without opening it up. This makes a double layer of plastic. The two layers tend to separate from each other to form an airspace as the oven cooks. When using this method, it is important to also glue the bag closed on its open end. This stops water vapor from entering the bag and condensing. Alternately you can cut any size oven bag open to form a flat sheet large enough to cover the oven opening. Improving EfficiencyThe oven you have built should cook fine during most of the solar season. If you would like to improve the efficiency to be able to cook on more marginal days, you can modify your oven in any or all of the following ways:
Overview of box-type designsBox-type cookers are another group of old but popular type of solar cookers. The very first design of box-type cooker was probably that of Nicholas-de-Saussure (1740-1799). It was simply an insulated box with glazing; this design forms the basis of all the present designs of box-type cookers including Richard Wareham’s (1995) Sun stove. The box cookers presented here are classified on the basis of presence or absence of reflectors, i.e., those without or with mirrors boosters. The cookers of the second category are further divided into five groups.
Box cookers without reflectorsHorase-de-Saussure’s design perhaps was the first to appear on the scene in the 18the century (Walton 1977). It was simply an insulated box with two glass panes forming the cover.
Vaughen (1979) has recommended such a box with a slight difference. It is a typical box type meant for villagers. A rectangular pit is dug in the ground, suitably insulated with hay or rice husk, and a flat box not taller than 10 cm made of a metal sheet is fixed into this pit, and then covered with two glass panes with about 1.5 to 2.5 cm (/8 inch to 3/4 inch) space in between. Such a cooker would work well, at least during summer, in most parts of the country, but to increase the efficiency it would be essential to add a flat reflector. The author’s endeavors with solar cooking started with a similar design but the box constructed with mud, was above the ground. Round Aluminium boxes painted with black board paint acted as cooking vessels. Results were good, though at times the rice cooked was rather bland. Larger versions of such box-type cookers are being tried out. (Nahar et al. 1996; Singh 1993). The Chinese type and Brace Research Institute Designs, called food warmer (VITA 1961) appear to be similar designs. The food warmer, with better insulation and triple glazing, is still popular (Wareham 1995). It is called as Sunstove. ( see the composite photo) Kumar, Kishore (1994) have made the box circular. Many other minor variations are reported, including changes for the cooking vessels, like fixing knobs for the lid and ‘ears’ for the base, making the lid of the vessel concave (Arora, Sharma 1993). Some more design modifications will be discussed later in the text. The nineteenth century cooker of Herschel was probably built on similar lines (Meinel, Meinel 1977). The box was buried in sand and covered with two glass panes, stagnation temperature of 116°C was reported. It is on record that certain nomadic groups of Saudi Arabia bury the food under the sand for cooking. The author feels that they could get their food cooked more reliably if they cover the area with a double glass dome (with the space in between preferably vacuumed) with a knob for easier handling (Concept VI). Shanmugan et al. (1982) suggest the incorporation of a flat square steel sheet just below the second glazing on the inner side, this sheet with special absorptive coating acts as a heat collector and transmits heat to the vessels kept just below it in the insulated box. The advantage of this design is that the cooking vessels may not require any coating. This is a plus point, for, in an ordinary box-type cooker the vessels are painted black, and the coating wears off on washing. Besides the vessels always look better without black paint on it. This is a very promising variation. Further, it may help to reduce the cost. Addition of one or two reflectors would indeed make this cooker very effective.
This vacuum enclosure, Concept VI, was proposed in the year 1982 or so by me. But I do not think Mr. J.Samalea of Spain was ever aware of it. But the concept of Vacuum as a good thermal insulation is indeed very old, in fact older than Thermos flasks. But only problem was that the technique was never properly applied in Solar Cooker Technology. Now it is J. Samalea, who has introduced this concept in Solar Cooking in 2002. His Vacuum Cooker has been announced through Solar Cooker Review of Solarcooking.org. The diagram of the unit is actually taken from Solar Cooker International of Nov. 2003. To know more please visit Salalea’s site http://cocinasolar.net. (This comment was introduced on 24th June 2003). The diagram is clear enough, the inner glass bowls are painted black. While outer ones are clear, and in-between them vacuum is created.
