Four solaire d'Odeillo | |
42°29′38″N 2°01′45″E / 42.4939°N 2.0292°E | |
Location | Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via |
---|---|
Width | 54 metres (177 ft) |
Height | 48 metres (157 ft) |
Beginning date | 1962 |
Completion date | 1968 |
Opening date | 1969 |
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,[1][2] and has a power of one megawatt.
It serves as a science research site studying materials at very high temperatures.