How do ReflecTech® Mirror Film reflectors compare to polycarbonate mirrors?
There are several factors that make ReflecTech® Mirror Film reflectors superior to polycarbonate mirrors: ReflecTech® Mirror Film maintains reflectivity when bent; polycarbonate mirrors do not. Polycarbonate mirrors have low UV resistance, making them impractical for outdoor applications. Sample facets of ReflecTech® Mirror Film have been installed for over 6 years in the extreme environment of the SEGS power plant in the Mojave Desert and have shown less than 0.5% reduction in reflectance in that time. Samples exposed to near 10 year equivalent of concentrated natural sunlight and water spray show no significant loss in solar-weighted reflectance. ReflecTech® Mirror Film was developed with the intent to meet the 20+ year lifetime of a typical solar energy system. Polycarbonate mirrors are not capable of achieving the 94% solar-weighted reflectance of our Mirror Film. Typically, their reflectance starts in the mid-80% range.
