Leonardo da Vinci proposed a solar furnace that would use a large curved mirror to concentrate sunlight and generate intense heat.
His notes describe arranging many small mirrors so that their reflected rays would converge on one target. The concentrated light could, in principle, produce enough heat for industrial processes such as melting or softening materials. Leonardo’s idea belonged to a wider Renaissance interest in optics, reflected light, and the practical uses of sunlight.
A solar furnace is different from a sundial, which measures time by the Sun’s position, and from a solar cooker, which is generally designed for cooking rather than high-temperature industrial work. The crucial feature is concentration: the mirrors focus sunlight into a much smaller area, raising its temperature.
Leonardo’s proposal was not a modern power station and did not use photovoltaic cells. It was a thermal system based on mirrors. Large solar furnaces were constructed centuries later, after advances in materials, tracking systems, and optical engineering made them more practical.