The Solaize Research Center celebrated its 50th anniversary

11/03/2020

Solaize Research Center (CReS) in France

On October 26, 2020, Total celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Solaize Research Center (CReS), one of the Group’s emblematic sites for innovation and technical excellence.

Since its creation in 1970, the Solaize Research Center, located near Lyon, France, has been at the leading edge of innovation and has never ceased to evolve. Over time, it has continually added new high-tech labs, equipment and skills to adapt to new needs: a mobile lab dedicated to the environment inaugurated in 2010; that permitted the development of a world-renowned expertise in tribology (the science of friction) alongside with a dynamic evolution of test benches. This enabled us to address such issues as the Fuel Economy of light vehicles, electric mobility or the Energy Saving of wind turbines. In 2016, the Center launched the “BioLab”, specializing in biocomponents chemistry.

These many developments mean that Total is able to offer increasingly innovative products. In 2019, for example, we became pioneers by bringing to market the first range of fluids designed specifically for electric motors.

In parallel, the Solaize Research Center has opened its doors to the public. Since 2016, the site has featured a showroom where visitors can observe, understand and test products developed in the Center’s laboratories and thereby gain a behind-the-scenes look at innovation at Total.

The Solaize Research Center plays a major role in inventing tomorrow’s solutions for reducing the environmental impact of fossil fuels, while developing products in such fields as electric mobility, natural gas, hydrogen and wind power. In this way, it contributes to achieving Total’s ambitions to provide more reliable, affordable and clean energy to as many people as possible and to get to net zero by 2050.