The Soul of Solar Energy: Augustin Mouchot

It was a typical, cold January morning in Alençon, France. The year was 1860. High school mathemat- ics teacher, Augustin Mouchot shivered as he reluctantly rolled out of bed. The thought of having to stoke the stove and heat the water for his morning washing routine did not thrill him. Besides, he needed to conserve the coal, which was growing scarce in his homeland and becoming expensive these days. As Augustin arose in the chill of the dawn, his thoughts drifted to what he had just been reading about the energy of the sun. Physicist Claude Pouillet had written that every square meter of the Earth’s surface receives about 10 Calories of energy every minute. Augustin chuckled, “Not a very use- ful fact on a cloudy day like today!” Then, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind: “It’s not cloudy every day. Wouldn’t it be possible to heat enough water with the sun’s light and spare the fire that is only meant to heat the house?” While he made the last preparations to teach his geometry class, he could not get his mind off the energy issue. The thought kept coming back to him, “The issue of energy is bigger than the needs of my household—I should try to do something about it.”

Over the next few months, Augustin immersed more quickly. He began to ponder new and bigger himself in his new project of building a solar en- possibilities. “Perhaps, I could design solar steam ergy collector despite having to teach his regular generators to power machines, like the steam en- classes. He reviewed what he had already learned gines used in industry,” he thought. Coal was the about harnessing the energy of the sun. Reasoning main fuel for industry, but France was already ex- that copper is a good conductor of heat and a periencing a shortage of this expensive resource. black surface is a good absorber of heat, he would “When the supply of coal eventually runs out,” he have to contain the water in a copper vessel that reasoned, “then using the energy of the sun might was painted black. The water would then obtain its be our only available alternative.” Augustin heat from the copper. To prevent the heat from thought that his idea of a solar-powered engine escaping out the back, he thought it better to could contribute to the well-being and progress of mount the unit on a bad conductor of heat, and to the entire nation. prevent the heat from escaping out the front, he Harnessing the sun’s energy became a fascina- would cover it with glass to trap the heat that was tion and all-consuming preoccupation for Au- absorbed inside. “What a great idea!” he thought. gustin. “We need to heat so many things in every- “But, in order to get more heat, I would have to day life—water, home, food…. Why, of course, make a bigger absorber—not very practical…. On food!” So, the mathematics teacher turned cook the other hand, what if I put a mirror on the out- prepared a delicious stew for dinner and cooked it side to reflect more of the sun’s rays onto the ab- in his solar heater. The solar heater had become a sorber? That way I could make the device smaller.” solar cooker. Soon, Augustin had completed the construc- Over the next several years, Augustin contin- tion of his first solar water heater, which was ca- ued to work on his solar energy idea, employing pable of holding three litres of water. Lucky for his natural creativity and his university training in him, it happened to be a cloudless day! Excitedly, physics and mathematics. He especially wanted to he placed the boiler and mirror in the direct develop a solar engine that could drive all kinds of sunlight. To his amazement, the water, which he mechanical devices used in industry and agricul- had initially measured to be 15 degrees, boiled in ture. By 1866, he was ready to launch his idea in just an hour and a half. From then on—on sunny the public domain. Political support would be ad- days—Augustin saved himself the bother and the vantageous at this strategic moment. His connec- expense of coal-heated water when he bathed. tion with Jean-Baptiste Verchère de Reffye, Ord- With further improvements to the solar heat- nance Officer of the Imperial Workshop at Meu- ers, Augustin was able to bring water to a boil don, who had influence with the Emperor, proved

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useful. De Reffye persuaded Napoleon III to at- Astonishingly, while still being a full-time mathe- tend a demonstration of Augustin’s new solar en- matics teacher, he managed to complete a 233- gine. The Emperor was so impressed with the in- page volume, which he entitled Solar Energy and vention that he immediately granted Augustin the its Industrial Applications. The book advertised his full assistance of the Imperial Workshop. With dream of, in his words, “finding a convenient way this level of technical assistance, the inventor to collect and use sunlight directly for the benefit could forge ahead. of agriculture and industry in the hottest regions By the next year, Augustin had perfected a so- of the world.” In order to establish the importance lar engine capable of driving an Archimedean of his ideas, he was able to register three patents screw that could be used to pump water for irriga- for his designs, and by 1876, he had achieved suf- tion. In its design, he found that the main consid- ficient fame with his work that the government erations were the geometrical arrangement of the awarded him a silver medal. Most importantly, heat absorber and the mirror. The best shape for though, that year Augustin was granted leave with the mirror was an open-ended cone, with the cu- pay from his teaching position by the government rious mathematical name of “frustocone,” that so that he could devote all of his time to his work focused the sun’s rays along a line on its axis on solar energy in the tropics. His dream would where a narrow cylindrical heat absorber, which come true at last! In the very next year, Augustin contained the steam generator, was located. The Mouchot set sail for Algeria—financed by a huge device was installed in Paris, and at that occasion, government grant of 10,000 francs. Augustin remarked, “The problem of the steam- In Algeria, he invented and tested many ver- driven solar machine has been completely solved. sions of his solar energy devices for many different We should judge from this result that the engine useful purposes. Perfecting his solar cooker would best be used in tropical regions, where we proved strategic for the military, which could bet- should go to test the device in practical situations.” ter conceal their positions as they prepared their A logical testing location for Augustin was Al- food in smoke-free heaters. His report on his in- geria, a French colony in the tropics, conquered in ventions to the government impressed the General 1830. Of course, he still had to continue in his Council so much that Augustin was granted 5,000 teaching position, which entailed restrictions of francs to design and build the largest solar collec- time and finances. Augustin quickly realized that tor ever to be built. It was to be exhibited at the in order to be able to reach his goals, he would Paris World Fair of 1878. need to obtain major government funding and For the difficult task of building the giant solar leave from his teaching duties. Just when he was collector, Augustin placed a talented, young engi- poised to take his final, strategic steps to obtain neer, Abel Pifre, in charge. Although the World funding, war broke out between France and Ger- Fair took place between May 1 and October 31, many. It was 1870. The war was fast and furious, the mirror was completed only by the second of and, by the next year, France had been defeated, September. At that time, the collector was able to Napoleon III had been sent into exile, and a new bring 70 litres of water to a boil in half an hour government was formed—the French Third Re- and generate steam pressure of six atmospheres. public. Many of the arrangements that Augustin Augustin and Abel used the steam generator to had had in place vanished, the notable solar ma- drive an ice-making machine, using the hot sun’s chine that he had set up in Paris was nowhere to rays to produce a block of ice. The people at the be found, and the technical support from the Im- fair marvelled at the phenomenon—producing ice perial Workshop was suspended. It was a monu- from heat! The jury of the Fair was so impressed mental setback for Augustin, but he was not dis- that it awarded Augustin the gold medal in his couraged. category, and the Ministry of Agriculture and From 1871, then, Augustin set out to lay the Trade, not to be outdone, named him Knight of groundwork for his solar dreams in other ways: by the Legion of Honour. writing about his work and applying for patents.

