Odeillo, taming the sun

The solar furnace at Odeillo in the Pyrénées Orientales is the most powerful apparatus of its kind constructed to date (1000 kw). It is a part of CNRS' Institut de science et de génie des matériaux et procédés (IMP).
The sun's rays are collected by a wall of 63 flat mirrors called heliostats, able to move on two axes in order to follow the course of the sun. The solar rays are reflected onto a large parabolic mirror (height 40 m, width 54 m) and concentrated in a focusing tower 20 m high. The resulting temperature can reach 3400°C.
The research undertaken by the IMP is concerned with the properties of materials and the development of manufacturing processes. There are numerous applications of this research in the fields of space, energy, and the environment.