SolReka - Alternative Energy, News, Conspiracy Blog » Solar Cooking

My Home Made Parabolic Solar Cooker

SolReka — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:33:51 +0000

Here is a short video showing how I converted an old satellite dish into a highly effective parabolic solar cooker. In this video I cooked two eggs which tasted delicious.

The parabolic solar cooker was made using chrome reflective vinyl, which has a self-adhesive backing and offers a superb mirror-like finish.

More info here: Chrome Reflective Vinyl.

Technical Info: -

Time: April 9th 2011, 3pm GMT.

Location: Burton on Trent, England.

Outside temp 12C.

Focal point measured in excess of 300℃.

Satellite dish – 60cm diameter (shallow parabola).

Build a highly accurate parabolic solar cooker for just $8

SolReka — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:32:50 +0000

Fancy building a parabolic solar cooker which can cook food and boil water in less than 30 minutes.

On special offer is a range of parabolic paper templates which have been designed and printed using specialist CAD software, accurate to 0.01mm and printed on high gloss 80gsm paper.

Key Benefits: –

Parabolic templates make building a parabolic solar cooker as easy as building a box solar cooker. Simply use the paper template to mark out petals on any reflective material, and start building your very own fast, portable parabolic solar cooker.
Achieve cooking temperatures over 350°F.
Templates can be used over and over again to make dozens of parabolic solar cookers.
FREE sheet of reflective vinyl included with every parabolic template.
Sizes available 90cm, 120cm, and 150cm diameter.

Key Features: -

Full building instructions are included with each parabolic solar cooker template.
FREE worldwide shipping.
Designed by professional CAD software and accurate to 0.01mm.
Printed on high gloss 80gsm paper.
Secure merchant paypal account, 100% safe & secure checkout.

Technical Specifications: -

90cm parabolic template	120cm parabolic template	150cm parabolic template
Diameter of dish 0.9m Depth 0.25m Focal Point 0.20m No. of segments 10 Petal dimensions; base – 27.98cm, length – 51.21cm. Approximte power output – 900W	Diameter of dish 1.2m Depth 0.28m Focal Point 0.32m No. of segments 14 Petal dimensions; base – 26.67cm, length – 66.52cm. Approximte power output – 1.2kW	Diameter of dish 1.5m Depth 0.33m Focal Point 0.43m No. of segments 16 Petal dimensions; base – 29.32cm, length – 82.51cm. Approximate power output – 1.5kW

How parabolic solar cookers will look when completed.

Notes: -

Suggested reflective materials for solar cookers…

Aluminium foil is a great reflective material for building cost effective solar cookers,
- Advantages – Cheap, easy to use.
- Disadvantages – Creases and tares easily.
Reflective mirror vinyl is the perfect material for the home hobbyist solar cooker build.
- Advantages – Self adhesive backing and highly reflective makes mirror vinyl easy to use and apply to any material.
- Disadvantages – none.
Anodized Aluminium.
- Advantages – Highly reflective.
- Disadvantages – Expensive and difficult to handle / cut.

NB – Please note that reflective materials require a backing material, such as cardboard. For parabolic solar cookers, a suitable backing material is plastic sheeting (ABS, polyprop, HIPS approx 2mm thick) – not included with parabolic solar cooker templates.

- 5 metres x 610mm reflective chrome mirror vinyl
Only $30USD (£20GBP) + $15USD postage to USA/Canada.

Order here

Samples of vinyl can be provided (23cm x 16cm) sized sheets, please email indicating how many sheets you would like. 70cents (USD) per sheet + postage.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to get in touch or leave a comment.

Solar Energy Guide – Free Ebook

SolReka — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:11:32 +0000

SolReka proudly presents the first in a series of free ebooks. In this solar energy guide ebook, the topics discussed include;

Solar Power Uses
The five most practical ways that solar energy is used
Solar Cooking
Stirling Engines
Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Panels
How does PV solar work?
Power from light
What can I use PV solar for?
What about clouds and cold weather?
How I can work out what size panel I need?
What type of battery should I use?
Can I use PV solar to provide mains power to my house?
Summary

Please feel free to download and read the solar energy guide ebook by downloading the ebook from the right hand menu, alternatively click here for download.

If you enjoyed reading this ebook, and you would like to receive the latest news, discounts, and offers SolReka has to offer, then please take a moment to subscribe.

