Heliodyssey

A major site in our scientific heritage, the first semi-industrial scale solar furnace in the world. was built here. Its reflector has been registered as a Historical Monument since 2009. It houses the PROMES. PROMES, laboratory, a research unit with an international reputation

This laboratory owes its worldwide renown to its unique scientific achievements in the field of solar studies of high-temperature phenomena and the behaviour of materials subjected to extreme conditions.

Built between 1962 and 1968, Odeillo solar furnace will be put into service in 1970 for scientific research, it is one of the two largest furnaces in the world, (the other being in Uzbekistan) it is 54m high and 48 wide, it is composed of 63 heliostats (mirrors) and has a power of 1 000Kw.
The Odeillo Solar Furnace is a research laboratory of the CNRS (UMR) co-operating with the University of Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) on high-temperature thermal studies, heat transfer systems, energy conversion and the behaviour of materials at high temperatures in extreme environments. The fields of research are extended to the aeronautical and aerospace industries.