Solar Oven.pdf

Build Your Own

Teach...build...learn... renewable energy!

Page 1 of 6

O ur sun is a constant source of energy.

surface. This is easy to do with mirrors or other

reﬂ ective surfaces, or with glass or plastic lenses.

Each day, the sun bathes the Earth in

unimaginable amounts of solar energy,

most of which comes in the form of

visible light. All over planet Earth,

sunlight is the by far the most important source of

energy for all living things. Without it, Earth would

be lifeless.

The solar oven you

will be building from

this plan uses

aluminum foil to

gather sunlight. The

foil-covered panels of

the oven reﬂ ect

sunlight into the

cooking chamber,

which is painted

black. Heat is produced when the concentrated

sunlight is absorbed by the black surface of the

cooking chamber. The heat is contained inside the

chamber with the help of insulation, and a clear

plastic oven bag. The result is a great solar cooker

and yummy food!

The completed solar oven.

Solar Oven Safety

The sun is the earth’s most important source of energy.

Source: Corel Clipart Collection

• Use extreme caution when cutting cardboard with

the utility knife. Extend the blade only as far as is

needed to cut through the cardboard, and lock it into

place. Do your cutting on a cutting board or piece of

scrap plywood, cardboard, or a kitchen cutting board.

• Use sunglasses when working with shiny

materials in sunlight.

• Solar ovens can get very hot! Use oven mitts or

gloves to prevent burns.

Sunlight can be a practical source of energy for such

everyday jobs as cooking, heating water, or warming

up homes. The challenge is to ﬁ nd ways to transform

sunlight into useable heat. The most efﬁ cient way to

use heat from sunlighttransform sunlight into heat

is to shine lots of sunlight onto a dark surface. Dark

surfaces absorb most of the visible light that falls

upon them, and reﬂ ect very little. Visible light that is

absorbed this way usually causes the dark-coloured

surface to warm up. Of all colours, black is able to

absorb the most light, and produce the most heat.

You are familiar with what happens to a dark-

colored surface when sunlight strikes it: it will get

warm. But without a little help, there is not usually

not enough heat produced to cook foods. To produce

enough heat for cooking, it is necessary to shine

additional sunlight from a wider area onto the black

Solar oven construction materials.

A Renewable Energy Project Kit

Another internet tool by:

The Pembina Institute

Solar Oven

Cooking with the Sun

Build Your Own

Teach...build...learn... renewable energy!

Page 2 of 6

Tools and Materials

• Corrugated cardboard (large ﬂ at sheets

• Shredded paper (for insulation)

from appliance boxes work best)

• Cardboard box (with ﬂ aps, approximately

• Duct tape

25 cm by 35 cm by 16 cm deep)

• Black tempera paint, powdered

• Plastic spoon

• White glue

• Utility knife

• Plastic container, approximately 500 ml

• Meter stick or metric tape measure

• Oven thermometer

• Felt tip marker

• Aluminum foil (45.7 cm by 7.6 m roll)

• Sunglasses

• 1 Large aluminum foil cake tin

• Paint brush, 3- to 5 cm wide

(15 cm by 30 cm by 8 cm deep)

• Oven mitts

• 1 large (turkey- sized) transparent oven bag

Measure and cut two each of these two panels from corrugated cardboard.

A Renewable Energy Project Kit

Another internet tool by:

The Pembina Institute

Solar Oven

Build Your Own

Teach...build...learn... renewable energy!

Page 3 of 6

Build It!

A. Prepare the Reﬂ ective Panels

Organize your workspace. You will need a large

tabletop to work on. It is very helpful to have a sink

nearby for cleaning up. Arrange your materials and

tools so you can get to them conveniently.

1. Using a meter stick and felt pen, draw the

outlines of the reﬂ ector segments on your cardboard.

Use the measurements on the blueprint template.

Spreading glue on the cardboard.

2. Using the utility knife, carefully cut out the

4 cardboard segments. Use a ruler or straight-edge

to help guide your cuts. CAUTION: Utility knives

can be dangerous. Extend the blade only as far as

necessary to cut through the cardboard. Use some

scrap cardboard or wood under the material you are

cutting to avoid damaging the tabletop.

6. Before the glue dries, place the foil on

the cardboard shiny side up, and smooth it

down over the entire surface. Try to press out

any wrinkles, bubbles, or creases in the foil. If

your foil gets badly wrinkled during the gluing

process, tear it off and try again with fresh glue.

