Making a Solar Oven - How to Make a Solar Oven

The solar oven which is also called as the solar cooker, is an instrument, that works with the help of sunlight. The biggest benefit of solar oven is that it does not consume any kind of fuel nor does it consume electricity and therefore is a cost-effective appliance. Solar oven proves competitive with regards to the ability to cook almost everything that a conventional oven can. Solar oven or the solar cooker is found in many different types which include the parabolic cookers, the solar kettles, the box cookers and the hybrid cookers. Now, on knowing the importance and the benefits of the solar oven, you must be eager to know how to make a solar oven. So let us have a look at the procedure.

Making a Solar Oven - Material
In order to build a solar oven, you would need an aluminum foil, a pair of scissors, newspaper, a sheet of cardboard, cardboard boxes of big and small sizes, a non toxic glue and a transparent tape, pencil, stapler, 4 rods/sticks and a construction paper (black).

Procedure
With all the material ready at hand, you can now begin the process.

1. Pick out the large and the small cardboard box and fit the smaller ones in the bigger. The size of this cardboard boxes should be such that the smaller box fits inside the larger, with a room of about 2 inches on all sides.
2. Now, lay a newspaper in such a way that the empty space created by the smaller box gets covered completely.
3. The solar oven would have to absorb heat in order to work. Therefore a black colored construction paper needs to be placed in the interiors of the smaller box
4. Further, cut 4 sheets of cardboard, that would approximately be of the same dimensions of the sides of the smaller box. These cardboard sheets would serve as reflectors.
5. The next step is to stick an aluminum foil over the sheets of cardboard with the help of a non-toxic glue. Here, care should be taken that there are no wrinkles on the aluminum foil.
6. Now, place the reflectors at an angle of about 45 degrees with the help of 4 rods stuck on the edge of the larger box, to hold the reflectors in that angle. The reflectors would further rest on these rods.
7. Once you have attached the reflectors, it is time to place the solar oven in the sun. But ensure that it is placed in such a way that the reflectors face towards the sun in order to absorb the maximum amount of heat.

Solar Energy - The Alternate Power
By now you must have understood how to build a solar oven from the above instructions. There has been an increasing awareness about utilizing the solar energy for our daily activities, since solar energy is the biggest source of energy to whole mankind. Solar ovens prove to be very useful in countries where people face shortage of electricity and do not have enough monetary resources to afford expensive cooking appliances available to the rest of the world. Solar ovens can be used and even constructed by everyone. Therefore let us contribute to the cause of conservation of natural resources by using solar equipments and save the future generations from being deprived of these vital necessities.