The Odeillo solar furnace is the world's largest solar furnace . It is situated in Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via , in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales , in the south of France . It is 48 metres (157 ft) high and 54 metres (177 ft) wide, and includes 63 heliostats . It was built between 1962 and 1968, started operating in 1969, and has a power of one megawatt.
12-589: It serves as a science research site studying materials at very high temperatures. It is situated in Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via , in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales , region of Occitania , in south of France . The site was chosen because: The solar power plant of Themis and the Mont-Louis Solar Furnace are situated nearby. The principle used is the concentration of rays by reflecting mirrors (9,600 of them). The solar rays are picked up by
24-442: A DCA (French: Défense Contre Avions = anti-aircraft) mirror. They demonstrated the ability to reach high temperatures very quickly, and in a very pure environment, using highly concentrated sunlight. Their aim was to melt ore and extract highly pure materials for making new and improved refractories. To achieve this objective and test the various possibilities, a first solar furnace was built at Mont-Louis in 1949. Some years later, on
36-401: A first set of steerable mirrors located on the slope, and then sent to a second series of mirrors (the concentrators ), placed in a parabola and eventually converging on a circular target, 40 cm in diameter, on top of the central tower. Equivalent to concentrating the energy of "10,000 suns", the solar furnace produces a peak power of 1000 kW. The research areas are also extended to
48-595: A property of the Urg family until the 13th century. It was then bought by Peter of Fenouillet, viscount of Fenouillet and then viscount of Ille. A chapel was mentioned for the first time in Font-Romeu in 1525, on the territory of Odeillo. It already hosted a statue of the Virgin Mary from the 13th century, and a hermitage was built from 1693 to receive the pilgrims. Odeillo and Via both became communes in 1790. The commune of Via
60-528: Is served by the Yellow Train line, a railway which runs from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol . The names of Odeillo and Via appear in 839 as parrochia Hodellone et parrochia Avizano . The name Font-Romeu means in Catalan "fountain of the pilgrim ". Odeillo and Via were both mentioned for the first time in 839 among the places paying a fee to La Seu d'Urgell church . Nevertheless, Odeillo
72-633: The Spanish border in the south of France . It comprises the villages of Odeillo and Via, as well as Font-Romeu, one of the oldest ski resorts in France and the oldest in the Pyrenees . Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via is located in the canton of Les Pyrénées catalanes and in the arrondissement of Prades . It is bordered by the communes of Angoustrine-Villeneuve-des-Escaldes , Targasonne , Égat , Estavar , Saillagouse , Eyne and Bolquère . Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via station
84-542: The aviation and aerospace industries. Experiments can be conducted there in conditions of high chemical purity. The high temperature materials division use the furnace to evaluate radome survival during MIRV warhead earth re-entry along with investigating other material properties under the "high energy thermal radiation environment" frequently produced by " nuclear devices ". In 1946 French chemist Felix Trombe and his team achieved in Meudon their first experience of using
96-502: The conversion of solar energy into electricity. From 1990, there was an information center on the site which was open to the public until 2017, and was independent of the CNRS laboratory. Designed for young and old, Héliodyssée allowed them to learn about solar energy and its derivatives (other forms of renewable energy, and its uses in the home) and the work of researchers from CNRS on energy, environmental, materials for space, and materials of
108-473: The future. It appears management changed and the site is no longer open to the public. However, it is still possible to visit the open-air facilities. Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via ( French pronunciation: [fɔ̃ ʁɔmø ɔdɛjo vja] ; Catalan : Font-romeu, Odelló i Vià ), or simply Odeillo , is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales and Cerdagne near
120-565: The model of the Mont-Louis furnace and using the results obtained there, a solar furnace of almost industrial size was built at Odeillo. Work on the construction of the Great Solar Oven of Odeillo lasted from 1962 to 1968, and it was commissioned in 1969. Being strong supporters of solar power, following the first oil shock of 1973, researchers at the Odeillo solar furnace made further progress in
132-408: Was abolished and included into Odeillo on 10 July 1822. In 1881, a wildfire caused by arson spread throughout 267 hectares of the forest of La Calme in the north of the commune. . Bolqu%C3%A8re Bolquère ( French pronunciation: [bɔlkɛʁ] ; Catalan : Bolquera ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France . Bolquère is located in
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#1732884856543144-501: Was at the time part of the County of Cerdanya , while Via was a property of the Urg family. On 15 July 1035, Wifred II, Count of Cerdanya , gave Odeillo to the Abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou , where he retired himself a short time before his death. The Abbey of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa also owned a few allods in Odeillo, as recognized by a papal bull from Sergius IV in 1011. Via remained
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