Made oatmeal in the solar over today, and currently, a potato cooks for later.  Found this genius modification, a wall-mounted solar oven.

This design does not use collectors because they would have to be adjusted over the course of the day to make sure the bottom was not in their shadows.

But, what if this idea was combined with the technology of solar tube lights?  These lights tunnel sunlight from the roof, down into houses.  They are made to gather up sunlight, regardless of sun location.  Could they also be made to send sunlight down into a wall-mounted solar oven?

Ate very sweet corn on the cob that I cooked in a solar oven today.  Took about an hour and half to cook the corn and about three days to make the solar oven.  Longer really, counting all the boxes I had to search for.  Finally went to Safeway at 5:30 am to catch them while they were stocking.

I followed the directions here.  Well, kinda.

Pictures of the oven in various stages are here.

I already know changes I'd make for take two.  First thing would be the size. The one I just made is a little bigger than I would like.  I made it large because I found an inner and outer box that worked.  There has to be about 3 inches between the two boxes.  In this space goes lots of cardboard as insulation.  For me it took three trips of cardboard hunting.  Kinda wonder what a wood solar oven might do.

The biggest mystery I had while constructing the box, was why doesn't the cardboard burn?  Looks like it is about absorption:

"The heat gain inside a solar box cooker is due to “the greenhouse effect.” Sunlight passes easily into glass covered enclosures. Once light is absorbed by materials within the enclosure, it is transformed into longer wavelength heat energy. Dark materials placed in the bottom of the oven will absorb more sunlight and generate more heat. "

Once I'd assembled the oven, this morning, I put it out into the sun and threw a couple ears of corn on the dark cooking tray on the bottom.  Pointed it towards the sun, and awhile later had incredibly sweet corn.  Not bad for a bunch of old boxes and about ten bucks for paint and a piece of glass.

Energy efficiency is a top priority for our renovations and additions project, so solar panels are on the agenda.  In researching solar power and its use in homes, I stumbled across another way to harness the sun's energy: solar cooking.

I hadn't heard of this before, and that is too bad, since it seems to be a pretty incredible and simple way to save fuel, especially in countries where off the grid is not a lifestyle choice.

There are ovens to buy, and ovens to make.  And there is a good short film about their benefits here.

Today I will see if I can scrounge together the pieces to try to build one myself, and see if I can't get a jump on harvesting all this Lake Havasu sunshine.