Solar power generates enough heat to power a steel furnace

Scientists have used solar power to heat an object to 1,000 degrees Celsius - hot enough to power a steel furnace.

- PRUDENCE WADE

The proof-of-concept study demonstrates how solar energy could replace fossil fuels in high-temperature manufacturing processes, such as smelting steel. To manufacture materials like glass, cement and ceramics, raw materials are heated to above 1,000 degrees Celsius. Currently, using solar energy to reach these scorching temperatures is costly and inefficient, so carbon-based energy like oil or coal are typically used to power the furnaces in which these materials are made. These industries are responsible for around 25 per cent of global energy consumption. "To tackle climate change, we need to decarbonise energy in general," said Emiliano Casati, a scientist in the department of m