Solar mirrors and lenses are used in concentrating solar collectors to con-centrate and focus sunlight onto a thermal receiver, similar to a boiler tube. The receiver absorbs and converts sun- light into heat. The heat is then transported to a steam generator or engine where it is converted into electricity. The reflectors used for Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) or Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies are expected to withstand harsh environmental conditions during their lifetime of more than 20 years without a significant specular reflectance loss.
