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Last edited: 13 July 2024
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The Copenhagen Solar Cooker
This photo shows the positions of the reflectors when cooking at low sun angles. Note that plate of food is there just to illustrate the cooking power.
Alternative cooking position when the sun is low in the sky, by creating a 'tunnel' with the reflectors to capture the sunlight
The Copenhagen Solar Cooker is a small, compact, inexpensive solar panel cooker made from durable, reflective vinyl covered panels . The cooker is also available as an easily assembled kit containing four flexible vinyl panels, four clips and two base plates and a sturdy bootlace from Sharon Clausson. The panels are held between the base plates with the bootlace threaded through holes in corners, and clip to each other to create the panel cooker shape. Because the cooker is held only with clips and a sturdy bootlace, disassembly is easy. The panels then stack neatly, making this cooker quite portable.
The designer states that the curved shape of the cooker is more stable than typical panel cookers in windy conditions. For best results, the cooker is meant to be used with a dark pot with a glass cover, to reach temperatures of 150 - 190 °C (302 - 374 °F). An oven bag can be used around pan in cold weather.
The panels can also be laid flat for use as place mats. Sit a lantern inside to reflect more light at night.
To purchase a kit for USD 49.99, contact Sharon Clausson.
- Weight: 21 oz.
- Dimensions (unassembled): 15" x 15" x 1"
News
- October 2023: Adjusting the Copenhagen Solar Cooker reflectors for high and low sun angles - Sharon Clausson has shared photos showing how the new reflector snap arrangement on the Copenhagen Solar Cooker provides the best solar orientation at different times of the day.
The first snap arrangement is used mid-AM and mid-PM, the second one is for early-AM and late-PM, on the right is for 11AM to 1PM. The focus is always on the center of the pan, Photo credit: Sharon Clausson
- November 2021: Sharon Clausson has provided simple construction instructions for a large version of the Copenhagen Light cooker. Build the Beast Copenhagen Solar Cooker
- November 2020: Instructions to make a Kid's Copenhagen Light panel cooker (Solar Education Project)
- September 2020:
- March 2020:
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The Copenhagen modified by the Solar Education Project. These directions are a modified version of the Copenhagen. It makes a very large and easily foldable panel oven that I call “The Beast”. The size was chosen because of standard poster board size. See also Solar Education Project.
- September 2019: Improvements to the Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light - Sharon Clausson has added snaps to the border of the reflective panels for easy and precise positioning. The colored snaps locate positions for optimal mid-day and early/late day cooking performance. New cookers receive this modification.
Photo credit: Sharon Clausson
- September 2019: Gujarat Man Teaches Tribal Women to Make Solar Cookers That Cost Just Rs 100! - The Better India
- September 2017: A Maker’s Journey to Help Refugees Cook Food with the Sun - Makezine
The two-plate base of the cooker has a larger lower plate to increase stability in the wind. Photo credit: Michael Götz
- June 2017: a wider base option - Michael Götz has offered a suggestion to construct the cooker base with different size pieces. The lower plate is made larger, and offers more stability for the cooker in the wind.
- December 2014: Sharon has provided an instructional video and separate assembly instructions for individuals and groups wishing to make their own Copenhagen Solar Cooker panel cookers. See The Copenhagen Solar Oven assembly instructions.
Construction
Cardboard base variation
The Copenhagen Solar Cooker can also be built with a cardboard base
Teong Tan writes:
"I consider the Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light as one of the best simple solar cooker designs that I have come across. I admire its simplicity, compactness, adjustability as well as its amazing cooking power despite its small size. The inventor, Sharon Clausson, did a wonderful job with the cooker design. In this writeup, I would like to introduce an alternate base plate, which will result in an improvement to the cooker’s assembly time from 15 minutes to a minute and disassembly to less than 10 seconds. With this alternate base plate, there is no more worry of the bolt or nut getting lost when you bring your Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light with you on your next hiking or camping trip."
Audio and video
- June 2012:
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How to Make Copenhagen Solar Cooker-0
Step-by-step instructions for how to make a Copenhagen solar cooker. This is a neat solar cooker where the cooking pot stays flat on the ground and the flexible reflectors (or panels) are adjusted around it. I make it using poster board, cardboard, aluminum foil and a shoelace. At the end I show it solar cooking a hard boiled egg.
Images
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Sharon created a photo collage of various reflector configurations of the Copenhagen Solar Cooker - Photo credit: Sharon Clausson
The Purple Fig variation
Purple Fig Solar Cooker.
Sharon Clausson has made available instructions for making this inexpensive (less than $5 USD) version of the Copenhagen Solar Cooker Light. It can be found at Purple Fig Solar Cooker
Documents
- July 2024: Experimental evaluation of the performance of new Copenhagen solar cooker configurations as a function of solar altitude angle - ScienceDirect
- January 2018: A Comparison of Copenhagen Solar Cookers with Other Similar Sized Solar Cookers (Slides, Paper) - Sharon Clausson
See also
External links
- Handbook on how to build and use the Copenhagen Solar Cooker
- Facebook: Copenhagen Solar Cooker Group
- Buy the kit:
- Purple Fig Solar Cooker
- Camouflage Solar Cooker
Contact
- See Sharon Clausson.Sharon Clausson