= UV
D. RELATED TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIONAL LINKS

A.= FULL-SPEC= TRUM NATURAL LIGHTING

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Latest model of the HSL 3000, mounted on a flat roof. Dish is 4 feet in diameter, and lights 1000 square feet inside the building, minus the UV rays. Expected lifetime: 20 years.

The HSL 3000, a hybrid lighting system developed = by Sunlight Direct, carries the actual light of the sun indoors. The system’s 48-inch primary mirror concentrates light into a secondary mirror, which strips away the infrared and ultraviolet components, and dire= cts the visible light into the receiver. A tracking system has two motors gover= ned by a GPS microprocessor, which can calculate the position of the s= un within half a degree. This enables the mirror to follow the sun across the = sky like a sunflower, gathering in maximum light intensity throughout the day. = The tracking system itself requires very little power to operate. It could be supported by a small solar cell – equivalent to a 9-volt battery (whi= ch would last about a week).

“When come in, in the morning and you’re tired, and you’ve got your coffee in your hand and you’re not q= uite awake, you like seeing the reddish glow… the same type of light as outside.” Dr. Duncan Earl, CEO of Sunlight Direct, explained the psychological appeal of his company’s hybrid lighting system to the Canadian Discovery-Channel’s host Jay Ingram. (Ref)

People are more comfortable “waking up with the sun” and as the light becomes white they work through the day. “= ;And at the end of the day when there’s a reddish glow, you know it’s time to go home.” Dr. Earl’s eyes twinkled and his face lighted= up with a satisfied smile as the camera caught the interior light brightening = to noon and fading toward evening russet in the brief time he too= k to describe this very effect.

It’s a nifty demonstration of his company̵= 7;s finesse in controlling the intensity and visual temperature of light.

Hybrid Lighting Blends Solar with Conventional

= The company may offer several versions. Some will provide a hybrid with fluorescent bulbs, adjusting the fluorescent depending on the amount of sunlight available. Others may b= e a stripped-down sunlight-only model.

In the automatic hybrid system, a Daylight Harvesting Sensor detects the continuing increase of sunlight strength in the morning,= and accordingly reduces the percentage of fluorescent light. Late in the day, t= he process is reversed. The computerized controller thereby maintains an ideal level of illumination for office work without anyone having to adjust the settings.

Pure visible light – without the uncomfortable infrared or the damaging ultraviolet – is conducted through the optic= al fibers into the building. The fibers feed light into an acrylic rod, the non-electrical equivalent of the fluorescent tubes between which it is sandwiched in the commercial hybrid lighting fixture. The sunlight, which w= ould otherwise continue in a straight line, is diffused outward into the room by means of hundreds of tiny scratches on the surface of the rod. One HSL 3000= is capable of lighting approximately 1000 square feet.

Controlling the Sun: Light without the Heat

An estimated 35% of electricity used in the United States is expended on lighting interior spaces in daytime. Ironi= cally, the working day coincides with the hours that the sun is strongly illuminat= ing the whole hemisphere. At 45%, the demand for electricity is even greater in retail businesses. In a striking case of outside-the-box thinking, instead = of focusing on trying to generate more electricity to meet the high business-h= our demand, the goal for Sunlight Direct is to reduce the need for electricity = with fiber-optic lighting.

Many Benefits

Having light without further draining the electrical grid in its= elf is a great benefit, but there are other advantages as well to natural full-spectrum light, including higher sales in stores, improved moods, and = more productive employees.

Not Just for the Sunny South

Although the company’s first focus was on serving the needs = of the sun-belt in the southern U.S., since the time this story aired on Canadian television, Sunlight Direct has received many inquiries from the north. Canadians, both business and home-owners, got their message across. Impressed with the leve= l of interest, Sunlight Direct has entered into negotiations with several compan= ies in Canada to create a distribution network.

In Canada, an official program called “The One-Tonne Challenge” has people looking for ways to cut back their use of electrical and combustion energy. The objective is to reduce by one fifth t= he per-person energy-consumption rate, said to average five metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Due to low sunlight intensity in winter, direct solar lighting would be practicable for only about half of the year in the north-temperate zone. However, it could still have significant benefits to society at large. Reducing demand lowers the risk of overload on the grid during hot weather.

