Creating solar cookers at a DIY workshop

Cooking outdoors with a solar oven is one way to save energy, and also keep the indoor of your home cooler during warm months.  Solar cookers use the energy of the sun to fully heat meals to safe temperatures.  You don’t need solar panels, wiring or expensive supplies.

There are various DIY solar cooker instructions on the Internet from which to choose.  Depending on your skill level and resources, you should be able to create a simple solar oven for your next camping trip, scout outing, or simply to use in your own backyard!

Bread baking in a solar oven

While there are solar cooker kits available for purchase on line, you can also create your own completely out of ordinary materials.  Consider these options:

1. A mirror-line (or foil-lined) wooden box cooker, as described on Adventures in Life.
2. Re-purposing an old refrigerator into a solar cooker, via instructions at Penniless Parenting.
3. College students eat a lot of pizza – so why not re-use those pizza boxes as a solar cooker? See instructions from Simon Fraser University.

Step-by-step instructions for DIY solar cookers are illustrated on several videos, too.

The pizza box solar oven:

Or this one made from a cardboard box:

This solar cooker is more sturdy, created from wood:

Using a solar cooker will help you minimize electricity or natural gas use, and is 100% renewable and natural.  Get out of the hot kitchen, and cook your meals outdoors in a solar oven!

Solar cookers from Africa are both a necessity and a way of life

What may appear to be an interesting gadget for some, is a necessity in other developing areas.  For many families in Africa with a solar cooker, they would be unable to prepare healthy meals, due to the lack of electricity and the dangers of cooking over an open fire.  Solar ovens also help people boil water to reduce the incidence of disease as a result of dirty drinking water.

Even better, the technology for solar ovens has been around for thousands of years.  You don’t need to be connected to the grid to have hot, healthy meals.  As a result, is it no wonder that Africa solar kitchens are springing up all over the continent?

There are many models of solar cookers on the market, plus they are easy to make yourself.  You can even donate to organizations like aidforafrica.org, which has this to say on its official website:

Solar Cookers International (SCI) spreads solar cooking and safe water awareness and skills worldwide, particularly in developing countries with plentiful sunshine, diminishing sources of cooking fuel and limited sources of safe drinking water. Since its founding in 1987, SCI’s humanitarian and development assistance projects have enabled thousands of families in Kenya, Ethiopia, Chad and Zimbabwe to cook food and pasteurize water with the sun’s energy. Regular use of simple solar cookers improves the health, economic and social status of individuals in the communities and refugee camps where SCI has worked. In addition, tens of thousands of individuals and organizations from around the world have benefited from SCI’s excellent publications, information exchange networks, research, technical support and the internationally recognized Solar Cooking Archive website.

People in Africa need solar cookers.  Its no surprise when you consider the substantial benefits, and cheap price tag of about $5-7 a piece.  Africa solar kitchens enjoy the following:

• No need to build a fire (this is safer, and more eco-friendly because you don’t need fuel for a campfire)
• No wasted energy as is associated with conventional oven cooking (pre-heating and cool down)
• No use of electricity or natural gas – this type of meal preparation is 100% emission free
• Convenient – think of it as nature’s own slow cooker!  Put in your ingredients and return 4-5 hours later for your meal.

Buy a solar cooker to help developing nations

If you want to have your own solar cooker (a great idea, by the way), consider purchasing one from CooKit, because a portion of the price goes to support relief organizations in Third World Countries.  Your solar oven can replace ordinary electricity needs, provide a safer way to cook outdoors if you hike, cook or hunt, and can even assist with boiling water.

It may seem like a small thing to those of us that live comfortably, but consider the fact that solar cookers from Africa are not a luxury, but a necessity to those that lack electricity and other basic needs.

For more information, and to donate to the Africa solar cooker cause, see:

• Aidforafrica.org
• Solarhaven.org
• Solar Cookers for Africa
• Journeytoforever.org

Take a minute, review the information and consider donating to help Africa solar kitchens!

Time to use solar energy without the investment

You already know that power from the sun is free, clean and renewable.  But maybe you’re not using solar power because of the expensive equipment.  No worries.  You can harness solar energy without the investment!

For centuries, people effectively used solar energy without PV panels, inverter boxes and wiring.  You too can tap into your inner pioneer and use solar energy on a daily basis with a few simple tips.

1.  Dry your clothes on a clothesline.  Its the original solar dryer.  No electricity required, just a nice day and a fresh breeze.  Not only are you saving money for using solar energy without the investment, but your energy conservation will put an extra $150-200 in your pocket each year if you forgo the electric dryer.

2.  Cook your food with an easy-to-make solar oven.  There are many DIY models out there, with detailed videos to show you how to build a solar cooker, but I saw one online the other day that is simply a cardboard pizza box, covered with foil, and sealed with plastic wrap.  I’m thinking about making my own, homemade pizza in this easy-bake solar oven.

3.  Grow your own fruits, vegetables and herbs.  All you need to buy are the seeds.  Rain, sunshine and the miracle of nature can provide you with a bounty of fresh food from the garden (with a little bit of TLC, as well).  Plants don’t grow without solar energy, so consider this as an easy, nearly-free way to harness the power of the sun.

4.  Heat your home with passive solar measures.  Position your windows to be south-facing and keep blinds and drapes open during the winter.  Just be sure that during warm months, you have shrubs for shade and can pull window coverings tight.  Another popular passive solar option is a Trombe Wall.  Minimal cash outlay for this extra insulated wall, sometimes filled with water, can cut heating and cooling costs by 90%.

5.  Finally, this last tips requires a small amount of cash, but for a big return!  Why not get some solar chargers to provide free solar energy for your electronics while you are on the go?  You can recharge cell phones, iPods, computers, cell phones and more, for a minimal investment.  My pick: get a solar backpack.  I can see that my laptop use is a huge energy drain.  With the solar chargers, I can tap into solar energy on the go, and I’ll never be stuck with a dead battery again.

It may be cliche to say, but you truly can save green while going green!

Got any other free solar energy tips?  Please share below!