The Tampa Bay area gets about 250 sunny days each year. In just 1.5 millionth of a second, the sun emits the amount of energy the earth consumes each year. That’s according to Dr. Tracy Fanara, otherwise known as Inspector Planet. Dr. Fanara is an environmental engineer and currently works at Mote Marine Lab.

Inspector Planet took News Channel 8 Meteorologist Leigh Spann to the roof deck of the News Channel 8 studios to show the power of the sun by making a solar oven. Using reflective insulation and a cardboard box, Inspector Planet reflected the sun’s rays onto a pot to cook s’mores. Click here for directions on making a solar oven.

In addition to being a sustainable energy supply, solar ovens can help save lives in developing countries.

Many women around the world currently collect wood to burn for cooking, but the fire can create unsafe breathing conditions. Using a device like a solar oven, it would provide a safer option for cooking even when no electricity is available.

It would also be a cleaner way to boil water to help get rid of life-threatening bacteria in drinking water. 

About 6,000 people die a day from unsafe drinking water. In the right conditions, a solar oven can boil water in about 10 minutes.