We are the second dreariest city in the US, so having more sunshine won't hurt us. Of course you can get a portable solar simulator, but that will set you back couple of Franklins. The goal is to make a solar simulator for less than $300. For practical purposes, the simulator will able to replicate wide spectrum of solar energy and be useful for future experiments that require UV and Infrared light. One of the goals is to test how effective this simulator will be in purifying water using the Solar Disinfection sterilization technique.