Blackout “Insurance”

System-wide failures are most likely to occur during= the period of peak air-conditioning usage which occurs when the sun is at its brightest. The major blackout of August 2003 showed everyone that the cost = of a grid failure is very high. Large numbers of people were laid off from store= s, offices and manufacturing plants as businesses and manufacturing were shut = down for ten days to two weeks. Both in grocery stores and in homes, fresh and frozen food spoiled and had to be destroyed. Backup generators could not co= pe with the total shutdown.

Most significant, in this “cashless economy= 221; dependent on debit and credit cards, electronic transactions could not be posted. By noon of the first full day with no electricity, even banks were closing. People arriving a few minutes later were turned away by security guards at the local Toronto-Dominion. Not only were the machines not workin= g; but banks actually do not keep much cash on the premises and had no more to give out even if they were to do the transaction records by hand. Therefore, anyone who had not kept some cash in reserve at home could not buy anything= .

Setting up a natural, non-electric lighting system i= n even ten percent of homes and businesses would be like having blackout-prevention insurance. Another hidden saving would result. Since traditional artificial-light tubes and bulbs emit heat as well as visible light, the us= e of fiber-optic direct lighting will actually lessen the amount of energy that = has to be expended on air conditioning, diminishing the strain on the grid.

It’s hard to think of a downside to fully natu= ral indoor daylight – without heat or sunburn-causing UV – that doesn’t even need to use electricity.

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At present there are a couple of significant shortcomings to this promising technology: the price, and the distance limi= t. Though cost-effective, currently-available plastic optical fibers impose a limit on transmission distance of thirty to fifty feet. Thus the benefit of optical lighting could not go beyond the one or two top floors of office buildings. At present, therefore, one- and two-storey, flat-roofed retail commercial structures are seen as having the most to gain from hybrid light= ing. And there are many such buildings in every city and town.

The HSL 3000 is scheduled for release early in 2007,= and is initially priced at about $8,000 USD. Even at this price the savings in energy costs are expected to offset the purchase price over time. And this price is expected come down in the usual way, as volume of sales goes up.

Though skylights are a valid option for building own= ers, in some cases the architecture may not permit these to be added later. Water tanks or other structures on the roof may interfere with placing the openin= g in the most desirable or useful location. Citing research showing that sales increase by up to forty percent in stores with natural light from skylights, Sunlight Direct’s founders believe that retailers would indeed gain m= ore than just the saving in electricity costs from installing fiber-optic collectors. Infra-red blocking skylights are not cheap either, and entail r= isks such as leaks or breakage. Optical-fiber lighting offers greater flexibilit= y of location, and ease of moving the light fixtures, should the office be rearranged.

Optical Fiber Research Continues

Dr. Earl forecasts that ongoing research on the plastic fiber= s will increase the carrying distance of visible light by 300%. Equipped with these hypothetical new fibers, therefore, as many as six top floors of an office = or other tall building could be served with direct natural light from roof installations. Using the more pricey but longer-= range glass optical fibers, this distance is already possible. However, because g= lass fibers cost more and are difficult to work with, using them would likely li= mit the market to companies with very deep pockets, or to politically- or militarily-strategic windowless or underground establishments.

Beta Testing

Beta testing of this hybrid unit was opened up as of June = 2005. It should be noted that participating in official testing is expensive and = involves data collection. Any interested organizations or businesses able to handle = the cost, data collection and follow-up reporting are invited to examine the beta-test agreement at Sunlight Direct’s website. (Ref)

Architectural Integration

Depending on the design and orientation of a buildin= g, and the height and location of any surrounding structures, by mounting addition= al solar collectors on the outside walls of an office or condominium tower, it might be possible to extend hours of effective lighting to more lower floors. . For example, solar collectors might be placed at a s= outh corner, on every floor or every second floor depending on size. From that corner they can track the sun as it moves from SE through South to SW, which would cover the hottest part of the day and until late afternoon when most people leave for the day. And on an office tower of which the SW corner is shaded by another building, morning to mid-afternoon exposure could be capt= ured from an SE corner.

On a residential building solar collector units migh= t be mounted at a south-west corner to take advantage of noon to evening light. Or in a condominium building, early-rising residents might choose to have either first half of the day from a SE placement, and late risers might choose the afternoon sunlight feed. Though windows are normally provided for living-rooms, in very few buildings have the architects provid= ed a window for the kitchen, where natural light would be appreciated for breakf= ast or supper preparation.

