Catching Rays: Students Use Sun's Power For Cooking

By RYAN OLSON - Staff Writer
Article Launched: 05/17/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT

PARADISE — Sixth-grade students provided a high-power cooking demonstration on Wednesday, but didn't use a watt of electricity or drop of gas.
The Evergreen Sixth Grade Program's "Solarbration" featured 15 of the group's 16 new solar ovens, which were used to bake snacks and other foods. Throughout the morning, students monitored the ovens — black boxes topped with a tall crown of silver mirrors to direct the sun. At one point, Tanner Misso adjusted the ovens for the best angle to face the sun.

Jannie Squire and Julianna Wiggins explained how the ovens work. The mirrors reflect the light into the oven. The black oven absorbs the heat while being aided by a greenhouse effect caused by the oven's clear plastic cover.

"As long as they're pointed at the sun, you can use them," Squire said.

Here is one 15 solar ovens used at Evergreen 6 in Paradise Wednesday during a "solarbration." The students cooked a variety of foods using the solar power of the ovens. (Ryan Olson/Enterprise-Record)

The ovens are available for students to check out over weekends to experiment at home. Wiggins said cooking with her family was easy and fun.

"I think they enjoy it because it's a new way of helping the world a little bit," she said.

The row of ovens were reminiscent of the latest devices one might see in an infomercial. Like Ron Popeil, students cooked a bevy of culinary treats to show the versatility of using the sun.

While the zucchini bread didn't feature a golden-brown crust, it was moist and baked thoroughly. Natalie Crawford said it's fun cooking in the oven, although the result can vary from convention methods.

"It turns out differently, but it's more well cooked," Crawford said.

The ovens were one of the eight stations set up between the classrooms. At other stations, students taught people about items including the sun and discussed the program's solar panel which generates electricity.

In one classroom, students beamed as they explained the difference between non-renewable sources of power — such as coal, natural gas and nuclear fission — to renewable sources such as wind, hydroelectric and solar.

Jacob Canney noted that Evergreen 6 uses solar energy for some of its electricity demands.

"I think it's cool that our school is solar-powered," he said.

The students will also use the solar ovens to bake goodies at various events around town. Sale proceeds will help raise money to purchase solar ovens for families in Africa. In the United States, commercial solar ovens cost about $250.

Holman said the program is working with a teacher in Oakland who travels to Africa to teach families to cook with the sun.

Students said the solar ovens will help African families by reducing the need to use wood to cook, which will save resources and cut smoke pollution. In addition to providing a clean, low-cost way to cook food, the ovens can also purify water by heating it above a certain temperature.

Holman said the boxes can heat up well — up to 450 degrees — with direct sunlight or limited clouds, even when it's cold out. However, the boxes aren't efficient when the sun isn't around.

Holman said the students and other solar chefs were getting used to the boxes. Because the ovens rely on the sun, one can't merely "set it and forget it." The ovens have to be checked to keep an eye on the temperature.

One key element of Wednesday's event was that teachers worked in the background while students led the discussions and demonstrations. Several third-grade classes passed through the stations. This instruction method is stressed by The NEED Project, which is a partner in the solar schools program.

Barry Scott, a program coordinator with NEED, said having students teach other students is the most powerful way to learn.

"When kids take on the responsibility to teach anything, they remember it forever," Scott said.