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Sunlight in a Tube

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction dept.

Elitist_Phoenix writes "Scientists are developing a technology to save energy by transmitting sunlight into buildings through tubes. Indoor electric lighting is the largest consumer of electricity in commercial buildings. Their new system. called hybrid solar lighting, would reduce this energy usage with fixtures that supplement or completely replace electric light with sunlight, at times when its available. The system is called hybrid solar lighting (Google)."

10 of 463 comments (clear)

  1. Re:This is nothing new... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They are cheating: "redirecting light" is some kind of what we call "technology" and we all know it is strictly forbidden! But seriously, at what point do the Amish consider something forbidden?

  2. Re:Article already.. by Sparr0 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    And how do you expect to get window lighting to an office 50 feet from any exterior wall? Unless you think every floor of an office building should have no walls...

  3. Re:This stuff has been available for 15 YEARS by plague3106 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think the new part is actually hooking the fiber strands up to light bulbs.

  4. Re:This is nothing new... by timeOday · · Score: 3, Insightful
    To be honest, I rather doubt that the average Amish would be able to explain, at a fundamental level, how a mirror reflects light, or how propane burns.
    There is no fundamental level.
  5. Re:1988 Called... by HangingChad · · Score: 2, Insightful
    The Japanese came out with a fiber optic system called Sunflower that did the same basic thing. I think late 80's was about the right time frame.

    Fluorescent lights are from the devil. This has to be an improvement over those horrible, glaring examples of last week's technology.

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    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  6. Re:Sunblock? by welloy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is a good point. Would the UV rays make it through the tube?

  7. What about the extra heat? by woobieman29 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wouldn't these optical waveguides also pipe quite a bit of heat into the room? This would be great in some areas, but I would think that the areas that would most likely have enough sunlight to benefit from this tech would be in hotter climates. would we just be trading lighting bills for cooling bills?

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  8. Re:Or sunpipe.. by tomhudson · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Artificially keeping energy costs low (by not accounting for the costs associated with lower quality of life due to pollution, etc) is just plain stupid. I'm all for $10/gallon gasoline, and a carbon tax - it's better than dieing from environmental degradation.

  9. New news? by Daata · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I saw a working demonstration of this about 10 years ago. Why the all the noise now?

  10. Re:Tinfoil Goggles by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 2, Insightful

    When the seas rise an average of 35', forcing billions of people from their homes, I don't think "countries" will be a useful way to describe the world anymore. Combined with all the other upheavals, especially the severe drinking water crisis and the probable end of cheap oil, it's going to be a.p.o.c.a.l.y.p.t.i.c. - and manmande.

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    make install -not war