This page provides turn-key directions for a project to build a solar oven. The construction kit calls for simple materials such as cardboard and duct tape, and includes a downloadable pattern for building the oven. Background information is provided. This resource, from the Pembina Institute, is part of a collection of hands-on projects on the topic of renewable energy.
6-8: 4E/M2. Energy can be transferred from one system to another (or from a system to its environment) in different ways: 1) thermally, when a warmer object is in contact with a cooler one; 2) mechanically, when two objects push or pull on each other over a distance; 3) electrically, when an electrical source such as a battery or generator is connected in a complete circuit to an electrical device; or 4) by electromagnetic waves.
6-8: 4E/M3. Thermal energy is transferred through a material by the collisions of atoms within the material. Over time, the thermal energy tends to spread out through a material and from one material to another if they are in contact. Thermal energy can also be transferred by means of currents in air, water, or other fluids. In addition, some thermal energy in all materials is transformed into light energy and radiated into the environment by electromagnetic waves; that light energy can be transformed back into thermal energy when the electromagnetic waves strike another material. As a result, a material tends to cool down unless some other form of energy is converted to thermal energy in the material.
6-8: 4E/M6. Light and other electromagnetic waves can warm objects. How much an object's temperature increases depends on how intense the light striking its surface is, how long the light shines on the object, and how much of the light is absorbed.
4F. Motion
3-5: 4F/E3. Light travels and tends to maintain its direction of motion until it interacts with an object or material. Light can be absorbed, redirected, bounced back, or allowed to pass through.
6-8: 4F/M6. Light acts like a wave in many ways. And waves can explain how light behaves.
8. The Designed World
8C. Energy Sources and Use
3-5: 8C/E2. Sunlight is used to run many devices.
6-8: 8C/M2. Different ways of obtaining, transforming, and distributing energy have different environmental consequences.
6-8: 8C/M5. Energy from the sun (and the wind and water energy derived from it) is available indefinitely. Because the transfer of energy from these resources is weak and variable, systems are needed to collect and concentrate the energy.
9-12: 8C/H8. Sunlight is the ultimate source of most of the energy we use. The energy in fossil fuels such as oil and coal comes from energy that plants captured from the sun long ago.
12. Habits of Mind
12C. Manipulation and Observation
6-8: 12C/M3. Make accurate measurements of length, volume, weight, elapsed time, rates, and temperature by using appropriate devices.
9-12: 12C/H1. Follow instructions in manuals or seek help from an experienced user to learn how to operate new mechanical or electrical devices.
12D. Communication Skills
6-8: 12D/M9. Prepare a visual presentation to aid in explaining procedures or ideas.
9-12: 12D/H7. Use tables, charts, and graphs in making arguments and claims in oral, written, and visual presentations.
Common Core State Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6—12
Key Ideas and Details (6-12)
RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (6-12)
RST.9-10.9 Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity (6-12)
RST.9-10.10 By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9—10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/informal/items/detail.cfm?ID=6014">The Pembina Institute. Build a Solar Oven. Calgary: The Pembina Institute, January 1, 2007.</a>
The Pembina Institute. Build a Solar Oven. Calgary: The Pembina Institute, January 1, 2007. http://www.re-energy.ca/solar-oven (accessed 16 February 2025).
@misc{
Title = {Build a Solar Oven},
Publisher = {The Pembina Institute},
Volume = {2025},
Number = {16 February 2025},
Month = {January 1, 2007},
Year = {2007}
}
%0 Electronic Source %D January 1, 2007 %T Build a Solar Oven %I The Pembina Institute %V 2025 %N 16 February 2025 %8 January 1, 2007 %9 text/html %U http://www.re-energy.ca/solar-oven
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