3. Remove the top from the white glue bottle and

pour approximately 100 ml ( about 1/3 cup) into the

plastic container. Add 4 tablespoons of water to the

glue and stir thoroughly. This will make the glue

thinner and easier to spread evenly.

4. Carefully unroll enough aluminum to completely

cover one section. Keep the foil as smooth and ﬂ at as

possible. Wrinkles and creases in the foil will reduce

the efﬁ ciency of the reﬂ ector. If the cardboard is

wider than the foil, use two pieces of foil and plan to

join them near the middle.

Smooth out the foil carefully, removing any

wrinkles or bubbles as you go.

7. Using the utility knife, trim the foil so that it is

ﬂ ush with the edge of the cardboard all around. Set

the panel aside to dry.

5. Using the paint brushpaintbrush, apply a thin

layer of white glue over the entire surface of the

cardboard. Be sure to spread the glue right to the

edge of the cardboard. Use the ﬂ at edge of a piece

of scrap cardboard as a squeegee to spread the glue

out evenly.

8. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for the remaining

sections.

9. Rinse the paint brush thoroughly under the tap to

remove any glue. The glue-water mixture can be used

in Part D below, so put a lid on the container to keep

the glue from drying out.

A Renewable Energy Project Kit

Another internet tool by:

The Pembina Institute

Solar Oven

Build Your Own

Teach...build...learn... renewable energy!

Page 4 of 6

B. Join the Panels

1. Cut 8 pieces of duct tape 60 cm long and set

them aside (stick them to the edge of the table for

easy retrieval).

5. Carefully ﬂ ip the joined panels over on the table.

This may require two people. Reinforce the joint

between each panel using another strip of duct tape.

6. Stand your reﬂ ector up (foil side in), bringing

the edges of the outer two panels together. Have your

partner hold the reﬂ ector in position while you add

the last piece of duct tape.

2. Arrange the segments as shown in the photo

below, foil side down, wide sections alternating

with narrow ones. The narrow end of each

should point toward you.

3. Carefully position the ﬁ rst two panels, keeping

a 2 mm space between them. Position one of your

60- cm strips of duct tape over the joint between

the panels. Press it onto the joint, being sure it

sticks securely to both panels over its full length.

7. Finish the last joint inside the reﬂ ector by

applying the remaining piece of duct tape.

C. Add the Insulated Box

1. Using duct tape, fasten the cardboard box

securely to the bottom of the reﬂ ector by its ﬂ aps.

Be sure the box is centered. Add a few strips of duct

tape to the corners to make the assembly more rigid.

4. Join the third and fourth panels as in step 3

above.

A Renewable Energy Project Kit

Another internet tool by:

The Pembina Institute

Solar Oven

Build Your Own

Teach...build...learn... renewable energy!

Page 5 of 6

2. Shred some newspaper by tearing it

lengthwise into thin strips. You can also use

paper from a mechanical paper shredder. Stuff

shredded paper into the gaps between the box and

the reﬂ ector. Leave a little of the paper on the

bottom of the box, as shown in the illustration.

Test It!

E. Test and Prepare the Solar Oven for Use

The solar oven is now ready to be tested. If the glue

and paint are all dry and it is a sunny day, you can

warm up your oven in preparation for its ﬁ rst cooking

job.

1. Place the oven thermometer inside the painted

baking tin.

2. Slip the baking tin into the transparent plastic

oven bag by placing the tin inside the oven plastic

oven bag. Arrange the bag so that the plastic

forms a smooth, unwrinkled window over the baking

chamber.

Insulate the box below the reﬂ ector using shredded

newsprint.

D. Prepare the Baking Chamber

1. In the plastic container, use your plastic spoon

to mix 2 teaspoons of black tempera paint with one

teaspoon of white glue, and two teaspoons of water

(you can substitute glue and water from Part A above

if you had any left over).

2. Using the brush, apply the black paint evenly

over the inside of an aluminum foil loaf tin. Set this

aside to dry. It may be necessary to apply two coats

of the paint to ensure full coverage of the aluminum.

Place the baking tin inside the oven bag.

3. Press the baking chamber tightly into the bottom

of the reﬂ ector.

4. Outside, and with your sunglasses on, arrange

your cooker so that the cooking chamber is fully

illuminated by the sun. The diagram below shows

you how to orient the reﬂ ector to get the most heat

from the sun. You will need to prop the reﬂ ector up

on some books, bricks, or other objects to keep it at

the right angle.

Use two coats of black paint to coat the

inside of the baking chamber.

A Renewable Energy Project Kit

Another internet tool by:

The Pembina Institute

Solar Oven

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