Heat Retention Solar Oven

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org/solaroven/
Heat Retention Solar Oven

Introduction
A Heat Retention Solar Oven uses energy from the sun to do heat-retention cooking. This type
of solar oven is capable of cooking anytime, day or night.
The HR Solar Oven uses the principles of heat retention cooking. A traditional New England
Clambake is an example of heat retention cooking. In order to cook clams, lobster, etc. at the
beach, you dig a pit in the sand and line the bottom with rocks. You then build a fire in the pit,
over the rocks, and let the fire die down. The rocks retain a considerable amount of heat from
the fire. You then cover the rocks with wet seaweed, then chickenwire, then layer the food on
top of the wire (clams, lobster, potatoes, corn). The final layer consists of more wet seaweed
covered by a layer of canvas. The heat from the rocks produces steam (from the seaweed)
which cooks the food.
Heat retention cooking involves using stored heat (the hot rocks) to slow cook food in an
insulated container (the pit covered with seaweed). The Heat Retention Solar Oven uses the
sun's energy to heat a material that retains heat well; this stored heat can then be used to cook
anytime, day or night. However, unlike typical heat retention cooking, the HR Solar Oven can
cook at oven temperatures ranging from 300 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature
range is higher than most solar ovens, which are usually only capable of slow cooking at low to
moderate temperatures.
A typical solar oven consists of an insulated box with a transparent window on top. Inside the
box is a black metal surface or container. The sunlight enters the box and is turned into heat
when it strikes the black metal surface. The metal releases the heat to the air inside the box
and to the food. As the interior heats up, the temperature of the metal increases. When the
sunlight strikes the heated metal, it raises its temperature even higher. This in turn raises the
temperature of the whole interior of the oven, including the food.
Unfortunately, most solar ovens are poorly insulated. The heat loss from any insulated
container depends in large part on the temperature difference between the interior and
exterior of the container. As the typical solar oven heats up, it loses more and more energy,
until just as much energy is lost through poor insulation as is gained through sunlight. The top
of the solar oven must be transparent, but it is hard to combine transparency with insulation.
And heat rises to the top of the oven, exactly where you would want to have more insulation,
not less. This limits the maximum cooking temperature of the typical solar oven.
Disclaimer: The drawings, procedures, and words in this document are for information purposes only. No claims are
expressed or implied as to the safety, usefulness, or accuracy of this information. This document does not contain
recommendations or actual plans for building a Heat Retention Solar Oven. This particular solar oven design is
theoretical and experimental.
http://www.webplaces.org/solaroven/
Another limitation to the cooking temperature of most solar ovens is the length of time that
energy from the sun can be used to heat the oven. Once the late afternoon is reached, even
though there are hours of daylight left, there is not enough energy to cook effectively in a solar
oven. You cannot begin cooking with a typical solar oven in the late afternoon or early evening,
when many people begin cooking their evening meal. You cannot cook breakfast in the early
morning with a solar oven. You are limited to cooking lunch or cooking dinner early. And the
cooking temperature of some solar ovens is fairly low, in the range of 250 to 300 degrees F.
If is is rainy or very cloudy, you cannot cook using a solar oven even during the middle of the
day. There is not enough energy from the sun on cloudy days to cook using a typical solar oven.
And solar ovens generally cannot cook at night when there is even less light.
Many solar oven designs are very successful, in locations near the equator, where the average
daily solar radiation is well above 5,000 Watt-hours per square meter per day. Such locations
have plenty of sunlight for solar cooking year round, because the sun is not low in the sky
during winter. But such a solar oven is used at a higher latitude, (e.g. 40 degrees North),
especially in winter, they do not work as well, if they work at all.
A Heat Retention Solar Oven solves the problems of other solar ovens: low cooking
temperature, slow cooking, limited cooking hours, and the inability to cook at night or during
cloudy or rainy days. Properly designed, it should work at almost any latitude, all or most of the
year.
A Heat Retention Solar Oven cooks at normal oven temperatures (300 - 400 F) and can cook as
quickly as a typical electric or gas oven at those temperatures. A Heat Retention Solar Oven can
cook anytime, day or night, even during days when it is cloudy or rainy. Furthermore, this type
of Solar Oven, once it goes through an initial warm-up period, requires no preheating time since
it maintains its temperature range (300 - 400 F) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
How It Works
Start with a solar oven
The solar oven must be large because a larger solar oven takes in more of the sun's energy. A
Heat Retention Solar Oven must take in enough energy to cook the food, to store some energy
for later use, and to compensate for heat lost to the exterior. Therefore, the oven should also
have an effective reflector, so that additional energy in the form of sunlight is reflected into the
oven. A Heat Retention Solar Oven must be particularly well-insulated on the sides and bottom,
so that it does not lose that energy too quickly (R50 is recommended). And it must have a
window (solar collector) on the top that is insulated to R3 or better.
Add Heat Retention Material

