Durability Assessment of Silvered Glass Mirrors Exposed in Two Different Desert Sites Suitable for CSP Installations

The durability of thick solar glass mirrors has been evaluated in this study by exposing samples at two potential exposure sites. Samples have been exposed for a period of 18 months at different orientations (North, South, East, and West) to evaluate the impact of orientation on the durability. The samples performance has been evaluated by measuring the specular reflectance of the glass samples before and after an appropriate cleaning process. In addition, the contact angle and the surface energy have been analysed. Obtained results show that mirror durability is very specific to the environmental conditions of the exposure site.