Build a Parabolic Solar Cooker – Part Two

SolReka — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:35:15 +0000

Due to the success of the post: How to Build a Parabolic Solar Oven. It seems only logical to write a follow up post on the art of building a parabolic solar cooker.

There are so many different designs of solar cookers out there, choosing the right type of solar cooker can prove quite daunting.

So which solar cooker is the best design I hear you ask…

In essence there are three types of solar cooker; box, panel, and parabolic.- The box design is the simplest form of solar cooker. A box cooker can be built simply using a pizza box and reflective sheeting (aluminium foil, Mylar, or my favourite weapon of choice when building a solar cooker – Reflective Vinyl).

For instructions on building a box panel solar cooker, check out – Build a pizza box solar cooker ebook. Ebook download is normally £1.99, however please email me at info[at]solreka[dot]com and I will send you a FREE copy.

- Panel design solar cooker; similar in design to the pizza box, with the exception that the panels are typically larger, therefore producing more heat and power.

- Parabolic solar cookers – The most complex design to build, however, they are by far the most effective and efficient design of all solar cooker designs.

Why build a parabolic solar cooker?

- Parabolic solar cookers are the most efficient solar cooker design.

- Parabolic solar cookers cook food and boil water faster than any other design.

- Wow you friends by showing off your portable parabolic solar cooker.

Special Offers

Parabolic Solar Cooker (0.9m Diameter) Features include;

Boils one litre of water in approximately 45-60mins.
Temperatures of over 250F can be obtained.
Number of segments – 10.

More Information

Only £24.99

Parabolic Solar Cooker (1.2m Diameter) Features include;

Boils one litre of water in approximately 30-45mins.
Temperatures of over 320F can be obtained.
Number of segments – 14.

More Information

£29.99

Parabolic Solar Cooker (1.5m Diameter) Features include;

Boils one litre of water in approximately 15-30mins.
Temperatures of over 400F can be obtained.
Number of segments – 16.

Coming Soon

Bespoke Parabolic Solar Cookers (other sizes available upon request) If you require a bespoke parabolic solar cooker kit other than the sizes available, then please get in touch and include the following information.

Diameter of dish.
Focal point.
Depth of parabola.
Number of segments (the more segments per dish, the more power generated).
Estimated power required – (1KW ~ 1 square metre of sunlight).

Please send an email with all the necessary information and include in the title: ‘Bespoke parabolic dish request’.

For more information, please visit Solar Cookers – Parabolic section

SolReka Website Launch

SolReka — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:36:31 +0000

Welcome to the launch of SolReka’s website: www.solreka.com.

In the website you will find many products on special offer, including:-

Solar Cookers

Learn how to build a parabolic solar cooker from scratch. A choice of products are currently on offer, including solar cooking building materials, a range of self-build solar cooker ebooks and parabolic templates to pre-assembled parabolic solar cooker kits. Read More…

Solar Panel Kits

From 10Watts to 120Watts, there is a whole host of solar panels and chargers available to suit all your needs. Whether you are a keen caravanner, camper or you simply want to become self-sufficient, there are plenty of alternative energy products available. Read More…

From solar energy to solar powered aeroplanes, www.solreka.com is the place to visit.

As a special introductory offer, all new visitors will receive a 10% discount on all purchases made.

This offer is valid for a short time only. Please enter coupon code SolRekaWelcome10 when making a purchase.

I look forward to seeing you at www.solreka.com. Together we can change the world for the better, making for a cleaner and brighter future.

Kindest regards
SolReka
Brighter Energy Solutions

Collage of Solar Cookers

SolReka — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:24:43 +0000

A collage of some of my favourite solar cookers.

1 – Parabolic Solar Cooker Array
2 – Parabolic Cardboard Dish
3 – Parabolic Solar Cooker
4 – BCK
5 – HotPot

Each week a new batch of solar cooker pictures will be posted including a review of each solar cooker.

A new category, Pictures has been added. So, why not submit your own solar cooker pictures which I will happily include in subsequent posts along with a review. Email me your solar cooker pictures.

Which solar cooker rocks your boat? What are your thoughts on solar cooking?

Please take a moment to subscribe, so you don’t miss the latest in solar cooking, alternative energy products and news.

SAVE UP TO 80% ON YOUR HOME ENERGY BILLS. Click here.

