Editing Solar furnace (section)

== Uses ==

The rays are focused onto an area the size of a cooking pot and can reach {{convert|4000|C|F}}, depending on the process installed; for example:

* about {{convert|1000|C|F}} for metallic receivers producing hot air for the next-generation solar towers as it will be tested at the [[Themis (solar power plant)|Themis plant]] with the Pegase project<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.promes.cnrs.fr/pegase/index.php |title=PEGASE project home page |access-date=2010-01-24 |archive-date=2017-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201081635/https://www.promes.cnrs.fr/pegase/index.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* about {{convert|1400|C|F}} to produce hydrogen by cracking methane molecules<ref>[http://www.pre.ethz.ch/research/projects/?id=solhycarb SOLHYCARB, EU funded project, ETHZ official page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313121601/http://www.pre.ethz.ch/research/projects/?id=solhycarb |date=2009-03-13 }}</ref>
* up to {{convert|2500|C|F}} to test materials for extreme environment such as nuclear reactors or space vehicle atmospheric reentry
* up to {{convert|3500|C|F}} to produce [[nanomaterials]] by solar induced [[sublimation (chemistry)|sublimation]] and controlled cooling, such as [[carbon nanotube]]s<ref>Flamant G., Luxembourg D., Robert J.F., Laplaze D., Optimizing fullerene synthesis in a 50 kW solar reactor, (2004) Solar Energy, 77 (1), pp. 73-80.</ref> or zinc [[nanoparticle]]s<ref>T. Ait Ahcene, C. Monty, J. Kouam, A. Thorel, G. Petot-Ervas, A. Djemel, Preparation by solar physical vapor deposition (SPVD) and nanostructural study of pure and Bi doped ZnO nanopowders, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Volume 27, Issue 12, 2007, Pages 3413-342</ref>

It has been suggested that solar furnaces could be used in [[Space manufacturing#Manufacturing|space]] to provide energy for manufacturing purposes.

Their reliance on sunny weather is a limiting factor as a source of [[renewable energy]] on [[Earth]] but could be tied to [[thermal energy storage]] systems for energy production through these periods and into the night.