Padre Himalaya, a Portuguese Pioneer on Solar Energy
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires 
on 09.24.07
The television channel RTP2 of Portugal is broadcasting a documentary about the life of Manuel António Gomes, best known as Padre Himalaya. This Portuguese priest, who was also a scientist and inventor, was one of the pioneers in the investigation of solar energy.
His biggest achievement was the Pirelióforo, a device in which thousands of mirrors over a surface of 80 square meters concentrated solar energy up to a temperature of 3500 degrees Celsius: enough to melt most metals and stones. The huge installment was a star in the 1904 Universal Expo of St. Louis, where it won two gold medals.
Himalaya lived in Paris and in Argentina (1927-1932), where he continued his studies and wrote books on Cosmology; and died in 1933 in Portugal. His work is analyzed in both a book by the name A Conspiração Solar do Padre Himalaya - Esboço biográfico dum português pioneiro da Ecologia (The Solar Conspiration of Father Himalaya - Biographic Outline of a Portuguese Pioneer in Ecology), and a documentary by Jorge António by the name A Utopia do Padre Himalaya (Father Himalaya’s Utopia); which will be broadcasted tomorrow at 11.30 PM by RTP2 channel of Portugal.
For those outside the country, there’s a documentary on the life of this pioneer published in YouTube (in French); and a complete biography of Padre Himalaya at Naturlink (in Portuguese). ::Via Boassas ::RTP2
Thanks José Rui Fernandes for the tip!
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- How to Use a Solar Oven: Beans and Rice Recipe
- How to Use a Solar Cooker: What Works and What Doesn't
- 7 Great Weekend Solar Power Projects
- 5 Reuses for Altoid Tins
- Green Glossary: Planet Bike
- Don't Kick Your TV to the Curb for the Digital Television Transition
As a relative of Padre Himalaya I just want to thank the article and correct the name you have posted. Padre Himalaya's real name was Manuel António Gomes, not Mário and not Gomez.
I don't know if you are aware that Padre Himalay lived for years in Argentina. I don't know much about that... I wonder if you know any details about his life there...
Kind regards,
Eugénia Brito
-----
FROM WRITER:
Thanks for the remark Eugenia, I fixed it. The article does say he lived in Argentina, although I don't have more details of his life here. If you find out something please share.
Best,
Paula
I am so sad in watching the Documentary on RTP. To realize that anither Great Portuguese person left our World. Without the Recognition he so deserved,
I hope that the World makes it up to him now, and others like him..
Thank You,
D. Moniz
Hello Paula,
Thank you for the article on Padre Himalaya. There is substancial amount of new information on this character, and in fact, I would like to speak to someone in Buenos Aires regarding a possible visit to do a talk, show the film etc. There would be tow people, one a University professor from Porto, and also an author that has published a romance novel (fiction) on Padre Himalaya.
Also, Eugenia Brito is right, the priest did live in Argentina, on the Reformatorio de Juraguay, he was a teacher there from 1927 to 1930 (more or less. He also conducted flora research and the rest is really unknown. We have some pages of a theory he constructed while in Argentina, on the Construction Mecanica del Universo, but thats all. Hope to hear from you and that we can one day meet in person.
JC Rodrigue
---
FROM WRITER:
Hi JC, you can write to me by e-mail: paula at treehugger dot com
best.