Now you’re cooking

And with an average of 300 sunny days a year, harnessing solar power in our valley makes sense — or is that cents, as in an easy way to save on your annual energy expenses.

Take landscape lighting, for example.

“Just stick them in the ground. There’s nothing to hard wire,” said Rob Zoine, a lighting expert at The Home Depot. “The longer they stay in the sun, the better they are. That’s why they’re so good here.”

Zoine says solar lights, such as those made by Malibu and Hampton Bay, are ideal for valley residents to use in their yards. Atop each light is a solar panel capable of producing enough energy to operate the light.

The lights, including those with LED bulbs, are best used to mark a walkway or driveway. Zoine said they are not bright enough to use as work lights.

“Another great feature, because of the LED lights, is they won’t go dull or out in the middle of the night. They will stay on through the night and recharge themselves. You pretty much put them where you want them and forget about them,” he said.

If you happen to be sitting by the pool and need to charge your laptop, you can turn to Goal Zero. The Utah-based company offers a full range of solar-energy systems than can run everything from a GPS unit to a fan.

“These easy-to-use products come in a variety of sizes and wattage for any need, ranging from the ultraportable Guide 10 Adventure Kit, which can power a GPS device and speakers on an overnight hike, to the Extreme Explorer Kit, which provides enough power to fuel an entire base camp,” said Halen Seevinck, coordinator of special projects for Goal Zero.

The company’s solar panels charge batteries than can run any number of things, as well as adapters for USB, 12 volt and AC use.

Each power pack is designed to be fully charged from a solar panel in a day of average sunlight. The panels also can be chained together to decrease the charging time.

“Solar-powered products provide freedom for consumers,” he said. “We have a greater need for portable energy than ever before with the increasing usage of portable technology, such as cell phones, laptops, MP3 players, GPS devices and cameras. As the popularity of these devices continues to rise, so is the market for powering them on the go, whether you’re in the mountains, on the beach, in the boardroom, in an emergency situation or on a flight,” Seevinck said.

The sun also is a great water heater. Hundreds of homes around the valley use solar water heating systems for their swimming pools. Southern Nevada Water Authority also recommends the use of solar pool covers and blankets.

Although the primary objective of the pool covers is to prevent evaporation, heating the water without paying for power is an added bonus, said Nicole Lise, public information coordinator for SNWA. With a solar blanket, the water temperature of a pool can easily top 90 or 100 F.

According to Lise, a pool can lose between 10,000 and 15,000 gallons of water a year. Covering the pool can reduce evaporation by as much as 95 percent.

The savings from using the covers is so beneficial — both in needing to replace the lost water and preventing unnecessary heating costs – that SNWA offers rebates to encourage its customers to purchase them. The program started in 2005 and offers residents $50 or 50 percent off the cost of a solar blanket or $200 or 50 percent, whichever is less, off the cost of a permanent cover. Details are available at www.snwa.com.

Solar power can do more than just help “out” around the house. It can help with tasks normally done indoors, too.

Michael Little, manager of Vegas Trailer Supply, has been a proponent of solar power for more than 25 years and has become an expert at cooking with a solar oven.

“It holds the moisture and flavor in the food,” said Little, who has used his solar oven nearly every weekend for the past 13 years. He said the food tastes so much better that his family eats seconds and thirds.

Though it takes a little longer than a traditional indoor oven, Little has found he can make nearly everything in his solar oven that he can inside – and that includes baking bread. About the only thing he prefers not to use his solar oven for is roasting a turkey, but that’s due mostly to its size, the fact that he enjoys the aroma when it cooks inside during the colder winter months and because the oven doubles as a heater.

That heat, while appreciated in the winter, makes your air conditioner work harder in the summer so by cooking outside with a solar oven you’re getting double savings.

By constantly shifting the angle of the collector panels on the sun oven, you can reach temperatures as high as 425 F, Little said.

Little said a solar oven can even be used on an overcast day.

“As long as you can see your shadow, you can cook with a solar oven,” he said.

Because the oven runs just on solar power, it’s ideal for travelers as well as for emergency preparedness kits, he said, noting that Vegas Trailer Supply also sells refrigerators and freezers that operate on solar power.