How to build a Pizza Box Solar Cooker

SolReka — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:46:38 +0000

As part of the how to build a solar cooker series, here are some easy to follow instructions showing you how to build a pizza box solar cooker. These instructions were used for a children’s solar club in Birmingham, UK last year.

FREE download of instructions for building a pizza box solar cooker and Cone solar cooker when you subscribe. (Please drop me an email requesting building plans).

What You’ll Need

- Recycled pizza box – Black construction paper

- Aluminium foil & insulation – Clear plastic sheets

- Non-toxic glue, tape, scissors, ruler, paint, marker

- Food (pizza, chocolate brownies, hot dogs, marsh mellows)

How to Make Your Pizza Box Oven

Mark a 3cm border on all four sides of the top of the pizza box. Cut along three sides leaving the line along the back of the box uncut. (Diagram #1)

Instructions

Create a flap by gently folding back along the uncut line to form a crease. (Diagram #2)
Tape the aluminium foil to the inside bottom of the flap, shiny side out. Smooth out any wrinkles and glue into place. Important- Ensure the flap has a mirror-like finish.

Measure a piece of plastic to fit over the opening you created. Tape the plastic sheet to the inside of the box. Tape one side first, then the other side. Make the seal airtight.

Line the bottom and sides of the pizza box with aluminium foil, carefully glue into place. Insulation could also be used (straw, paper, or wool) to help retain heat in the box whilst cooking. Cover the aluminium foil with a piece of black construction paper and tape into place, (Diagram #3). Wedge the flap open with a stick, or use string. Now point the box towards the sun, ensuring the open panel reflects the Sun into the box. (Diagram #4).

Voilà, your oven is now ready! Happy cooking, why not try pizzas, hot dogs, chocolate brownies, or even try baking cookies and biscuits. Test how hot your oven gets using a simple oven thermometer! (Please allow 1 – 1½ hours for oven to warm up).

Suggestions

- Try using more than one reflective panel. Use 4 panels instead of one. See Figure 3 in post – Build a simple solar cooker.

- Use plenty of insulation. Most solar cookers lose their power through heat loss.

- Ensure box is airtight. Use strong tape in abundance. Encapsulate box in a carrier bag.

- Check out;
How to build a parabolic solar cooker

How to build a Bamboo Solar Cooker for less than $1

How to Make a Cone Solar Cooker

Build a simple solar cooker.

REMEMBER – NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY AND ALWAYS WEAR SUNGLASSES AND OVEN GLOVES WHEN HANDLING YOUR OVEN AND FOOD.

If you enjoyed this post, then why not take a moment to subscribe to ensure you don’t miss the latest news and information on solar cooking and alternative energy devices. Subscribe.

How to build a Bamboo Solar Cooker for less than $1

SolReka — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:38:05 +0000

A bamboo solar cooker which only costs $1 to make. Here is proof that solar cooking needn’t be an expensive affair. One of my readers Krishna – rkrao, kindly sent in the above picture showing the simplicity and beauty of a bamboo solar cooker. Here are Krishna’s notes for building such a simple and effective solar cooker.

Materials used: -

Baskets made from bamboo
Food serving plates
Cooking vessel

And that’s it. In less than one minute of assembling parts which can be gathered in no time at all you can have your very own solar cooker. See I told you solar cooking wasn’t that difficult.

The bamboo solar cooker is a simpler version to that of the parabolic solar cooker.

Further information from Krishna: -

Baskets are used in villages for carrying hay and other agricultural produce. Similar baskets made a little sturdily are used in urban areas to carry the bride in marriage ceremonies!
Food serving plates are made of thick paper/thin cardboard and upper surface is covered by a water resistant film of thin aluminium foil/silver coloured polythene.
Well-to-do families eat food on silver plates and use silver tumblers for drinking water even to-day (perhaps due to its antibacterial properties) and silver vessels are used in all auspicious occasions, so these plates are covered in silver film, good for us solar enthusiasts! These plates are available in all provision shops and can be as cheap as one Rupee.
A glass vessel for cooking is not the best, as they are not available locally (India), besides they are expensive and liable to break. An aluminium vessel with a thick black polythene bag should serve. The recycled black garbage bag was tried, but melted due to the heat.
The cooker is intended for the very poor, however the limitation is that they are mostly daily wage workers and will be in the work-spot in mid-day when the cooker works best. This is one reason solar cooking has not become popular in poor communities across the world, but they can be uses to kill pathogens and purify drinking water by reaching only 65 degrees centigrade.

