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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)."

5 of 463 comments (clear)

  1. This is nothing new... by qwertphobia · · Score: 5, Interesting

    all the Amish retailers here use the same sort of thing. They can light a supermarket with redirected light during daylight hours, and light up the propane system once the natural light is gone.

    --
    Never ask for directions from a two-headed tourist! -Big Bird
    1. Re:This is nothing new... by qwertphobia · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They need to be able to understand all aspects of the design.

      Propane is just a burning gas, but gasoline employs internal combustion engines and refineries and all that.

      They're more relaxed than they used to be, especially for their businesses, but they still try to keep it down to basics where feasable.

      Their buggies need blinking lights by law, so they have no choice but to give in on some technologies.

      --
      Never ask for directions from a two-headed tourist! -Big Bird
    2. Re:This is nothing new... by Washizu · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If you watch the documentary, Devil's Playground they answer this question specifically. It's not technology they are against, it's the way technology affects their culture. For example, a telephone isn't bad in itself but it takes away from time spent with the family or working. In an emergency, they use them.

      The documentary is mostly about Amish kids when they go on their "rumspringa," but I learned a ton about the Amish in general.

      --
      OddManIn: A Game of guns and game theory.
  2. Or sunpipe.. by PopeAlien · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ..and its brand new! well, it was 13 years ago.

    ..and I know T.I.R. systems has been making light-pipe for at least that long.. not that its not cool, its just sort of, you know.. old.

    --
    air and light and time and space
    1. Re:Or sunpipe.. by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Interesting
      What I really would like to see is the "slow windows" of science fiction - where you have a glass-like medium through which the speed of light is EXTREMELY slow, say taking 10 years to travel through the pane.

      Put the window in a field for 10 years, let it soak up the sunlight and the scenery, then hang it indoors on any wall, and get a clear view of what went on 10 years ago.

      Of course, since light goes both ways, at the end of the 10 years, if you unmount the window and look in from the back you'd be able to see what went on in the house 10 years ago. I can see a LOT of people (hello Michael Jackson) "accidently breaking" their slow windows when they expire.

      Oh, well, maybe the next version of Longhorn will give us a similar experience with "slow windows [tt]"