Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Mont-Louis solar furnace, built just after World War II, is the first such installation in the world. It was designed as a prototype to demonstrate the possibility of reaching extreme temperatures (between 2,000 °C and 3,500 °C) thanks to the concentration of solar rays. This 50 kW oven was used as a model for similar projects, notably the Odeillo solar furnace, built fifteen years later nearby. Its initial objective was to melt minerals to obtain very pure materials, within a rigorous scientific framework.

The history of the solar furnace began in 1946 at the Meudon Observatory, where chemist Felix Trombe and his team performed a pioneering experiment using a DCA mirror. This demonstrates that high temperatures can be generated in a pure environment, paving the way for industrial and scientific applications. In 1949, the first operational solar furnace was installed in Mont-Louis, within the military citadel, thanks to the Trombe initiative and its partnership with General Bergeron. This site became a key laboratory for the CNRS, prior to its transfer to Odeillo in 1968.

The Mont-Louis solar furnace has played a major role in promoting solar energy worldwide. It is engaged in international cooperation programmes, particularly with countries in the South such as Morocco, where solar technologies are adapted for local uses (cooking, metallurgy, pottery). Ranked a historic monument in 2008 and labeled "Twentieth Century Heritage", it remains a symbol of scientific innovation and a place to raise awareness of renewable energies.

Today, the site welcomes visitors for practical demonstrations: melting of metals, cooking of ceramics, or inflammation of materials under the effect of concentrated solar heat. Visits also include presentations on modern solar energy applications, such as thermal sensors or solar cookers. The Mont-Louis solar furnace continues to combine historical heritage, education and applied research.

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