Solar furnace

 

A solar furnace is any device that creates heat by concentrating solar radiation through the use of reflectors. Solar furnace is a structure that captures sunlight to produce high temperatures, usually for industry. This is done with a curved mirror (or an array of mirrors) that acts as a parabolic reflector, concentrating light (Insolation) onto a focal point. The temperature at the focal point may reach 3,500 °C and this heat can be used to generate electricity, melt steel, make hydrogen fuel or nanomaterials

The heat produced by large solar furnaces can even melt rock, steel, or used to produce hydrogen fuel.

 

Figure 2.7 – Solar furnace

The operation principle of a solar furnace is very simple requiring the use of mirrors called heliostats. The mirrors are angled at a focal point, which increased the intensity of sunlight to approximately threefold. The reason for this is the fact that the focal point is the concentrated light from the sun as well as the two mirrors.