Here’s a good article from Backwoods Home Magazine on making a simple solar cooker from cardboard and tinfoil:
speaking of, we have a solar oven that we love using. it’s great transition tech! we’ve made roasts, potatoes, pies, meatballs, bunch of veggies… and they turn out very well.
A slight variant of this is the solar dehydrator, which likewise collects heat with a dark surface, but then lets the hot air rise through racks containing food, perhaps in another chamber, and uses the natural airflow and heat to dry things at a lower temp. I found some good plans here: http://www.i4at.org/surv/soldehyd.htm
wow. awsome piece of equipment right there !
Here is another excellent resource that I recently discovered with “How To” plans for 30+ different Solar Cookers
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Build a Solar Cooker - http://www.solarcooking.org/plans/
and another great Solar Resource
Solar Cooking Archive - http://www.solarcooking.org
Thanks to the unnamed Blogger at Survival Acres for the links
I don’t really consider solar energy to be Transition Tech, as the sun is not transitioning out anytime soon, and the materials for building a solar cooker, namely reflective surfaces, will be readily found in the ruins of civilizations for thousands of years to come. Using the Sun as a carbon-free energy source makes more sense than burning organic carbon-based fuels, whenever feasible (warm sunny days).
Note: My homemade solar water heaters (domestic hot water and homemade solar hot tub) work very well in the summer, with the hot tub water reaching 115+ degrees F. From about Nov-Feb the solar collectors only heat water to lukewarm (on sunny days) when it’s cool and the sun is low on the southern horizon. In March I am going to build and try a homemade Solar Slow Cooker.
AMEN!!! ;D