Progress in the development of advanced solar reflectors

Conference · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:10116004

Kennedy, C.; Jorgensen, G.

Solar thermal technologies require large mirrors to provide concentrated sunlight for renewable power generation. Such materials must be inexpensive and maintain high specular reflectance for extended lifetimes in severe outdoor environments. Polymer reflectors are lighter than glass mirrors, offer greater system design flexibility, and have the potential for lower cost. During the past year, collaborative cost-shared research and development between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and industrial partners has identified candidate materials that perform better than the state-of-the-art commercial silvered-polymer reflectors in terms of corrosion degradation and resistance to delamination failure. Additional cooperative efforts will produce new alternative materials with reduced costs due to high speed production line capability. NREL welcomes continued and expanded interest and web coating industry involvement in developing advanced solar reflector materials.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 10116004
• Report Number(s): NREL/TP-471-6092; CONF-941125-1; ON: DE94000264; BR: WM1020000
• Resource Relation: Conference: 7. international vacuum web coating conference, Miami, FL (United States), 10-12 Nov 1994
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
SOLAR REFLECTORS
MATERIALS
MIRRORS
SOLAR THERMAL CONVERSION
MANUFACTURING
COMMERCIALIZATION
PMMA
SILVER
REFLECTIVE COATINGS
TEFLON
SUBSTRATES
COPPER
ALUMINIUM
POLYESTERS
SOLAR
THERMAL
PHOTOVOLTAIC
POLYMER REFLECTORS
141000
320302
SOLAR COLLECTORS AND CONCENTRATORS