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The Fun-Panel solar panel cooker can be built in about an hour from a single cardboard box and some aluminum foil. This is significant since traditional solar panel cookers such as the CooKit often require a large sheet of cardboard for construction. The Fun-Panel can also be adjusted more easily for different sun angles. This very powerful cooker is a true breakthough.
Teong Tan, the inventor, based the cooker on Steven Jones's Funnel Cooker with the following changes: The Funnel cooker is very efficient in capturing sunlight with its 60° conical reflecting surface. However, it has an unstable shape that makes it difficult to keep the cooker and the pot in position. Also it is not possible to fit a regular size cooking pot into a regular size Funnel cooker because of limited space at the lower end of the cooker. The Fun-Panel retains the very efficient conical reflecting surface of the funner cooker but eliminates its disadvantages.
[edit] Advantages
- It's easy to figure out how to cut and fold using the cardboard from a single box -- you don't need a big sheet of perfect cardboard.
- All cuts are 90 degree cuts -- no curves.
- It is easily scaled to the size of cardboard box you have on hand.
- You can cook at low sun angles (morning and evening or high latitudes)
[edit] Disadvantages
- This cardboard cooker is not waterproof.
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