DESIGN INSTRUCTIONS
GOAL
To build a solar oven that heats a cup of water to boiling point
RULES & RESTRICTIONS
- Must be homemade. It cannot be a solar oven that has been store bought.
- All building materials must be biodegradable, reusable, or recyclable.
- With the exception of adhesive tape, duct tape, and masking tape, only reusable or recyclable plastics can be used (ie. No Styrofoam).
- Oven must be large enough to hold a vessel of water containing 200 mL of water.
- You must provide your own vessel to hold the water. Water is not allowed to be poured directly on the oven.
- Solar oven must work without any supervision (ie. It must be “hands free”). Students will not be allowed to hold, manipulate, or move the oven or parts of the oven when it is being tested.
- Solar oven cannot be powered by anything else except by the sun (ex. You cannot use solar power to light a fire and then have the fire heat the water).
- Solar oven cannot destroy the vessel, the oven, or its environment.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Website with a variety of different types of solar ovens. Click on individual solar oven designs for instructions on how it’s made.
Website with basic solar oven construction plan
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/jrje73EyKag
A video produced by The King of Random titled “Burning Stuff with 2000°F Solar Power!!” This video shows how a solar oven doesn’t just have to be made of mirrors. According to the description, “Melt a stack of pennies, burst a glass bottle, damage various food items, and incinerate wood using the power of the Sun! This 4 foot magnifying lens will melt concrete, and nearly anything else that gets in its way.”
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/XFw7U7V1Hok
A video produced by The King of Random titled “How to get 2000°F Solar Power”. This video shows how simple it is to get the materials to make a solar scorcher. According to the description, “Convert a junk TV into a 2000ºF solar cooker. Here's a technique for hacking a 4 foot mega magnifying lens out of your old TV, and some of the things you can do with it!”