Buying a Hybrid Solar Oven

A number of solar oven units and kits can be purchased, which make it possible to cook food using sunlight. However, there is a more versatile type available, called a hybrid solar oven. These can cook from either solar power or from the power provided by a regular AC electrical outlet, making it possible to use them at night or when it is cloudy.

Several web sites sell hybrid solar powered ovens, including Lehman's (lehmans.com), Camping Gear Outlet (camping-gear-outlet.com), eBay.com, Alternative Energy Store (altenergystore.com) and SolarHome.org. Two advantages of using eBay.com for buying a hybrid solar oven is the eBay feedback system (helps to promote good service) and the ability to pay with PayPal or a money order, while many shopping web sites only accept credit cards and/or checks.

The cost of a hybrid solar oven is fairly expensive, usually ranging from about $235-$350 dollars plus shipping and handling. Shipping generally costs about $25-30, occasionally more. Some shopping web sites offer free shipping if a certain level of spending is exceeded. The ovens usually come with some accessories. It is rare to see used hybrid solar ovens offered for sale, probably because of their high new price and lack of availability in stores.

A potentially less expensive, but more complex, alternative is to purchase one or more solar panels, power storage batterie(s) with a voltage output of twelve volts, a small electric oven which can be run on 12 volt power (buying one of these costs about $200 less than hybrid ovens do), and the necessary parts to connect them together. However, this requires substantial research of electricity and solar panels, as well as assembly work and time spent buying a number of separate products.

An alternative which is not as complicated is to buy a less expensive solar-only oven, along with a regular 110v toaster oven or microwave (both of these use substantially less energy than a typical conventional oven), and use one or the other depending upon the amount of sunlight which is available. On the other hand, neither of these alternatives are as portable as the hybrid solar powered oven is. As many web sites which sell them point out, a DC-to-AC power inverter of sufficient wattage can enhance the portability by allowing hybrid ovens to be powered through a DC power source (such as a cigarette lighter).

Although they are fairly expensive and offered by a limited number of retailers, buying a hybrid solar powered oven will make your cooking ability more self-reliant, save money on electricity, and have less impact on the environment than a typical oven running on AC power.