solar furnace
1
6.7
- noun
- /ˈsoʊlər ˈfɜrnɪs/
- Specialized
:
horno solar
- Engineers are developing solar furnaces that can efficiently harness sunlight for industrial processes.
Examples
-
In the summer, the new solar furnace at the research facility can generate enough energy to power several homes.
-
Though on a smaller scale than the project described here, solar furnaces distill.
Blog text (16) -
The solution might be to set up solar furnaces all along the edge of the Gulf.
Blog text (29) -
It will take a lot of heat from a lot of solar furnaces to do the job.
Blog text (29) -
Another point to note regarding solar furnaces is that modern large-scale units use liquid salts as a heat capture fluid, and these supply sufficient thermal ballast that the plants can continue producing power for up to 20 hours after the sun has been obscured or gone down.
Blog text (25) -
The scientist used a solar furnace to achieve the extreme temperatures needed for the experiment.
Synonyms
1
4.6
A device that uses mirrors or panels to focus sunlight and make heat
A large curved mirror that focuses sunlight to one point to make high heat for energy or experiments
How Focused
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from its parts: 'solar' (from the sun) combined with 'furnace' (a heating device) clearly indicates a heating device powered by sunlight. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. Spanish 'horno solar', French 'four solaire'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The name solar furnace comes from the simple image of a furnace heated by the solar sun: mirrors focus the sun's rays into one small spot like a strong fire, making 'very high temperatures'. That's why it means a device that uses focused sunlight to get very hot for experiments or industry.