Before one goes further, it is better to get more details regarding construction of box type cooker. In most cases, the box is a double-walled container. Depth of the inner box should not be more than 10-15 cm. This depth is a critical parameter, whereas the width an d breadth could be of any dimension. The out box is generally 10 cm larger than the inner box. The 10 cm space between these two boxes is filled with insulation, (the width of the gap varies with the type of insulation used). Width would be around 6-9 cm if rock wool is used; it could be a little thinner if fiber glass sheets are used. On the contrary, if low-grade insulation like straw or rice husk is used then the space would be more, about 10-15 cm. Composite insulation has also been suggested by many. In many cases the outer box will be of wood and the inner box of sheet metal. In the design recommended by the Government of India, both the boxes are of 16 gz MS sheet. The shape is invariably rectangular or square, but the author has styled the box with slightly tapered base. Bowman suggested the use of foam glass (for box), a robust material which also acts as insulation for making the box, and recently, Warenham (1995) used styrofoam for making a lightweight box. Is cardboard box better or Metal box? Happy finding is that both perform well and are capable of cooking food. But according to Nandwani et al (1993) Box cooker made from metal sheets attains higher temperatures and performs better. In terms of percentage Cardboard oven’s performance is 15-25% less. But lower cost makes it more popular. Handy Solar Box Cooker based on a recycled gas grill
Box cookers with reflectorsReflectors were added to increase the efficiency, and hence, the reliability of the simple box-type cooker. There could be one to four or eight such reflectors. Further classification of these designs is based on the number of reflectors. Box with single reflectorThe Gosh cooker, has become very popular all over the world. This design was a typical box-type cooker with a double glazed cover (second cover) and a single reflector which doubles as another protective cover (first cover). The reflector could be held at a proper angle by a bent iron rod with a slot in it, (popular in the market as a device to hold the steel window panes). Many found this rather cumbersome and even difficult. Pandya (1983) suggested a 2 cm iron flat with a couple of notches at the base. But the author feels that a longer iron flat of 2cm, with a couple of holes in it would be better. Such a bar can be fixed at a higher level on the reflector door for greater stability. Further, in many designs the peg to hold this bar is fixed on to the main box. But the author suggests that this peg should be on the second door/cover which has glazing, an arrangement which would render easier operation and handling of the cooking vessels.
The Gosh design has seen many other variations and modifications, Hoda (1979), Garg (1978), Kundapur (1980), Pandya (1983), and scientists of Bardoli (Parikh, Parikh 1976) have suggested several improvements. Garg has fixed the glass door at 45° like that of Abou-Hussein design. Another important variation was the provision of two or three holes in the glazing for easier handling of the cooking vessel (Grupp et al, 1991). Concept VII proposed by the author is yet another variation mostly in design. The inner and outer boxes, made of 18 gx GI sheets are stylized, with 5 cm mineral wool insulation and double glazed second door and a reflector first door made of exterior quality 4 mm plywood. The reflector door was further strengthened with strips of wood on all sides and reinforced with aluminium beading. This design weighed only 14 kg as compared to the 25 kg standard design of the Government of India. Except for the aluminized polyester reflector attached to the door, the cooker lasted for several years. So, with a glass mirror reflector the cooker can be as good as any other box-type cooker.
Here is another single-reflector box cooker design, details of which are not known. The front panel of the cooker is glazed and the whole cooker is tilted back so that sun enters through the front and the top panels.
Box with double reflectorThe above concept was conceived during 1980's but I do not wish to make any claims on the same. The Wall oven is of this type, but the only difference is that it does not have an external reflector where as my design has two external reflectors. It is suggested that solar Cooker enthusiast and designed Barbara Kerr designed this type of Cooker. Later, probably it was Professor Paul Funk who .
Box with three reflectorsTo improve the performance further three reflector designs were proposed. In Concept X proposed by the author does just that. Two configurations were tried, they did not, however, reduce the cooking time by one thirds, besides, adjustment was also cumbersome. Of the two proposals, the one shown as in configuration 2 was better. The reflectors could be adjusted and tilted individually after setting. The box has to be turned to face the sun. the space between the mirrors could be fitted with triangular mirrors to increase the efficiency further. It is further proposed that these additional mirrors would come as add-on’s (to reduce cooking time) rather than as part of the cooker.
The photo above is of a cooker designed and built by Mark Aalfs in Seattle, Better and ideal configuration could be to have a two triangular reflector adjacent to the main reflector as shown in the diagram. As Professor Bowman had observed a triangular reflector casts a better reflection on the cooker.
Other possible configurations for three and four reflectors are as follows
A Box type cooker with three reflectors is available in the US market.
The composite image which follows summarizes the designs presented above
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