Solar Stove

Sustainable Reflective BBQ

Experimentation

with a sustainable source of energy (solar energy) to test its feasibility for daily use

Research

Solar oven

  • light is reflected from the sides into the box where it is trapped. It does not meet at 1 point.

Discussion with a Professional

After contacting and speaking with Carla Ramsdell I learned about the physics behind how solar cookers work and how a parabola reflects the heat of the sun.

Her experience using various solar cooking products informed my design choices.

2 types of Solar Cookers and How They Work

Parabolic cooktop

  • light is reflected from the sides and meets at one point where the cookware is placed.

Carla Ramsdell

Physics Professor, Appalachian State University

  • Studies the physics behind cooking

Existing Solar Cooking Technolgy

Evacuated Tube, Solar Oven

Heats similar to an oven but can reach stable high temperature. Does the best at containing heat.

Cons

  • Uneven cooking, due to uneven temperatures in the tube

  • Circular cooking surface isn’t great for all foods

Paneled Solar Oven

Heats similar to an oven, with stable but lower temperature

Cons

  • Doesn’t reach high temperatures

  • Heat is lost when opening the front to reach the food

  • Poor rotation in relation to the sun

Solar Oven

Heats similar to an oven, with stable but lower temperature

Cons

  • Doesn’t reach high temperatures

  • Heat is lost when opening the front to reach the food

  • Poor rotation in relation to the sun

Parabolic Solar Cooktop

Heat is focused to a point, cooks similar to stovetop and receives the highest temperatures

Cons

  • Not great for poor weather like rain or wind, heat is easily lost

  • Cooks unevenly and loses heat because the food isn’t covered

  • Not user friendly, it’s difficult to access and research your cookware

  • Most dangerous, the concentrated heat can cause severe burns

The Parabolic Cooker

This innovative design combines a solar oven with the parabolic cooktop to optimize the benefits of each type creating a more user-friendly product that functions with higher temperature cooking.

What are users used to?

Users are familiar with outdoors grills for cooking. My design incorporates the familiar features associated with BBQs.

The Stand

  • The stand is designed with a notch mechanism that allows the user to tilt the cooktop to optimize sun exposure for higher cooking temperatures.

  • The bars are assembly to lock the heater in place.

Prototype

While the prototype was constructed out of laser cut plywood, the finished product would be made out of stainless-steel and or aluminum similar to a BBQ.

Heating

  • This image shows the concentration of heat reflecting on the side of the cooktop.

  • When this reflection creates a focal point, the user knows the sun is aligned with the cooktop.

  • The innovation behind this design creates a broader, more uniform area of heat versus a smaller more focused area of heat that’s seen on the market now.

Learning Outcomes

  • Designed to be easily manufactured and assembled.

  • Sustainable energy can be difficult to achieve effectively.

  • The science behind the heating element had to guide the concept.

  • Overall, I had a lot of fun to building this project and then getting outside to actually test it.