In the future, we might even see buildings designed specifically with more un-shaded roof areas at different heights to make the best use of fiber-optic indoor lighting. The area served by a single HSL 30= 00 is about 1000 square feet. Though many small and mid-sized homes would get = by with a single collector, more units would be needed on large buildings. At current pricing, this combined cost might cause many buyers to hesitate. However, as more capability, greater carrying distance, more options (see part C) and lower costs come together, the benefits may outweigh the costs.<= /span>

Hybrid Systems vs. Manual Control

People already notice when outside light is diminish= ing and routinely turn on artificial lights as required, or for romantic purpos= es someone might want to let the light die down naturally. Fluorescent-hybrid lighting is not as necessary or affordable for homes or apartments. Elimina= ting the more complex circuitry and automatic artificial-light-intensity sensors= and controllers should lower the price somewhat. A simple fiber-optic light sys= tem would suffice for a budget-conscious homeowner.

= On the products page of Sun-Direct’s website, a simp= lified version of the solar light collector, without sensors and automatic level adjustments, is represented as suitable only for research. When asked wheth= er the company might consider offering a simplified optical-fiber lighting set= up such as this for households, Dr. Earl mentioned that it’s not only homeowners who are interested in a manually-controlled version, and not mer= ely for financial reasons.

Some commercial building occupants have indicated a preference for a non-automatic system. These people prefer natural light th= at blends with the quality of light outdoors whether it is overcast or bright. “It gives a connection to the outside environment that is very pleasing,” Dr. Earl comments. “I think a simplified, lower-cost system makes a lot of sense, and would be possible.”

White LED Hybrid Lighting

One other option is being considered. Numerous homeowners have contacted Sunlig= ht Direct to propose that fiber optics be hybridized with white LED lighting. These LEDs are being widely touted for their long life, very low power need (one half to one watt), and non-toxicity. Unlike incandescent vacuum bulbs which are illuminated by a tungsten filament made white-hot by the electrical current, all fluorescents – “full spectrum” or not – contain mercury vapour which is essential to create the glow. When a tube is broken, this mercury escapes into the room.= For the same fifteen to twenty-three watts needed for one “energy-saving” fluorescent screw-in spiral light, several LED fixtures could operate day and night on energy collected by a small solar panel.

Although a single LED is small, a Fresnel lens can s= pread its light outward. Or several LEDs can be mounted in the same fixture, angl= ed in different directions for more diffused lighting. Again, as long as the p= ower comes from the sun, the LEDs need not be automatically controlled in co-ordination with the daily sunlight cycle. Instead, people will want to h= ave a choice of either always-on hallway and bathroom lights, or track lighting= and other fixtures that are switched for manual control – or perhaps some= of each. All LED fixtures should be designed so that more can be wired in as n= ew requirements arise.

Sunlight Direct has proposed another joint project t= o Oak Ridge Laboratories to develop a hybrid system with white LEDs. If funding is approved, this will be underway later in 2005. Even if a homeowner does not= opt for fiber-optic collector at this time, being able to install white-LED fixtures wired to a solar panel would be a welcome interim choice. It would= be ideal if such off-grid lighting linked to a solar panel were designed to be integrated with the fiber-optic light at a later date when the price comes down.

Installation and Fire Safety

The company originally pl= anned to offer units with do-it-yourself installation, expecting the price to be initially about $5000. Those who are technically adept would not blink an e= ye at this, but some less-than-handy homeowners are likely to hesitate. Given = that the visual light from even one fiber is capable of boiling water, there mig= ht be a fire hazard from broken fibers if the work is incorrectly or carelessly done, or if a later home renovator were to cut across the installed fibers. This risk would be expected to be more serious once connecting IR fibers to= a water-heating system is involved.

Even if homeowners were to install this system ̶= 0;at own risk”, the company’s reputation would still be affected if = the system does not function as it should due to errors made by incompetent installers (either oneself or others). Further, litigation would inevitably arise if fires were to occur. In answer to a question about providing instr= uctions and perhaps certification courses to train technicians in the proper handli= ng of Sunlight Direct products, Dr. Earl said that the future Canadian partners would be responsible for installations. Similar arrangements are being negotiated with American companies as well.