This cooker with water in a vessel can be left in the sunny part of the backyard and the family can get safe water for cooking and drinking by evening.

Krishna is currently on the look out for low-cost solar LED lantern designs for general lighting inside of 10′x10′ huts, cost approx $3-$4.

_______________________________________________________

So, what are your thoughts? Can you think of any improvements to the bamboo solar cooker? Have you built a similar solar cooker? If so then we would love to hear from you. Drop me an email if you would like your solar cooking pictures and article posted here.

How to Build a Parabolic Solar Cooker

SolReka — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:14:39 +0000

Building a parabolic solar oven really isn’t as difficult as it may seem, once the basics are first understood.

There are many popular solar cookers in use today, including the Sun Oven, Sports Solar Oven, and the Cookit, to name but a few. However they all adopt either the solar box or solar trough design. Very few designs are actually parabolic, those that are, are generally quite expensive like the SK-14, compared to the more popular designs. The box solar cooker for example, is simply a cardboard box with reflective panels and a pane of glass which traps hot air in a box.

So what is a parabolic solar oven?

The sun’s rays are collected using a reflective surface like a parabola or curved surface. The main difference between a parabolic solar oven and other solar cooker designs is that the parabolic shape focusses the sun’s rays into one point; called the focal point. A small focal point means a greater concentration of solar energy. With a parabolic solar oven, it is possible to cook food at the same rate that food is cooked in a conventional oven.

Parabolic solar cookers are considered to be a better alternative for outdoor cooking and camping as they require no firewood or the need for gas stoves and they offer fast cooking times.

Why build a parabolic solar oven?

Building a parabolic solar oven will result in a higher power output than other solar cooker design. Remember, the smaller the focal point, the higher the cooking temperature. Water can be boiled in seconds using a sufficient sized parabolic cooker. However, due to the high level of accuracy required in the manufacture of parabolic cookers, a minimal focal point is very difficult to obtain.

Very high cooking temperatures can be obtained with a parabolic solar cooker, thus drastically reducing the time taken to cook food and to boil water. The box design solar cookers generally take several hours to cook food.

To summarise, building a parabolic solar cooker offers faster cooking times than other more conventional solar cooker designs. However, bear in mind that parabolas need more frequent adjusting, pointing to the sun.

How do I build a parabolic solar oven?…

Several methods are available, one easy and ready-made solution is to use a satellite dish. Then line the inside of the dish with a reflective material such as aluminium foil, or better still Mylar. Anodized aluminium could be used, even small segments of mirror. However, the focal point would become ‘scattered’ as the mirror and anodized ally would not give a true parabolic shape.

After researching and testing countless parabolic and general solar cooking designs, the following conclusions have been made: -

First of all, work out what size parabola you want to build. As a rule of thumb, every one square metre of reflective surface equates to 1kw of solar energy. This isn’t quite the case for a paraboloid due to its shape, but the rule will suffice. A one metre diameter parabolic which has been engineered to a high spec will pump out more than enough heat to boil water in a few minutes.

800Watts or more of solar energy is sufficient for cooking your solar food.

Establish a focal point. Let’s assume you are building a one metre dish. A suitable focal point would be approximately 20cm as in Figure 1.

Figure 2 shows a focal point of 25cm which wouldn’t produce the same results as the focal point of 20cm. This is due to factors such as wind, stand design, and cooling effects. With the cooking vessel situated at a focal point of approximately a third of the way down from the top of parabola, this will ensure sufficient wind protection, as well as an area where the heat is ‘captured’ and retained.

The picture at the top of this post shows one of my earlier parabolic solar cooker designs. Note the depth of the cooking pot, in relation to the actual dish. This oven reached temperatures in excess of 300F (80cm diameter). My current design is lighter (easy to carry in any backpack), sturdier and more powerful.

For more information on building a parabolic solar cooker, visit parabolic cooker kits section

It is also important to choose the right cooking pot for the cooker. It has to be dark in colour and placed in the correct position, namely in the middle of the focal point. It also needs to be oriented to the sun and placed on a small stand that sits at the point of focus for the oven.

Parabolic solar cookers can work for 60 to 90 minutes unattended. If you find that the food is not cooked or that another pot has to be heated, then simply adjust the dish to point to the sun every 15-20 minutes or so.