Now let's add some material to the solar oven, material that retains heat well. Given a sufficient
quantity of heat retention material, the same oven will take longer to heat up, but it will also
hold that temperature for a longer period of time. With enough energy input each day, and
enough heat retention material, we can cook in the solar oven even after the sun has set,
because the heat retention material radiates sufficient heat to continue cooking.
Any one of a number of different Heat Retention Materials can be used for this purpose. Bricks
have a high specific heat capacity (the ability of a material to store heat); they are relatively
inexpensive and widely available. They should NOT be joined together with mortar or cement
when used in this type of oven. Allow some air space between the bricks, so that the heat can
be transferred to and from the bricks.
Salt (NaCl or table salt) has a fairly high specific heat capacity. It is also widely-available,
inexpensive, and non-toxic. Salt also have sufficient density to store that retained heat in a
reasonable amount of space. And it handles high temperatures well.
Ceramic tiles, or cinder blocks, or even sandstone would also work fine. Ceramic is also
relatively inexpensive and widely-available. It has a good specific heat capaticy. Ceramic
handles high temperatures, gives up heat slowly, and is available even in developing nations.
Cinder blocks are easy to build with and have a high enough specific heat capacity for this task.
Cover the Oven at Night

No matter how well insulated the sides and bottom of the oven are, heat rises and so the top of
the oven will tend to lose heat rapidly. Most of the heat loss in the typical solar oven is through
the top of the oven, where the transparent material is located. It is difficult to both insulate
well and allow plenty of light into the oven, so, when it is night we must cover the oven with a
particularly well insulated top.
When the sun is too low in the sky to add much heat to the oven, or when it is too cloudy to
provide much sunlight at any hour, or when it is night, the oven must be covered to retain the
stored heat. With enough heat retention material, and a well-insulated oven with a well-
insulated night cover, the oven will stay hot through the night and into the next day. The cover
is removed during the day (for anywhere from 7 to 10 hours) and is replaced again in the
evening.
Initial Warm-up
When the Heat Retention Solar Oven is first built, it is at ambient temperature. On day 1, the
sun begins to heat the interior of the oven. Some of that heat is stored in the heat retention
material. On day 2, the oven begins at a warmer temperature than on day 1 and consequently
reaches a higher cooking temperature. On day 3, the oven begins at an even warmer
temperature, etc. Eventually, the oven reaches a stable maximum daytime and minimum
nighttime temperature range.
The amount of time this takes depends on how much energy from the sun is available during
the warm-up and whether or not the oven is used for cooking during that time. If the oven is
used for cooking from day one (and it can be) it will take longer to reach a point where cooking
can occur day or night. However, even during the warm-up period, the oven will maintain its
temperature for longer and reach a higher temperature than a typical solar oven.
How long can this oven last without a good sunny day to add more energy and heat to the
interior? With enough heat retention material, this solar oven design can cook for over 2 days,
even while the cover remains on the oven day and night. And, if the oven is not being used, this
solar oven design can maintain its cooking temperature for even longer, while the cover
remains on the oven day and night. Eventually, a number of good sunny days will be needed to
replace the lost energy and heat.
Cook Anytime, Day or Night, in a Solar Oven

