A procedure for the characterization of the solar-weighted reflectance of mirrored reflectors

Concentrating solar thermal power, morecommonly referred to as CSP, concentrate direct solar radiationto heat a fluid and produce steam or vapor of another workingfluid. Collectors, whether for parabolic trough, power tower,Fresnel mirror, or solar dish, comprise up to 40% of the totalsystem costs for CSP collectors’ technologies. Reducing the costof CSP systems involves improved collector designs and advancedoptical materials that have low cost, high performance, and gooddurability. The aim of researcher was to develop a procedurewhich allows characterizing the solar-weighted reflectance ofsolar mirrors under laboratory conditions using aspectrophotometer and an integrating sphere.