Mirrors

Empowering Solar Innovation: Rioglass Solar's Cutting-edge Mirror Solutions

Mirror for CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) / STE (Solar Thermal Energy)

Parabolic Trough

Our parabolic mirrors stands for the best Cost of Ownership through high performance, both in concentration (reflectivity and intercept factor) as well as in durability/lifetime, providing you with the most profitable option in the market. We have supplied over 10 million parabolic trough mirrors worldwide and have become the industry reference for these mirrors.

Rioglass Solar MicroTrough

CSP applications are more and more applied in industrial processes, city heating, cooling and or heating units in a smaller scale than CSP used for energy production. The aperture of these installations is smaller and the design often lighter. We can support our customers with project in this market segment with standardized mirrors for smaller sized troughs, call the Rioglass Solar MicroTrough®, or with custom designed dimensions.

Dish Technology for Stirling and CPV applications

The market for dish applications is developing rapidly but standardization of the dish components is still far from set. With our R&D&E capabilities and thorough knowhow on glass and mirrors, we are able to support you in your efforts to develop products that are able to compete based on Cost of Ownership.

Dish solutions require extreme precision in 3D-bending and high reflectivity values. This is exactly where the strength of Rioglass Solar lies.

Central Tower

In order to improve the energy output per m2, our customers are more and more looking for high-end mirroring solutions in order to improve the Cost of Ownership by focusing on overall product performance. Lifetime and durability, improved concentration performance achieved by 3D-bending are important new developments. Rioglass Solar offers this improved performance for your central tower plants. We offer a range of products from flat annealed mirrors based on our proven durability and reflectivity to our integrated Heliostat Mirrors Facets with outstanding optical performance and repeatability as well as an easy to install and very safe product enhancing the speed of the construction work.

New developments

New ideas and new developments – this is where our innovative and flexible spirit combined with our profound knowledge of glass and mirror processing will help your company to develop superior products and still focus on your time-to-market, always with the Cost of Ownership and value chain focus in mind. We are ready to take up the challenge with you to get more energy output from your products.

Product specials

Based on its broad knowhow of material, product applications and production processes, Rioglass Solar is able to offer a range of product specials that can even further enhance the Cost of Ownership of your installation or make it suitable for specific conditions, like our edge protection cord that ensures and enhances the protection of your product for demanding conditions such as near shore installation or installations with elevated acidic air components.

Parabolic through mirrors

Rioglass entered the parabolic trough CSP market with a revolutionary product: tempered parabolic mirrors. Since its market entry, Rioglass has become market leader in this market thanks to the best overall performing mirrors.

Rioglass offers high quality, with the best accuracy, the highest reflectivity and that in tempered quality, which offers extremely durable and safe mirrors.

The production process allows for extreme high repeatability and flexibility in dimensions. Something that has resulted in our market leadership in the CSP market with installations worldwide.

Specifications

Dimensions RP-2, RP-3, RP-4 or Custom Designed

Shape parabolically curved

Av. Reflectivity up to 94,5% depending on glass thickness and technology

Glass Quality Ultra clear tempered glass

Precision < 2,0 mrad (LS-3)

All mirrors are coated with a silver reflective layer, followed by a copper layer and 3 protective paint layers, assuring optimum durability. All mirrors have a rounded edge finish for safe handling and durability.

References

Over 10 million mirrors for CSP and CPV up to date equivalent to over 3,3 GW as well as over 4,2 of receiver tubes references worldwide.

Heliostat mirrors facets

Rioglass’ new technology for heliostat mirrors is based on an ultra-rigid concept to ensure the highest optical performance for Central Tower Technology.

Rioglass can continue to offer its extreme high quality mirrors, with high durability, integrates qith a backing panel that substitute the need for a metal intermediate support whiles increasing the mechanical stability of the prodnt htin mirror and decrease the overall weight of the heliostat. This will enable usage under higher wind loads, decreasing the sesing loada of the heliostat and enable more accurate solar tracking.

This new technology can be used both for flat mirrors, as well as curved mirrors (in one or two directions) for further increasing the overall efficiency of the solar field. The production process allows for extreme high repeatability and flexibility, both in dimension and in curvature.

Specifications

Dimensions Custom Designed

Shape Parabolic or cylindrical

Av. Reflectivity > 95,5 %

Glass Quality: annealed and laminated ultra clear glass

Precision < 1,5 mrad total RMS (SDxy)

Anchor system Custom Designed

References

1. Khi Solar Oner in Upington (South Africa)

2. Atacama – 1 (Chile)

3. Atacama – 2 (Chile)

4. Project in Rjukan (Norway)

5. Scientific facility in Pretoria (South Africa)

6. Test dacility in Sanlúcar La Mayor (Spain)

Microthrough mirrors

Solar Thermal heat and electricity production sees an increased interest from industry and other local based production of industries that see the potential of solar energy to reduce their energy bills. Small compact solar thermal installations are offered by various players worldwide. Rioglass offers both standard and customer designed solutions for parabolic trough type technology solutions.

Rioglass offers high quality, best accuracy, and the highest reflectivity and that in tempered quality, which offers extremely durable and safe mirrors. The production process allows for extreme high repeatability and flexibility in dimensions. This has resulted in our market leadership in the CSP market with installations worldwide. Glass mirrors offer better optical performance, better durability and better bankability than other reflector technologies.

Specifications

Dimensions 1.500 x 1.060 x 4 mm (standard) or custom designed

Shape Curved Tempered Mirrors

Av. Reflectivity 94,0%

Glass Quality Ultra clear glass, tempered

All mirrors are coated with a silver reflective layer, followed by a copper layer and 3 protective paint layers, assuring optimum durability. All mirrors have a rounded edge finish for safe handling and durability

References

Several customers have already ordered quantities of mirrors for test facilities. Especially users of metal reflectors or silvered foil see an enormous increase in production output per square meter thanks to the higher performing glass reflectors.

Optional product features

Perimeter Cord

Rioglass Solar mirrors are proven a bankable. Its coating sealings have proven to be world class project after project. Over 12 million mirrors have been supplied without any significant corrosion problems. Sometimes, local conditions can be even more stringent that they are already with average design lifetimes of 25 up to 35 years. Please can be situated close to the sea, close to urban areas, or, with the increase of industrial applications, close to industries, where more several conditions apply.

For those conditions, Rioglass Solar has developed its Perimeter Cord solution, where a silicone edge protection is applied fully automated to ensure a consistent and efficient additional protection to the perfect Rioglass Solar coating seal. This solution has been successfully applied to a project under such harsh conditions and is still performing perfectly after over 9 years in-field use. For more information, please contact us.