This is probably not something you can use in your kitchen - or anywhere in your house for that matter. But it is cool and it is used for cooking. The ClearDome Octagon Parabolic Solar Cooker uses nothing but the sun's rays to power it.
To capture the solar radiation it uses an "8-sided, deep-tapered parabolic concentrator". What this means is that it uses a curved shape to reflect all of the sun's rays into one spot in the middle of the unit.
The unit adjusts to meet the different angles of the sun throughout the day. The maker claims that in the middle of the day you can cook an 11 inch pot at 350 degrees.
It raises a couple of questions for me though. The producer mentions that it's ideal for baking bread or cooking scrambled eggs. But I wonder how practical something like scrambled eggs would be and what the risk of personal injury might be if you put your hand inside.
The other question is what happens on a cloudy day? Not being an expert on solar radiation, I wonder whether the same temperatures are achieved.
The is available from Seneca Electronics & Energy Solutions for around $50.
To capture the solar radiation it uses an "8-sided, deep-tapered parabolic concentrator". What this means is that it uses a curved shape to reflect all of the sun's rays into one spot in the middle of the unit.
The unit adjusts to meet the different angles of the sun throughout the day. The maker claims that in the middle of the day you can cook an 11 inch pot at 350 degrees.
It raises a couple of questions for me though. The producer mentions that it's ideal for baking bread or cooking scrambled eggs. But I wonder how practical something like scrambled eggs would be and what the risk of personal injury might be if you put your hand inside.
The other question is what happens on a cloudy day? Not being an expert on solar radiation, I wonder whether the same temperatures are achieved.
The is available from Seneca Electronics & Energy Solutions for around $50.
