ABSTRACT
The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) solar furnace built in Odeillo is composed of a system of automatic helio-stats, which give a parallel light beam oriented southward, and a reflecting paraboloid larger than 2000m, which receives the parallel beam and focuses it. The problem of obtaining higher power with solar furnaces has been studied in the CNRS Solar Energy Laboratory in France for more than 20 years. In 1952, the first 50kW prototype was built in Montlouis, and with this it became possible to perfect simple techniques for utilizing focused radiation. From these, profiles for building a much more powerful apparatus were established on a firm experimental basis. The 1000kW solar furnace of Odeillo, built by the CNRS on a large piece of ground near Montlouis and Font Romeu, has the following characteristic: the orienting device consists of 63 independent apparatus which are automatically operated by photoelectric control of their reflected rays.
