Solar Brother offers you plans for a solar oven with a Fresnel lens.
On this page you’ll find a free downloadable PDF tutorial for making a solar oven using a large Fresnel lens. It is inspired by the Heliac solar stove manual. Solar Brother offers an XL Fresnel lens and the S.Reflect® mirror for the construction of this stove.
Advanced solar handyman
Completion time: 2-3 days
Material available on site
How does a Fresnel lens work?
The Fresnel lens is a thin, flat optical lens invented by French physicist Augustin Fresnel in 1822. Unlike a traditional lens, it’s made of a series of narrow concentric grooves glued to the surface of a lightweight plastic sheet. Each groove has the same focal length, but is at a slightly different angle to the next in order to concentrate the light at one point. Each groove can be thought of as a small individual lens that bends the light.
The advantage of the Fresnel lens is that it greatly reduces the thickness of a conventional lens. The use of plastic instead of glass makes the lens thinner, lighter and more economical, while maintaining the same performance. This also makes the Fresnel lens flexible and unbreakable.
For your safety
– Wear glasses to protect your eyes from mirror reflections when handling the oven in the sun.
– Wear protective gloves when removing hot food after cooking.
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