Although Sunlight Direct has not specified the cost = of installation – other than to imply that it would involve extra money = you would not be paying if doing it yourself – having professionals do the work would obviously add to the price of the system. Basing a rough guess on the rates charged by other professional trades, this could amount to an additional $1000 or more, depending on the size of the house and the number= of areas to be lighted. But the safety factor may make this worth the extra co= st.

Rather than installation cost, it is the fire-safety= issue that is delaying release of the home systems until 2008.<= /p>
“Our biggest concern about the residential systems is that [they need] to be installed properly to ensure safe and opt= imal operation (or at least this is true given the current HSL design). We are trying to modify the current design to actually eliminate some of these concerns by having inherent safety features built in.” (Ref.)

These changes include modifying the mirror so tha= t it focuses sunlight only when aligned to the sun within five degrees, avoiding excess concentration of heat. It is not clear why five degrees would be significant. Enclosing the vulnerable fibers in a fireproof conduit might be more to the point. The company’s researchers are also working on a “breaker” that would automatically stop the sunlight from being brought in if an optical fiber were to be broken. If it can be reliably implemented, an automatic breaker would be a worthwhile fail-safe against inadvertent damage to the fiber-optic lines.

Functionality vs. Aesthetics Trade-Off=

Other issues may arise as homeowners consider whether to invest in fiber optic lighting. The presence of shade trees tall enough to overhang the roof can block reception of light in the mirrors. Dr. Earl agrees that trees are a valuable addition to landscaping, and strongly endorses their environmental contribution of restoring oxygen to the air and preventing heat buildup in = the home receiving this natural shade.

However, he emphasizes that although a mounting syst= em can be devised to place the collector at the peak of the roof and up to six feet above it, some landscaping changes may be essential. For example, nearby tr= ees may have to be pruned, preferably by a competent arborist. Also, it would be necessary to calculate the angle of the sun, as the length of the cast shad= ow will increase later in the fall and winter when the sun is lower in the sky= . In the case of deciduous trees, this factor is less important since in most of= Canada and the northern states, this type of tree sheds its foli= age by the end of October or early November, and the thin upper twigs won’t = cast significant shadows. For several weeks before and after the winter solstice, the sun is too low in the sky to provide much energy anyway.

Some homeowners may not like the utilitarian look of= the mirror on the roof, though most people don’t worry about the appearan= ce of satellite TV receivers. Dr. Earl says that about 50% of people are very worried about how something looks, and the other half of the population doesn’t care at all. Sunlight Direct is considering various sculptural modifications of their product to appeal to the esthetes in the market. Presumably, solar collectors could be created with decorative themes like t= hose used for weathervanes, or in abstract shapes. Designer solar collectors cou= ld even be licensed to third-party companies, and marketed to high-end consume= rs and social climbers.

However, fussing over the look of the system seems frivolous. Personally speaking, I would not care to spend extra to have anything other than the bottom-line scientific hardware on the roof. Others= have water-pipe arrays and satellite dishes, so why not a bare-bones sunlight collector? If fortunate enough to be able to afford solar direct lighting, = why would anyone hide the energy-saving technology? At least some environmental= ists might consider it a badge of honour to display a sunlight-collector mirror – alongside their solar panel and perhaps a home-made windmill.

Everyone will be better off if even ten percent of h= omes and commercial buildings are outfitted with HSL systems, due to relieving s= tress on the grid at peak times. As the quality of optical fibers improves, and u= nit costs come down, we should expect to see wider adoption of non-electrical sunlight systems.

Book-ends of the Visible Spectrum: Infrared and Ultraviolet

<= ![endif]>Being able to use the non-visible portions of sunlight is = highly desirable, but still in conceptual stages. Among the challenges that remain= is the need for optical fibers to be optimized to carry IR and UV wavelengths.= The one must withstand extra heat, and the other must resist the molecular breakdown that high-energy UV light causes to ma= ny types of materials as well as to DNA. There are UV-resistant plastics, such as those used to p= rotect artwork from fading. However, their transmission qualities are not yet at t= he level required for Sunlight Direct’s proposed applications. The compa= ny is working with Oak Ridge National Laboratories to improve the transmissive qualities of plastic fibers for each of three main the types of sunlight energy.

INFRARED: Cream or Sugar in Your Solar Coffee?

