How to Make a Large Solar Oven Using Glass
A solar oven runs on the sun's power. It is not an electric oven that is powered by a solar electric panel. Instead, it traps and concentrates the light of the sun into a small space. This raises the temperature in that space high enough to cook food. Solar ovens need no electricity or fuel of any sort. They are easy to build, and can be made out of common inexpensive parts.
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Things You'll Need
- Large box without lid
- Sheet of cardboard at least 2 inches wider both ways than the box
- Roll of aluminum foil
- Can of non-toxic black paint
- Glue
- Sheet of glass slightly larger in both measurements than the box
- Large black pot
- Duct tape
- Approximately 6” of stiff wire
Instructions
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Line the inside of the box with aluminum foil. Glue the aluminum foil into place and allow it to dry. The aluminum foil will reflect light that strikes the walls of the box back into its interior, warming it up. Paint the outside of the box black. Black is an excellent absorber of heat, and the black paint will help the solar oven heat up faster.
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Carefully unroll aluminum foil and cut off strips that are the same size as the sheet of cardboard. It is important not to wrinkle or crease these sheets of foil. Carefully glue the foil to one side of the sheet of cardboard, completely covering it. Put the foil in place gently, and press it onto the cardboard evenly. Again, it is important not to wrinkle this foil. The sheet of foil-sided cardboard will function as a mirror, and that mirror will function better if it is flat.
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Tape the mirror to one side of the box using the duct tape. Bend the wire into a 90 degree angle approximately one inch from the end. Tape the short bent end of the wire to the side of the mirror about 3 inches from the hinge. This is the prop that holds the mirror in place.
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To use the solar oven, place the pot inside the box. Cover the top of the box with the sheet of glass. Glass lets visible light pass through, but traps heat. The light from the sun is allowed into the box where it is absorbed by the black pot. The pot radiates heat as it absorbs light. The glass traps this heat in the box, raising the temperature. The glass makes the box function as a small greenhouse. Bend the straight end of the prop so that when it is rested on the glass, the mirror reflects additional sunlight into the oven.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit sun image by riminarb from Fotolia.com