So, now we have a large enough oven, enough energy entering through the collector (the
window on top of the oven), and good insulation. Essential to that good insulation is a well-
insulated cover to use whenever there is not enough sunlight. We also have a good material to
store excess heat and to release that heat at night and on cloudy and rainy days. After the initial
warm-up period, the oven can be used anytime, day or night, since it maintains its cooking
temperature range 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The amount of cooking this oven can provide varies depending on how much sun a particular
location receives each month, and on what the design specifications are like. However, it should
provide more than the typical amount of cooking heat used by a family of four (about 1500
watt-hours/day). In very sunny locations, and with a larger oven design, this oven could serve
several families.
Design Specifics
 Disclaimer: The drawings, procedures, and words on this site are for information
purposes only. No claims are expressed or implied as to the safety, usefulness, or
accuracy of this information. This site does not contain recommendations or actual
plans for building a Heat Retention Solar Oven. This particular solar oven design is
 The base of the oven should be set above ground level, so that rain water does not
enter the oven.
 The bottom and sides of the oven must be very well-insulated. An R-value of R50 or
better is desireable. A large oven will work much better than a small oven. Spun clay
makes a good non-flammable insulation. Rock wool can be a problem if it has chemicals
or plastics added to it. Fiberglass is probably not an option, because it is made with
chemicals that are released when exposed to high temperature. Brick, concrete, and
sand are each poor insulators.
 Many small solar ovens are made from cardboard or other flammable material. A Heat
Retention Solar Oven will get much hotter than the typical solar oven and so it CANNOT
be made from any flammable materials.
 Inside the solar oven, above the floor, is a thick layer of heat retention material, such as
bricks, or cinder blocks, or salt (NaCl), or ceramic tiles. Its purpose is to store heat
energy from the hottest part of one day, through the cooler portion of the rest of the
day and night, and into the next day. The top layer over the bricks (or salt or other
material) must be black ceramic or black metal, in order to turn the sunlight into heat.
 Further into the oven is an inner container, made of cast iron or steel, which would be
used to contain the food being cooked. The oven will retain heat better when the oven
door is opened, if that door goes only to the inner container, not to the space containing
the heated ceramic tiles.
 The transparent window (solar collector) at the top of the solar oven should have
minimum R-value of R3 and allow at least 70% light transmittance. The transparent
material cannot be flammable. At least three panes of high-temperature glass will be
needed to reach R3. Consider allowing two inches between each of the three panes. The
window should be large enough to include both the inner container and the area with
the heat retention material.
 The sides of the space between the panes should be black, to absorb light and produce
heat. The exterior of the solar oven should be black to raise its temperature, thus
improving the effectiveness of the insulation. (Insulation value depends in part on the
difference between interior and exterior temperature. Raising the temperature of the
exterior wall improves the insulation value.) The interior walls of the solar oven should
also be black. The interior of the metal container (which holds the food) does not have
to be black.
 Reflectors should be used around the top of the oven (front, back, and both sides) to
increase light energy entering the oven. The angle of the reflectors should be adjustable.
The reflectors should be removeable or should be able to fold over the window when
the cover is placed over the oven.
 The shape of the oven should be a long rectangle, with the lengthwise ends facing east
and west. The reflectors and the oven top should be angled towards the angle of
declination of the sun. In this way, the largest area of the reflectors will not need to be
re-adusted during the course of the day. The optimum length of the oven is 3x to 4x (or
greater) of the width of the oven.
 The optimum angle for reflectors is 20 to 25 degrees on either side of the solar
declination. So, if the sun is at 30 degrees, then the reflectors will be at 10 and 50
degrees or 5 and 55 degrees.
 The length of the reflectors should be between 1.2x (for 25 degrees angle) and 2x (for
20 degrees angle), where 'x' is the width of the oven window. The reflectors on the
longest side only need to be set in angle once per day. They should reflect light directly
into the oven window, or onto the end reflector, but not onto the reflector on the
opposite side.
 The end reflectors (along the shortest sides) will need to be set twice per day. First,
when the cover is removed in the morning, the west end reflector should be 90 degrees
from horizontal, and the east end reflector should not be set up. This set up should
remain until about solar noon, when the west reflector should be taken down and the
east reflector should be set up to 90 degrees from horizontal.
 If the oven is located within 25 degrees of latitude on either side of the equator, the top
of the oven should be horizontal. The oven will then have a rectangular shape, when
viewed from the side or top.
 If the oven is located above 25 degrees latitude, AND if it will be used in the winter, then
the top of the oven should be angled at latitude plus 10 degrees. Example: at 27 degrees
latitude, the angle of the oven window should be 37 degrees facing South (in the
Northern hemisphere).
 If the oven is located above 25 degrees latitude, AND if it will NOT be used in the winter
(November thru February, in the Northern hemisphere), then the window of the oven
should be tilted at latitude. Example: at 43 degrees latitude, the angle of the oven
window should be 43 degrees facing South (in the Northern hemisphere).
 If the oven is located so far North or South that it can only be used in the summer, then
the angle of the oven window should be latitude plus 10 degrees. Example: at 63
degrees North latitude (in Alaska), the angle of the window would be 73 degrees (at
which point the triangle shape may need to be modified to have a short flat top, rather
than a point at the top (in order to make room for the metal food container within the
oven). Fairbanks, Alaska, may be able to make use of this type of solar oven as early as
mid March and as late as early October.
 If the oven is located in the Northern Hemisphere, then the angle of the window should
face South, because the sun will always be to the South. If the oven is located in the
Southern Hemisphere, then the angle of the window should face North, because the sun
will always be to the North.
 The most effective time of day for a solar oven is from about one or two hours after
sunrise to about one or two hours before sunset. For those hours, the oven should be
open to the sun.
 For the other hours of the day and night, the heat retention solar oven must be covered
with a well-insulated cover. This cover is the key to the effectiveness of this solar oven
design. Without the cover, the solar oven will not retain heat from one day to the next.
Even if it is somewhat cloudy outside, the oven should be able to take in more energy than
it loses with the cover off.
 On very cloudy or rainy days, the cover should be left on the oven in order to retain the
stored heat.
 The oven goes through a warm up period. During this time the heat retention material is
storing some energy from each day. The oven can be used during the warm up period,
but it will not yet reach maximum temperature range, especially at night and in the
early morning.
 It may take days or weeks for the oven to reach its maximum temperature range. If the
maximum temperature is too high, decrease the area of the window or remove the
reflectors. If the max temp is too low, increase the insulation on the window and/or the
door and sides. If the minimum temp is too low, increase the amount of heat retention
material or increase the insulation.
 Below is an example of a slightly larger Heat Retention Solar Oven that accomodates
two interior separate cooking ovens, within the overall design.
 The Heat Retention Material in the drawings above could be bricks, or cinder blocks, or
salt, or ceramic tiles. If I had to choose among those materials, probably bricks would be
the first choice as they are easy to work with and have a high specific heat capacity.
Mathematical Calculations
The math calculations are summed up in the Solar Oven Spreadsheet. It requires a Java-
compliant web browser and will open in a new browser window. It takes a moment to load the
page. It works better in Internet Explorer than in Netscape. You can download a copy of this
spreadsheet and the Java files that make it work in this zipped file. It is possible to use this same
spreadsheet, online or downloaded, to analyze other types of solar ovens, even those that do
not retain heat. Some of the calculations on the spreadsheet require some explanation, given in
detail on this page.
There are a number of possible design variations for the HRSO. This second HRSO spreadsheet
explains the design of a triangular shaped
There is also a general purpose solar oven calculator (a simplified version of the above
spreadsheet), which does not take into account heat retention. A zipped download of the solar
oven calculator is available here.
Using the spreadsheet, you can change the various specifications for the Heat Retention Solar
Oven, or any solar oven, and immediately see whether you would obtain more energy for the
oven, or less.
For example, change the width or length or height fields and then look at field (f27) to see the
change in Net Energy. Notice that a shorter solar oven will retain more net energy. If you raise
the height value too high, the net energy will be negative. This does not necessarily mean that
the oven will not work. You must adjust other values to see if you can obtain a positive net
energy.
Increasing the size of the Reflector will increase net energy. The spreadsheet sets the reflector
size to the width times one meter, plus the length times one meter. In other words, each of the
four sides of the solar oven has a 1/2 meter reflector. You can click on the Reflector field (b13)
and backspace to delete the current formula (it will be returned to the default when the page is
refreshed). Then enter any number you'd like to test.
Decreasing the cooking temperature (c14) will increase net energy because heat loss depends
partly on the temperature difference between the interior and exterior of the oven. Will the
oven reach 450 degrees F? Enter 450 into field (c14) and see if the net energy is positive or
negative. A solar oven design that fails to cook at 450 F may still cook at 300 F.
The Heat Loss section of the spreadsheet looks at loss of heat energy through the walls, floor,
and top of the solar oven. Since this oven is meant to be covered whenever there is insufficient
sunlight, there are differing amounts of heat loss depending on whether it is covered or
uncovered. One of the main obstacles to any solar oven design is minimizing heat loss through
the transparent window on top of the oven. This design uses three panes of glass with a 2-inch
space between each pane and an estimated R-value of 3.23.
Lines 22 thru 25 calculate the amount of energy input from the sun. Line 23 takes the average
daily solar irradiation (sun energy) and discounts it to 80% because the solar oven will not
function effectively in the early or late daylight hours. The oven is best kept covered during
those times and therefore about 20% of the daily energy from the sun is not used. If the oven
were uncovered, it would lose more heat than it would gain during those times. (Line 23 does
not effect any of the other lines in the spreadsheet.) Line 25 takes the hourly solar irradiation
(watts per sq. meter) and multiplies it by the number of uncovered hours, then discounts it
because the glass window does not let 100% of the sunlight into the oven.
Line 27 tells you if the solar oven produces more energy than it uses.
Additional Possibilities
Alaska: theoretically, Heat Retention Solar Oven may work even in Alaska (in the summer).
Modify the design specs so that the floor and sides and the cover each have an R-value of R90.
Leave the oven uncovered (in summer) for about 8 to 9 hours each sunny day. Use large
reflector panels. Cover the oven at night, and on cloudy days. Use four panes of glass
(preferably with anti-reflective coating) and at least a 1/4 inch between each pane, to acheive
an R-value of R4 for the window.
Ideal Solar Oven Shape:

