The first time I heard of a solar oven was an article my mom gave to me about women in Africa whose lives were being saved by solar ovens. Sudanese women living in refugee camps in Chad would have to venture out of the camp every day to scrounge up wood so they could build fires for cooking. Leaving the camp put them in danger. Women were often raped and even killed as they searched for wood.
An organization came to the rescue by introducing these women to solar ovens made with cardboard boxes and aluminum foil. 75% of the women in one particular camp stopped their daily search for wood and used the solar ovens. This also gave them more time to care for their families, and even time to learn how to read! In some places in Africa, the women have begun to construct these simple solar ovens in order to sell them to their neighbors, thus producing income for their impoverished families.
Being that I live in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, I figured this would be a fabulous introduction for my family to the use of solar energy. I could probably produce all the solar energy I needed for my entire home if my roof was covered with solar panels. I'm quite disappointed at the cost to do so, however. But a solar oven built from a cardboard box... there's no reason I could't give that a try!
I turned this into a homeschool project with my children. They really enjoyed following all the steps for building it. There is a huge variety of solar ovens, starting with something as simple as a pizza box.
Watch this short video to learn how to make an incredibly simple pizza box solar oven:
If you want something a little more substantial so that you can cook something larger in size, you can build a small cardboard box oven, like the one our family made. CLICK HERE for the directions.
Want something a little more permanent and long lasting? CLICK HERE for instructions to make one out of wood instead of cardboard.
If you prefer to purchase a manufactured solar oven and have the money to do so, the Urban Homestead Supply offers three varieties.
Have you ever wondered how you would cook food if you had no electricity for an extended period of time? It might be a good idea to learn how right now when there is no pressure to figure it out. This could simplify your life if an emergency arose that eliminated your access to electrical power. Give it a try. Start with the simple pizza box. It's a miniscule investment of time and money. You just might enjoy it.
2 comments:
Have you heard about solar panel rentals? Some companies are doing that now, where you pay a price to rent the solar panel but it usually more than pays for it's self with the electric bill being cheaper or gone. Sometimes, too, if you make more electricity than you need, you can sell it back to the electric company.
I have not heard of solar panel rentals. I will have to check into that. Thanks for the tip!
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