This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Boys Scouts Cook Hot Dogs with Sun

PPL hands out CFL bulbs at solar vehicle event

Boy Scout Troop 31 of Old Zionsville decided to sell some hot dogs as a fund raiser.  But these hot dogs were not cooked on a grill, as people often make them.  They were cooked under the rays of the sun.

On April 30, at , the third "Vehicles Converted to Solar Energy" event was held, and the Boy Scouts were there to cook their hot dogs using solar power. 

The day started out rather dreary and cold, but by noon the sun came out and the hot dogs were sizzling and dripping juice in just eight minutes.  Their earth-friendly fund raiser had officially begun.

Find out what's happening in Emmauswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 Prior to the arrival of the sun, the scouts managed to still sell some hot dogs.  “We’re Boy Scouts and we come prepared,” said Scout Leader John Oetting as he lifted a lid to show some pre-cooked doggies.

Oetting said each patrol unit in the his group built its own solar- powered hot dog cooker with just a one-foot by 12-foot piece of wood and some reflective Mylar material.  “They made maximum use of the wood,” said Oetting, “with very little left over.”

Find out what's happening in Emmauswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He said Troop 31 expects to be at the event again next year, which Oetting predicts “will get bigger and bigger – possibly in a few years, another Das Awkst Fescht.”

One of the features of the solar event was the give-away of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) by Steven Cooke, representing PPL Electric Utilities.

He said these bulbs use 75-percent less energy than the incandescent bulb, saving up to $30 over the lifetime of each bulb.  If every household in Pennsylvania would change just one bulb, he added, with an energy-efficient CFL, it would:

  • Save $28 million in energy costs
  • Prevent over 192,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions (the equivalent of taking 33,000 cars off the road)

Saving energy was also a concern to the owners of several electric and solar- powered cars on display at Macungie Park. 

A 2001 Honda Insight, owned by Bertonia Studio, was converted in November 2008 from a hybrid to solar use.  It operates on a 340-volt system, using lithium-polymar batteries.  The car can go about 50 miles before needing a charge of two sunny days.

Don Barry converted his 1983 Nissan pickup to electric in 1999 at an estimated cost of $10,000.  He has a 120-volt system, using 20 6-volt golf cart-type batteries, and can travel about 50 miles before re-charging the batteries for 13 hours.  The truck, he said, uses very little energy and there has been no increase in his electric bill due to the re-charging.

Donald Young showed two cars at the solar event – a 1967 Renault R-10 and a 1993 Honda Civic.  The Renault uses a 120-volt system with 20 6-volt batteries, while the Honda uses a 144-volt system with 12 12-volt batteries.  Both cars can charge up overnight and travel at 65-70 mph.  The Honda is used on a daily basis, but the Renault, because it is an antique car, is driven very minimally.

A 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon was on display by owner Bucks County Renewables.  It was first converted in 2007 to an electric vehicle, and then, in 2009, the e-van was upgraded to a 144-volt system and painted with new “green” paint technology.  The 24 6-volt batteries charge overnight and are ready for use the next day.

The most popular car of the day was a 1992 Mazda Miata “Miata LiFe”, owned by Bob and Marty Hollinger.  It was converted by BH Electrics, Lancaster, Pa.  The bright red car has a 120-volt system, using 36 3.3-volt 200 ah lithium iron phosphate (LiFe PO4) cells.  It can travel 80 miles and goes up to 110 mph on a charge.  At some point, air conditioning will be an added feature to this car.

In addition to the cars and hot dogs, the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association (MAREA) had a display set up for the event goers to look through and take materials.  It is a nonprofit organization “dedicated to informing and educating the public on renewable energy production, energy efficiency, and sustainable living through meetings, workshops, educational materials, and energy fairs.”  MAREA conducts small group workshops on practical alternative energy projects throughout the year.  For more information, visit www.themarea.org.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Emmaus