Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
Flexible Sunlight—The History and Progress
of Hybrid Solar Lighting
L. Curt Maxey
Abstract Over the past 150 years lighting has evolved significantly, enabling
great spatial, temporal, and intellectual extension of the human domain. With
the ability to safely generate light on demand, complex living and working
spaces have evolved. The length of a useful day is no longer limited to sunlit
hours. Intellectual pursuits continue around the clock, allowing the productiv-
ity that was once associated with ''burning the midnight oil'' to occur in well-
lighted homes, businesses, and universities. With this progress has come an
enormous energy burden. Lighting now accounts for one-third of the non-
residential electricity usage and is the largest single use of electricity in non-
residential buildings. The majority of the activity in non-residential buildings
still occurs during hours when the sun is shining, making it possible to offset at
least part of the electrical lighting load through daylighting. Introducing day-
lighting into existing buildings requires cultural and technical development. As
a culture we must comprehend the value of daylighting, in terms of societal and
environmental benefits. However, to introduce daylighting into existing build-
ings, the technology must be available in a form that is compatible with existing
infrastructure. The technology must also be presented in a way that enables it to
be embraced by the architects and lighting designers that will be responsible for
implementing it. Hybrid solar lighting is a daylighting solution that is specifi-
cally designed to be flexibly integrated into modern building systems.
Keywords Solar energy
lighting
daylighting
sunlight direct
skylight
renewable resources
energy efficiency
fiber optic
remote source lighting
