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Solar Lighting Making Progress
Hybrid Solar Lighting Making Progress
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Aug
7, 2006, 19:16 MST
OAK RIDGE, TN, United States (UPI) -- U.S. government scientists say
they`re pleased with progress made in creating a hybrid solar lighting
system at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Researchers at the Department of Energy facility say five hybrid solar
lighting systems are already in place and another 20 are to be soon
installed.
'This is the ultimate `green` technology,' said Duncan Earl, a co-developer
of the technology and chief technology officer of Oak Ridge startup
company Sunlight Direct, which licensed the technology from ORNL last
year.
The hybrid solar lighting technology uses a rooftop-mounted 48-inch
diameter collector and secondary mirror that track the sun during
the day. The collector system focuses the sunlight into 127 optical
fibers connected to hybrid light fixtures equipped with diffusion
rods visually similar to fluorescent light bulbs. Those rods spread
light in all directions.
One collector powers eight to 12 hybrid light fixtures, which can
illuminate about 1,000 square feet. During times of little or no sunlight,
a sensor controls the intensity of the artificial lamps to maintain
a constant level of illumination.
Beta testing will be conducted at various locations in California,
Nevada, New York, Minnesota and Texas.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1188020.php/Hybrid_solar_lighting_making_progress
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