How Your Solar Cooker Works

Your solar cooker will consist of four main parts: a container, a transparent material to let the sun shine in, surfaces covered with various materials to help reflect sunshine, and insulation to prevent heat from escaping.

When placed in the sun, the sun's rays will shine through the transparent material into the cooker. Once inside, the sunlight is absorbed by the material lining the surfaces of the cooker or reflected toward the chocolate chip. The chocolate chip is warmed in two ways.

1. The light energy that is absorbed by the lining surfaces turns to heat energy and moves from the warmer lining to the adjacent cooler air to warm it and the chocolate chip.
2. The light energy that is reflected toward the chip, hits the chip and is absorbed by it. The light energy that is absorbed turns to heat energy to warm the chip.

It is important that your cooker is completely sealed so no cold air can get in and that it is insulated so no warmth can escape.

Click here for more information about solar energy.

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