NREL senior engineer Keith Gawlik and University of Colorado graduate student Kathleen Stynes are conducting tests on the new SkyTrough parabolic trough design atop South Table Mountain (STM) for the next several months. Gawlik is holding a sample of the trough's highly reflective metal skin. The sheet metal replaces heavy glass mirrors.The SkyTrough was developed by SkyFuel, an Alburquerque based manufacturer with a research facility near NREL in Arvada, CO. The unit's lightweight glass-free mirrors are made of sheet metal beneath ReflecTech¶¸ mirror film. This highly reflective, silver metalized film is lighter and less expensive than the breakable glass mirrors that are traditionally used. The film is a joint invention of NREL and ReflecTechT and exclusively licensed from NREL.
Originally uploaded in Integrate:Workshops and Webinars:Engineering, Sustainability, and the Geosciences.
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Sep20 12