Just the thought of experimenting with aluminum foil sent me searching for solar cooker designs. A solar cooker is essentially a reflective dish used to focus sunlight to cook food. Commercially they come in many different shapes and sizes but with a bit of geometry I think we can optimize a DIY shape for the best light collection. My first instinct was to use a parabolic reflector. A circular paraboloid can collect a large field of light and redirect it in to a focal point. This allows for far higher temperatures at the focal point than at any other point in the field.
The only problem with this shape of cooker is that it must be positioned to directly face the sun for optimal temperature. Theoretically the solar panel amplification dish design below could be used to create a solar cooker that would collect light even as the sun moved over time.
(via fossil freedom)
There are is a great how to for a compound parabolic solar cooker on instructables. For a simpler rectangular design that can be made with a cardboard box.
Maybe my efforts exist outside the boundaries of known science (or I’m clumsy and dislike instructions), but I have never gotten a solar cooker to work super well, even in our 100+ heat. Any secrets?
Adrienne
I have never seen a successful solar oven either! I have a suspicion that part of the reason for this is that I’ve been measuring “successful” in terms of whether or not children find it impressive, and solar cookers can be very very very slow. A cursory glance at Wikipedia indicates that some solar cookers take 2 hours, or longer, to make cookies. Perhaps if we measured success in terms of whether it can cook food for impoverished families at very low costs they would seem more impressive. Just a theory.
I’ve read that in developing countries, parabolic solar cookers are popular and even used for commercial purposes! So, allegedly, someone, somewhere is having success. Me? Not so much. After leaving my solar cooker in 100 degree heat for eight hours, I ended up with beer bread goo.
http://e英語.com/ Thanks for that awesome posting. It saved MUCH time