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Solar ovens use reflectors to concentrate solar radiation and create heat, which can be used for cooking or generating electricity. The technology has been introduced in developing countries to reduce deforestation, but with limited success. Solar furnaces can generate over 1,000 degrees of heat, but accurately aiming mirrors is a major limitation. Dish-Stirling systems use parabolic mirrors to heat rock salt and produce steam for electricity. Archimedes is said to have used a solar furnace for warfare, but this is unlikely due to the technology limitations of his time.
A solar oven is any device that creates heat by concentrating solar radiation through the use of reflectors. A small one can be used to cook food without consuming firewood, while a larger one can generate electricity by heating a gas. There have been attempts to introduce the technology in developing countries to minimize firewood-related deforestation, but with only limited success.
The working principle of a solar oven is quite simple. Take two mirrors, point them at a fire, and the intensity of sunlight in that fire will increase approximately threefold. This is because, instead of only receiving light from the sun, the focuser receives light from the sun and two mirrors. Create those ten mirrors and you start getting useful heat levels for applications like cooking food.
At least some hobbyist groups have built a solar furnace that generates over 1,000 degrees of heat, capable of burning most organic material to ashes. In principle, the major limitation of how much solar energy can be focused on a point is a function of how accurately mirrors can be aimed at the focus. The solar furnace is one of those technologies that our ancestors would have found extremely useful, if only they had the means to make highly reflective mirrors, which they don’t have. Ancient mirrors were simply polished silver or copper, while modern mirrors consist of a thin layer of aluminum deposited on the glass.
A dish-Stirling system is a solar furnace that uses parabolic mirrors to focus sunlight on rock salt, which melts and can be used to heat water and produce steam to drive a turbine. These are more efficient than photovoltaic solar cells. Greek inventor Archimedes is said to have used a solar furnace to set enemy ships on fire during warfare, but this is unlikely, as he did not possess the technology to focus mirrors precisely on a target more than a few meters away.
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