BACKGROUND RESEARCH For ths science fair project, I chose to experiment with a solar oven. I designed my own solar oven and interiors, and tried to determine which type of interior design will be most effective for performance.----both heating up, and keeping the heat. Solar oven refers to a type of oven which uses the sun's energy to cook food inside of it. It does not use electricity. Instead it collects the sun's energy and stores it. While it is collecting and storing the sun's energy it can cook food inside of it. In this report I will tell you about the history, including one of the first western cultures who used a solar oven. Also, I will talk about some of the reasons and places solar ovens are becoming more widely used. There are many different designs used. However, some are better for our earth and the environment, and some are easier and cheaper to make and use.. Black things usually get hotter, and stay hotter. This is because black absorbs all the light. Shiny things reflect light. This is because light bounces off shiny surfaces. Steel can collect and store heat. It can get hot and keep the energy because the molecules of steel are packed tightly together and this helps to keep heat. Air is an insulator. It keeps the molecules from touching each other so heat doesn't transfer. In my experiment I designed different interiors to see which of these ideas would work the best. Solar box cookers (SBC'S) are among the earliest recorded for solar cooking. Horace de Saussure made early records of solar cooking. He was a Swiss scientist experimenting in 1767. In today's society pollution is becoming an increasing an increasing problem. All over the world people are trying to find newer and better ways to protect the environment. Solar ovens are a good step in cleaning up our earth.------My solar ovens are made from recycled cardboard boxes, which were first used for oranges, now ovens, and after may be recycled again. They can cook with the sun's energy, which is free and non polluting. The steel plate used in my experiment is recycled from house construction. Places such as Ethiopia would benefit from a safe way to cook. Solar ovens are a cheap solution to little money and natural resources.------no wood or fuel is needed to cook. It would be a good option for persons in natural disasters, or war, where the weather is warm enough. Throughout the world many lower income families such as in Africa, South America and other contries that are in war, cook over a fire. This is dangerous because children/adults can burn themselves on the fire,or brush fires may also be started.. Also, every time they leave their homes because of war or destruction they have to put the fire out and then start a new one. With a solar oven all you have to do is put it in the direction of the sun and it starts right away. When you're travelling all you have to do is pick it up and take it with you. A solar oven is not only cheap, but easy to maintain. Think about it this way. A stove costs any where from $700 to $1,500. On the other a solar oven can cost little. Fifteen dollers or less, and can be mostly made with recycled materials. The reflectors on a solar oven work as collectors than help angle the sun's rays towards the bottom of the solar oven. My solar oven has clear oven baking bags to cover the window, and let the heat in. The light goes through this and is stored inside. Here it collects until the temperature gets hotter and hotter, and the food cooks. With a solar oven you can cook many things such as baked bread, stews, casseroles, and lots more just from the sun's energy. As in a crock-pot, a solar oven cooks slower, and at a lower temperature. This helps bring out more of the food's taste, and preserve vitamins. In my solar oven I cooked hot dogs and roast beef. One time I even burnt the hot dogs, and one time the roast was so cooked it fell apart. In today's society pollution is becoming an increasing problem. Technology has been rapidly advancing, and with it comes more and more pollution. However, solar technology is also increasing. We will never get to a pollution free world unless we start one step at a time. All over the world people are trying to find newer and better ways to protect the environment. Solar ovens are a good start in cleaning up our earth. Please do your part and try to switch part time to solar ovens. |
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