A solar oven traps sun’s ray or solar particles called photons to generate heat. Metallic reflectors are positioned around the oven to maximize the light input. Sun’s rays pass through the oven’s transparent glass top and strike the interior of the insulated box.

To get the best output, a dark, metallic pot is placed at the center of the oven, so that it can absorb the incoming sun’s rays. Once the cooking pot becomes warmer than the surrounding air, the heated air tries to escape to a cooler space. Since it cannot break through the glass barrier, it remains trapped inside. The heat is reflected back to the metal pot and the oven’s temperature rises rapidly. It can go up to even 400 degrees Fahrenheit on a very hot sunny day.

That’s in a nutshell how a solar oven works. Using the same principle you can make a simple pizza box solar oven at home.

How To Make A Solar Oven For S’mores With A Pizza Box

What you need for this experiment is a pizza box, a skewer foil, tape, ruler, plastic wrap, black paper, box cutter and a hot sunny day.

So to start, make an outline on the pizza box about an inch away from all the corners.

Take a box cutter and cut the lines traced out. Cut out three sides so the front of the box pivots up.

It flips up just like that. Next, we’re going to take some aluminum foil and we’re going to foil the piece that we just flipped up.

Cut a piece of foil and you lay it on the back just a little bit bigger than the flipped up piece itself. Fold it over and use scotch tape or any kind of tape to tape it to the top part of the box.

Next, make a glass-like window using a plastic saran wrap and cover the cut-out space. Ensure that it is stretched out nice and tight. Tape it on the outside so it stays in place.

So now you’ve got the plastic lid over the cutout portion. Next, layer the inside of the pizza box so that the aluminum foil is covering the whole bottom of the box.

Don’t use any tape on the inside but tape the outside so it holds down.

Next cut out a piece of black paper put it on the bottom of the pan.

Take a skewer and put it in there are little holes on the side of the pizza box. Prop it up against the lid and then tape it in.

Put graham cracker marshmallow chocolate on an aluminum plate inside the oven and put the oven on Sun.

Make sure you put it to an angle so that there’s enough reflection coming down into the tray.

The heat would then come up get trapped in the plastic lid and cook the shmores.

You will know it is done when you can see the marshmallows very gooey and the chocolate is has melted.

 

 

As solar garden lights are decorative and bright enough to light walkway, fence and decks they have become a trend in outdoor and landscape design. Another reason for the solar garden lights to become popular is that they are durable and long-lasting and easy to install.

Many are manufactured to be waterproof and can deal with different weather types including snow. However, it is not easy to choose solar garden lights for fence and pathways if you are clueless as there are myriad of options.

So let’s dive in deeper to help you make your decision.

Wall Mount Solar Fence Post Lights

The honeycomb type cut in the durable plastic cover gives off a great design below the light. These solar fence lights can be mounted on the wall and are made to handle all weather conditions – wind, snow, and rain

OTHWAY-Solar-Lights-Decorative-Lighting

It is easy to install within minutes as there are no confusing wires. The built in sensor and automated switch will turn the lights on when it is dark and turn off when it is light, however, one of the buyers at Amazon had a problem with its light sensitivity. Read all the feedback here.

Motion Sensor Solar LED Lights

These solar LED lights can operate in three modes. First, the security mode where the motion sensor can turn the light on and off automatically. It can detect people up to 26 feet within an angle of 120 agrees.

Second is a permanent mode where the lights turn or automatically when dark and stay on the whole night.
The third option is Smart brightness mode where the light stays on all night and turns brighter when it detects motion.

It comes with a high energy efficient solar panel with PET lamination and premium LED lights, having 20. 5% Conversion Rate with 1. 2W Monocrystalline silicon

With waterproof IP65 these solar LED lights can be used as an outdoor security night light for wall lighting, patio light, solar garden light, porch light, lawn, pathway lights, gutter light, deck light. It has been specifically designed to withstand extreme weather conditions.

Read what the customers are saying about it here

Waterproof Solar Lantern Light With Dancing Flame

With the realistic dancing flame which looks like the real flame, it can be an attractive decoration for sideways, stairs, pathways, walls, patio, and porch.

With high efficient solar panels, these hanging solar lantern lights can be lighted up for 15 hours. It needs 4-5 hours charging under the sun.

And of course, with no wires, no batteries needed, installation is super easy. Just hang it under the sunshine to absorb the solar energy, then the solar panel will transfer the solar energy into electricity.

As other models, it comes with IP65 Waterproof and durable ABS Plastic making it durable for all weather conditions outdoor.

Check out the videos the Amazon buyers have shared for these solar lantern lamps used in outdoor lighting

Solar Post Cap Lights For Decks, Stairways, and Pathways

These Solar Cap Post Lights will perfectly fit the post base that has dimension within 3.58″ x 3.58″. So measure your posts before purchasing. They are perfect for anywhere with wooden piles or fence.

Lights-Outdoor-Wooden-Waterproof-Decoration

These outdoor post deck lights get charged in sunlight for 8 to 10 hours and can provide 6 to 8 hours illumination. These solar LED fence lights are made of durable plastic and can work properly under all kinds of weather with the waterproof rating of IP44. You can read more about these solar Post cap lights here.

The best type of solar fence lights is great in quality and energy-efficient. They not only decorate your fences, posts and pathways but also saves you on energy.

Hope our recommendations above, will enable you to choose the one that suits you best.

 

 

Are you considering going solar? Wondering whether solar will work in winter when the nippy spell sets in?

The short answer is Yes, solar does actually work well in winter! It’s because solar systems work by absorbing light (not heat) from the sun to convert it to electrical energy. So all solar systems including solar panels will continue to fuel your home as long as they are getting light irrespective of the temperature.

On the contrary, to the common misconception, the cold temperature can actually perk up solar panel output as the reflection of sunlight on the white snow can improve PV performance. Also, like most electronics products, solar panels function more efficiently in cold conditions than in hot. This actually results in the generation of more power for each hour of sunshine during the short winter days.

Winter will only hurt solar production if the panels are completely covered with snow.

How Does Snow Affect The Solar Panels?

If snow covers your solar panels completely, they can’t produce electricity. To handle this problem most solar panels that are installed on the rooftop are tilted at a certain angle to attract sunlight, and naturally, melt the snow due to the heat they attract from the sun. As a result, snow can slide off on its own.

However, the sliding off the snow on its own can take some time. To take control of the situation you can get a solar panel snow rake like this one to remove the snow without doing any damage to the panels.

Another major concern people have is about the weight of the snow on the panels and whether they can withstand it.

You should be aware that all solar panels are made to undergo pressure tests to evaluate their durability and quality. Higher pressure ratings indicate that the panels are better at withstanding the weight of heavy snow. So in localities where there are heavy snowfall, it makes sense to install solar panels with higher pressure ratings than those which gets lighter snowfall.

In general, sun’s heat, wind, and the tilt of solar panels are good enough to eventually remove snow on its own. A study was done by the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, actually has shown that solar panels from which snow was removed, experienced only 1% to 5% more production than ones left with snow cover, during a 3 year period. So it’s not that a big deal.

Need further proof regarding whether solar panel works well in Cold Climates or During Winter?

Consider Germany, which gets similar sunshine as that of Alaska. For over a decade, this northern European country like Germany has been leading the world in solar panel installations.

In fact, Germany is a perfect example of how solar can work in winter weather across the globe.

If you are you’re a homeowner considering solar, winter is the best time to shop for solar as it’s the slow season for solar and you get the best deals in winter as many people have the misconception that solar panel does not produce electricity in winter.