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Not wanting to waste the opportunity provided Academy discovered that Augustin was living in by the honours, Augustin applied for government deep misery, and the Academy generously granted funding for a new mission to Algeria immediately him an additional pension of 1,200 francs. after the World Fair. Inexplicably, and to his dis- One day, the lonely Augustin received a visitor. may, the government granted him only 5,000 It was the military doctor Félix Pasteur from Alge- francs. His disappointment at the inadequate sup- ria. The doctor told him about the use of solar wa- port, however, did not keep him from pursuing his ter heaters in hospitals and military barracks there mission, and he departed for Algeria, once again, and expressed appreciation to him for this valu- to perform new experiments. able contribution. It was one of the last satisfying Ever optimistic, he, once more, returned to joys Augustin was to experience. On October 4, France to apply for a large amount of new fund- 1912, eighty-seven-year-old Augustin Mouchot, ing. This time, his request was denied outright. no longer capable of even picking up his pension What a letdown for Augustin! The government, from the post box, died penniless and alone. having commissioned a study on the economic How the coincidental interplay of economics, viability of solar energy, had concluded that there politics, and history can crush humanitarian ideals was no justification for further research. National and decimate noble dreams! and global events were fast eroding Augustin’s aspirations. More coal deposits had been discov- References ered in eastern France, making coal more abun- Kryza, F. (2003). The Power of Light: The Epic Story of Man’s dant and less expensive, and lessening the pressure Quest to Harness the Sun. New York: McGraw-Hill. Larousse Encyclopedia. Augustin-Bernard Mouchot. to develop other energy sources. In the USA, oil, [http://www.larousse.fr/encyclopedie/article/Larousseen_- having been discovered in 1859, was already being _Article/11013613#] harnessed as a fuel to supply energy needs. Ironi- Quinnez, B. (2011). Augustin-Bernard Mouchot (1825-1912), cally, the 1878 World Fair, where Augustin had un missionnaire de l’énergie solaire. Assemblée Générale de gained his international stature, marked the un- Côte-d'Or de l'AMOPA, 30 mars 2011. [http://www.amopa21.fr/2011%20conference%20.htm] veiling of the internal combustion engine. This proved to be the final undoing of Augustin’s fad- ing solar-energy dream. The Soul of Solar Energy: Augustin Mouchot was edited by Could the situation get any worse? It did. Au- Cathrine Froese Klassen with the support the European Commission (project 518094-LLP-1-2011-1-GR- gustin’s leave from teaching was to expire in the COMENIUS-CMP) and The University of Winnipeg, following year, but circumstances prevented him Canada, and is based, in part, on Historical Background: even from resuming his position, as a serious bac- The Energy Concept and Historical Background: Solar terial infection, which he had contracted in Alge- cooker according to Augustin Mouchot written by Peter ria, had left him deaf. A small consolation was that Heering, and Biography: Augustin Bernard Mouchot writ- ten by Tadeusz Kubiak and Jozefina Turlo. his disability allowed him to apply for a pension, which was fortunate, as he had already reached the The Soul of Solar Energy: Augustin Mouchot was written age of 55 years. by Stephen Klassen with the support the European Deteriorating eyesight and meagre finances Commission (project 518094-LLP-1-2011-1-GR- plagued his retirement. Yet, he was able to com- COMENIUS-CMP) and The University of Winnipeg, Canada. This publication reflects the views only of the au- plete and publish an important book on geometry thor, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any in 1892, for which he received a prize from the use which may be made of the information contained Science Academy. Thereafter, he receded from the therein. public eye. In 1907, a member of the Science

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