Built in the 1960s, the Meudon Solar Tower was taken out of service around ten years ago, following the departure of its last operator. Since then, this iconic instrument had not been in use and its return to service seemed unlikely. Indeed, the initial assessments carried out at the start of the year were not very encouraging : electrical tests suggested that a complete overhaul of the installation would be required in order to open the dome protecting the optics of the coelostat – the system of mirrors that tracks the Sun and reflects its light towards the large spectrometer situated at the foot of the tower.
However, an in-depth assessment carried out by Loïc Gauffre, Didier Zeganadin, Daniel Crussaire and Eitan Péchevis, with the support of the LIRA management, yielded an excellent surprise : the power supply system was found to be still operational and the dome was able to be reopened ! Whilst the coelostat mirrors and the dome’s control system still need to be checked, this development suggests that the Tower could be brought back into operation in the medium term.
