IT’S DONE WITH MIRRORS
When a magnifying glass is held the right distance from a piece of
paper, it brings the sun’s rays together at one point—the burning
point. The heat at this point is so great, it burns the paper.
The sun’s energy can also be used to run a solar furnace. Solar means
“of the sun,” and a solar furnace is one that is powered by the sun. One
of the world’s largest, most powerful solar furnaces was built in
Odeillo, France, in the 1960 s. The furnace is high in the Pyrenees
Mountains, where the air is clear.
How is the sun’s energy used to run this furnace? It’s used in much the
same way a magnifying glass captures the sun’s rays to burn paper. But
at Odeillo, it’s done with mirrors.
There are 63 large, flat mirrors standing on a hillside. Opposite these
flat mirrors is a huge, saucer-shaped mirror that covers one side of a
ten-story building. In between the flat mirrors and the big
saucer-shaped mirror is a tower with the solar furnace inside.
The flat mirrors on the hillside catch the sun’s rays and reflect them
onto the huge saucer-shaped mirror. This big mirror reflects the
sunlight back to the solar furnace. Steel shutters in front of the
furnace control the amount of sunlight that goes into the furnace at the
burning point. The heat is so intense at this point it can burn holes
through heavy metals.
The solar furnace in Odeillo, France, was built and used for
experiments. As scientists find other ways to harness the sun’s energy,
solar energy will be used more and more to benefit people.
