Glass and Polymeric Mirrors Ageing under different Moroccan Weathers, an Application for CSP Power Plants

Abstract

Abstract CSP technology has a huge potential. However, all the components used in the energy generation process are not yet optimized. Reflectors are one of the most important devices to improve, asthe efficiencyof the power plant is directly linked to their high performance. Because reflectors are costly and cannot be changed frequently, their reflectivity should be maintained as long as possible.For this reason it is important to study their durability under real operation weather conditions. Natural ageing allows the determination of real lifetime mirrors characteristics and better understanding of their degradation mechanisms. For this investigation, polymeric and glass mirrors were exposed in two Moroccan sites with characteristic weather conditions, one close to the ocean and one in the desert, for more than one year of natural ageing. Different characterization techniques such as optical microscopy and UV-Visible-NIR spectophotometry were used to detect and analyze degradation mechanisms. The obtained results are shown in this paper and acomparison of mirrors behavior is proposed depending on the outdoor exposure sites. It can benoted that the desertic conditions are less aggressive than coastal conditions regarding tophysico-chemical degradation of both investigated mirror materials.