One final note, if the focal point is too low or too shallow, i.e. a very deep parabola as in Figure 3, then the sun rays will ‘bounce’ on the top and sides of the cooking vessel, and not from underneath as they should do. It is also very difficult to manufacture – ref incorporating stand with a deep shaped dish. There is also a smaller surface area, in that the sun’s rays only penetrate whatever diameter the dish is set to, irrespective of depth.

Figure 4 shows the opposite of a deep parabola. This design is workable, providing a relatively large diameter dish is used. Factors such as the wind and insulation of cooking vessel must be taken into account for this audacious design. Many satellite dishes have a focal point just outside the depth of the dish. This is due to ease of manufacture and optimal threshold for capturing frequency bands.

Suitable materials for building a parabolic solar cooker.

- Reflective chrome vinyl, highly reflective material which also comes with an adhesive backing. For more details visit solar cookers reflective vinyl section.

- Finished anodised aluminium or mirrors (expensive).

- Mylar – used in hydroponic set ups.

- Aluminium foil – cheap and cheerful, however creases and tares can play a large part in the build. Foil is a great starting point as it’s cheap and readily available.

So now you have a good understanding of what a parabolic cooker is and the main concepts needed to start building your very own parabolic solar cooker. So, what are you waiting for… Happy building.

I will happily include any photos you submit of your parabolic solar cooker for fellow readers to enjoy, learn and share tips and tricks about the wonderful world of solar cooking. Email your photos.

Here are some great links which will help you with your journey for building you very own parabolic solar cooker:

Parabolic Solar Cooker kits ———>

Parabolic Solar Cooker Templates ———>

Reflective Chrome Vinyl ———>

General introduction to Solar Cooking
www.solarcooking.org
Instructions for building a parabolic solar cooker

How to Make a Cone Solar Cooker

SolReka — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:33:09 +0000

Part One – Making a Cone Solar Cooker
Part Two – Making a Pizza Box Solar Cooker
Part Three – Making an Open Panel Solar Cooker.

For the latest news, information and posts for Parts Two and Three on Solar Cooking, please take a moment to Subscribe by email to SolReka.

________________________________________________

Part One – Making a Cone Solar Cooker

A simple step-by-step guide to making a Cone Solar Cooker. These instructions were given to the children of the Castle Vale Solar Cooking Club which I organized in the UK last year. The kids absolutely loved it.

What You’ll Need

- Recycled cardboard box
- Aluminium foil
- Newspaper
- Oven baggies
- Non-toxic glue, tape, scissors, ruler, magic marker, black paint & thermometer
- Insulation (straw, newspaper etc)
- Food (chocolate, marsh mellows etc)

How to Make your Cone Solar Cooker

1. Glue two cardboard sheets together to make one long piece, then cover one side with aluminium foil (shiny side up).
2. Bend the cardboard, foil side in, into a cone shape and tape it together. The cone should still be open on both ends.
3. Get a cardboard (pizza) box & paint inside black to absorb heat in bottom of box.
4. Prop the cone in the box with narrow end pointing down.
5. Now put food in an oven bag (cracker with marsh mellow, cook marsh mellow first then add chocolate later).
6. Put the oven bag on the bottom of box in the centre of the cone.

To improve your cone oven, try some of the following tips: -

- Place a few sheets of newspaper in the bottom of pizza box then cover with black cardboard to absorb heat.
- Tape up any holes between cardboard box and cone to stop hot air escaping.
- Attach aluminium foil to inside of pizza box to reflect heat onto oven bag.
- You need the sun to make your cooker work, and also direct cone towards sun.
- Check the temperature of your food at intervals, and keep cone pointing to sun.
- Please allow approximately 1 – 1 ½ hours for oven to warm up.
- What other methods can you think of to improve your oven and to cook things faster?

REMEMBER – NEVER LOOK AT THE SUN DIRECTLY AND ALWAYS WEAR SUNGLASSES AND OVEN GLOVES WHEN HANDLING YOUR OVEN AND FOOD.

Here are some pictures of the Solar Club, showing how the kids got on.

Please subscribe by RSS or email for more information on building the box solar cooker and open panel solar cooker designs.

SolReka - Alternative Energy, News, Conspiracy Blog » Solar Cooking

My Home Made Parabolic Solar Cooker

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Materials used: -

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