CNRS Laboratoire PROMES

Organisation name

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)

Department(s)/Unit(s)

Processes, Materials and Solar Energy Laboratory

Concentrated solar energy – High temperature materials – Thermal storage – Solar fuels – Solar thermal electricity - Concentrated PV

Location

Font-Romeu and Perpignan, France

Total number of employees 

80

Mission

To increase the knowledge in utilization of solar energy as source of heat at high temperature. To contribute to mitigate climate change by increasing the share of solar energy in primary source of energy.

Objectives

To propose and to handle programs of research aiming at developing innovative processes for the conversion and storage of solar energy using concentrating technologies and at investigating new materials for high temperature applications

Laboratories/Facilities

Solar furnaces (range: 1 kW to 1000 kW), solar tower (5 MW), test benches for materials characterization

Technology expertise

Solar concentrating technologies (solar furnaces, dishes, towers), solar receivers and reactors, storage materials and systems, solar cooling processes, film deposition, diagnostic on materials at high temperature, heat and mass transfer modelling, thermodynamics, thermo-chemical reactions.

Main research topics

Conversion, transport and storage of solar energy

High temperature materials for space and energy sectors