When you speak about solar energy to someone, think straight away of solar panels. Not all solar energy is about solar panels, a solar oven or a parabolic solar oven has a much more practical use when it comes to saving electricity.
Parabolic Solar Cooker
While searching for ways to reduce the use of electricity, you might encounter solar power. Solar power, or solar energy, is the use of the sun’s rays to either create energy (electricity), charge a battery, heat water or other fluids, passively heat buildings through glass windows, or even cook foods. When solar power is used to cook food it’s often in the form of a solar oven, which can be used in place of electricity and other fuels in order to cook meals. There are many types of solar ovens, but one popular type is the parabolic solar oven, used over others for many reasons.
A parabolic solar oven directs the sun’s energy by using a reflective surface in a parabola, or curved shape. There are many different styles of parabolic solar ovens available, and there are plans available to create most of them. The parabolic type allows for breakfast to cook at much the same rate as a wood fired oven, making it more accessible than other outdoor cooking methods such as campfires. Additionally, since the parabolic solar oven doesn’t use wood or other fuel, it’s quicker to start cooking and requires little time to set up – whereas with a campfire, you’ve got to spend time finding firewood, as well as lighting the fire and waiting for it to get warm.
One quick way to start building your own parabolic solar oven is by using a commercially available satellite dish (of course, use one that someone has binned). Its parabolic shape is perfect for creating the oven, and all you need to do is coat the inside with a reflective material, like a mirror finish reflective aluminum sheet. Some other people prefer to start their parabolic solar oven with more of a bowl shape, as they believe this allows food inside to cook better and helps to shelter the food from the environment.
Once you have the parabolic solar oven, you need to take into consideration the cooking pan. The pot needs to be of a dark color. It also needs to sit in the correct position. The parabolic solar oven should be directed to the sun. The pan should then be placed on a small stand so that it sits at the focal point of the oven. If you imagine a magnifying glass, the pan should be located where the glass focuses its beam. Once in position, the oven should work for 60 to 90 minutes. If the dinner is not cooked by then or another pot needs heating, the oven should be readjusted to the orientation of the sun.
When using your parabolic solar oven, be sure to always wear UV (ultraviolet) protective sunglasses that are darkly tinted. The reflection off the aluminum that helps to cook the dinner at a quick rate also can burn your retinas quite easily. You’ll also want to make sure to store your parabolic solar oven upside down – this will prevent accidental flashes of light from blinding people as well as prevent the oven from heating up when it’s not needed. If you follow these simple steps, having your own parabolic solar cooker can be a great benefit to your environmentally conscious lifestyle.
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