In order to maximize the efficiency of the oven, one needs to minimize the surface area of the
walls and floor and maximize the area of the window. Heat enters through the window and it
exits the solar oven through the walls and floor. (Of course, heat also exits through the window,
but any successful design will have more heat entering than leaving through the window, so the
net effect is that heat enters.)
A rectangular shaped solar oven has five surfaces, (four walls and a floor), with a net heat loss.
But a triangular shaped solar oven has only four surfaces with a net heat loss (three walls and a
floor). This triangular arrangement decreases the overall heat loss of the oven, improving
efficiency. Another shape with lowered net heat loss is the "pizza box" shape, i.e. having a very
low height. Adding height to a rectangular oven decreases efficiency and increases het loss. The
lower the oven the better.
Also, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the reflectors, without constant readjustment,
the solar oven should be a long shape, with one end facing east and the other facing west. The
logitudinal axis of the oven would then allow the longest reflectors to align with the solar
declination. Thus, the longest reflectors would not need to be readjusted. The end reflectors
would be smaller and could be set up with the western end reflector at 90 degrees and the
eastern reflector down, in the morning. Then, at about solar noon, the western reflector would
be taken down and the eastern end reflector would be at 90 degrees from horizontal.
In areas of the word 25 degrees of latitude or less, the rectangular oven shape, with a low
height would be most efficient. However, above 25 degrees latitude, the triangular shape
would be best, with the window tilted towards the South. The angle of tilt should be the same
as the latitude plus ten degrees (when used year round). If the oven is only used in the spring,
summer, and fall, then the angle of tilt should be the same as the latitude.
Solar Oven Size and Cultural Considerations:

