The Hybrid Solar Lighting (HSL) technology from Sunlight Direct, uses a solar concentrator to collect and distribute sunlight into the interior of a building via plastic optical fibers. The optical fiber runs through special hybrid lighting units that manage the mix of fiber lighting and standard florescent lighting depending on the solar concentrators ability to deliver certain light levels. To see the system in action click here.
The benefits are major decreases in lighting costs, and the associated environmental benefits of being less dependent on the grid. It also has all the benefits of sky lights with regard to human working conditions and yet none of the heating issues associated with them. Right now the major draw back is that the fiber used in these systems are made of plastic, not glass as in telecommunication applications. This was to make the technology affordable, but plastic fiber will only transmit the light far enough for it to be used on the top floor of a building. This still makes it viable for large single story commercial spaces. Staples is apparently beta testing the system in some of their stores.
We were at first conflicted about writing about a technology that will not be available until 2007, but we felt that the technology was in a late enough stage of development and with initial pricing starting at $10,000, still within a small business’ budget. To further offset costs all of Sunlight Direct’s Hybrid Solar Lighting units now qualify for a 30% federal tax credit for units installed in 2006 and 2007.
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The Hybrid Solar Lighting (HSL) technology from Sunlight Direct, uses a solar concentrator to collect and distribute sunlight into the interior of a building via plastic optical fibers. The optical fiber runs through special hybrid lighting units that manage the mix of fiber lighting and standard florescent lighting depending on the solar concentrators ability to deliver certain light levels. To see the system in action click here.
The benefits are major decreases in lighting costs, and the associated environmental benefits of being less dependent on the grid. It also has all the benefits of sky lights with regard to human working conditions and yet none of the heating issues associated with them. Right now the major draw back is that the fiber used in these systems are made of plastic, not glass as in telecommunication applications. This was to make the technology affordable, but plastic fiber will only transmit the light far enough for it to be used on the top floor of a building. This still makes it viable for large single story commercial spaces. Staples is apparently beta testing the system in some of their stores.
We were at first conflicted about writing about a technology that will not be available until 2007, but we felt that the technology was in a late enough stage of development and with initial pricing starting at $10,000, still within a small business’ budget. To further offset costs all of Sunlight Direct’s Hybrid Solar Lighting units now qualify for a 30% federal tax credit for units installed in 2006 and 2007.
This entry was posted
on Monday, September 4th, 2006 at 9:33 pm and is filed under General.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.