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The albedo of several types of roofs (lower values means higher temperatures). Reflective surfaces, or ground-based albedo modification (GBAM), is a solar radiation management method of enhancing Earth's albedo (the ability to reflect the visible, infrared, and ultraviolet wavelengths of the Sun, reducing heat transfer to the surface).
Aluminium is also good at reflecting solar radiation, although prolonged exposure to sunlight in air adds wear to the surface of the metal; this may be prevented if aluminium is anodized, which adds a protective layer of oxide on the surface.
Despite the use of aluminum in generic mirrors, aluminum is not always used as the reflective layer for a solar mirror. The use of silver as the reflective layer is claimed to lead to higher efficiency levels, because it is the most reflective metal. This is because of aluminum's reflection factor in the UV region of the spectrum.
Water reflects light very differently from typical terrestrial materials. The reflectivity of a water surface is calculated using the Fresnel equations. At the scale of the wavelength of light even wavy water is always smooth so the light is reflected in a locally specular manner (not diffusely). The glint of light off water is a commonplace ...
As the sun moves across the sky, the aperture of any fixed collector changes. This causes changes in the amount of captured sunlight, producing what is called the sinus effect of power output. Proponents of the solar bowl design claim the reduction in overall power output compared with tracking parabolic mirrors is offset by lower system costs.
In a solar still, impure water is contained outside the collector, where it is evaporated by sunlight shining through a transparent collector. The pure water vapour condenses on the cool inside surface and drips into a tank. Distillation replicates the way nature makes rain. The sun's energy heats water to the point of evaporation.
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The cited Andersland Charts include corresponding water content percentages for easy measurements. The TPRC Data Book has been quoting de Vries with values of 0.0251 and 0.0109 W⋅cm −3 ⋅Kelvin −1 for the thermal conductivities of organic and dry mineral soils respectively but the original article is free at the website of their cited ...