Solar Ovens |
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| Solar Ovens |
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The conventional oven is a costly appliance to run. Worldwide use of the solar oven would drastically cut energy costs, in turn decreasing pollution and slowing deforestation brought on by the use of fire wood to provide fuel for cooking. Solar ovens are powered by heat from the sun. The very basic solar oven consists of a simple metal box, and often, a pair of mirrors used to direct the sunlight to the center point of the makeshift oven. Typically, black cookware is used inside a solar oven or the bottom of the box is spray painted in a dark color. Rays from the sun are converted into heat energy, with temperatures often reaching nearly 400 degrees F. Aside from limitations on how hot the oven can get and the need for sunlight, a solar oven is quite efficient in that it cooks food thoroughly and runs on a renewable energy source, thus is an economically and environmentally sound choice. They are free to operate, so they are widely used in parts of the world
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| where it is not common practice to purchase costly regular ovens. Unfortunately they do cook food at a much slower rate than a conventional oven, and perhaps that is why industrialized nations do not routinely use solar ovens; all the hustle bustle of our busy urbanized lives leaves little time for meal preparation. From a financial perspective the solar oven is a wiser choice than a regular oven in that it is also much cheaper to acquire. One can build a solar oven in a short period of time using every day, easily accessible materials. Additionally, a major advantage to solar cooking is that it does not require constant monitoring. Place the food in the cooker, face it toward the sun, and let it go – the sunlight does all the work. What’s more, solar ovens keep the heat out of your home. Companies are now designing many low cost, long lasting, weather resistant solar ovens that can be purchased in the United States and Canada. For those looking to further decrease their home energy consumption and monthly costs, putting the extra time into cooking with a solar oven would be well worth it in the long run. Perfect for a weekend camping trip; clean and easy to transport, no coals to deal with. Also existing are solar kettles, which work on the same concept of water being boiled by the use of energy from the sun. |
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