Most solar oven designs come from developed, industrialized nations. The culture in those
nations generally favors small family size or even individuals living completely on their own.
People in these cultures like independence and mobility. The solar ovens designed in these
nations reflect the culture. They are small ovens designed for a "family of four" or fewer. They
are light and easily transportable. But they don't feed very many people. They have design
limitations caused by cultural blind spots.
In other areas of the world, and in other cultures, family size is much larger and people live in a
more communal setting, such as a small town or a village. The best design for such a culture
would be a larger solar oven that could cook a large meal for a dozen or more persons, and one
which had perhaps more than one oven compartment. A very large solar oven could be built
with 2, 3, or even 4 separate oven compartments, for use by an extended family or a small
village. Such a design would be more fitting to many areas of the world.
A Heat Retention Solar Oven could be made large enough to have four oven compartments
within a single solar oven. One oven compartment could be on each side of the oven. A large
enough solar oven should be able to supply enough heat for all four ovens (about 1500 watt-
hours per oven per day, or 6 kW-hours per day total). One of the main weaknesses with the
typical solar oven design is that it only cooks enough food for a few people. But, in areas of the
world where solar ovens are most useful, such as in small villages, people live in extended
families and they live and work cooperatively together as a village. They need a large solar oven
capable of cooking for an extended family or for a good portion of the village itself. A large Heat
Retention Solar Oven would fit their needs better than the typical solar ovens they are offered.

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Heat Retention Solar Oven

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Cover the Oven at Night

Cook Anytime, Day or Night, in a Solar Oven

Ideal Solar Oven Shape:

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