In the Discovery Channel report, Melissa Lapsa, Prog= ram Manager of Solar Energy Technologies at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, wa= xes enthusiastic about the possibility of water heating using IR from sunlight.= No wonder. The first experience that Sunlight Direct had with the impressive potential of sunlight for heating water involved idly dipping a single opti= cal fiber – which was “emitting only concentrated visible sunlight” – into a mug full of coffee. Duncan Earl says, “= ;The coffee was boiling within minutes!” With captured and selected IR lig= ht, the effect would be expected to be even more dramatic.

“When people see this effect in person, they r= eally get a feeling for the enormous amount of power available in sunlight. And if you’re into totally natural coffee brewing…” Dr. Earl lets this thought hang tantalizingly in the air to stimulate imagination. If something is already in the works, he’s not letting on – yet.

Future Visions: Practical Applications for the Sun’s Heat

Assuming the development of the new IR-conducting pl= astic, it’s hard not to fantasize about a kitchen console with heat-tolerant optical rods of various thicknesses depending on the volume to be heated. Ensconced in ceramic sockets for safety when not in use, these could be inserted into anything that requires to be boiled. Such a futuristic setup might include a solar coffee-maker. And perhaps the deluxe model Sun-Chef console would have a built-in polymer oven such as the one avant-garde Chic= ago Chef Homaro Cantu (of the Moto Restaurant) demonstrated on the Canadian Discovery Channel recently. (Ref)

This simple appliance uses no heating element or fla= me, only the ability of the walls to retain heat by – in the reverse of w= hat Sunlight Direct needs to develop for its water heater and this hypothetical cooker – totally blocking IR transmission. Before insertion into this modern version of the Fireless Cooker – using conventional heat in the televised demonstration, but with fiber optic sunlight in this proposed mer= ger of two technologies – fish, rice and other foods are brought to a boi= l. They cook perfectly in the sealed polymer box with only the enclosed steam – no drying out or burning on.

With the sun’s power focused, a lot of daytime= food preparation could be done without fuel. This would be particularly of value= in the sunbelt and tropical regions. When the need = to burn wood or other fuel to cook dinner is eliminated, forests would be preserved and replanted – a great side-benefit not listed previously.= And because forests are “nature’s refrigerator”, some relief = of excess heat may occur in these regions. I hope we can look forward to exten= sive use of this technology in developing nations, perhaps with assistance of a charity similar to the one that has helped install many bio-gas pits. Though installing these household methane digesters along with tree-planting has already made some difference in soil retention, that system does still use heat-emitting combustion of the methane for cooking.

Early designs of the hybrid system included thermal photovoltaic cells to take advantage of the IR energy that is not currently being used by the HSL 3000. This idea was abandoned due to the cost of these cells and the low power output, but might be revisited if the cost comes do= wn. This might become an add-on in future. If so, the basic system should be designed so that additional features can be simply plugged in without havin= g to re-tool or to modify the already-installed solar collector.

Infrared Water Heating: Competing Systems

In Canada the savings that could arise from sun-heat= ing water would be very significant. Possibly in reaction to serious contaminated-water scares of recent years (Ref), the Canadian government has imposed a minimum temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit for water heaters. Turning down the water heater – formerly suggested as a dodge to save energy – is now frowned upon for health reasons. The concern is that, at too low a temperature, the hot-water tank = may actually incubate bacteria. New water heaters sold in Canada, therefore, must have a pre-set temperature of 140°F,= as well as – to prevent scalding – a mixing valve which adds enough cold water back into the heated water as is drawn out of the tank to ensure safety.

Duncan Earl does not know of any similar regulation = in the United States<= /span>, However, he states that IR water heating would bring mod= est savings: “If we can utilize the currently unused IR component for hea= ting water, that could provide an additional saving t= o the home owner (around $100/year in the <= span class=3Dbodytext>U.S.).” In Canada that saving could be much higher. Given that a hot-water = tank is a significant percentage of one’s electricity bill, being able to = use sunlight for this purpose for at least several hours out of the twenty-four will obviously save on energy costs.

In an effort to meet the famous “One-Tonne Challenge”, some Canadians are spending $6000 or more to have arrays = of pipes installed on the roof, connected to a heat exchanger in a pre-heater additional tank. (Ref.) Heated by the sun, the fluid in these pipes transfers h= eat to this secondary tank’s water, which then feeds into the standard hot-w= ater tank. Interviewed on the Canadian Weather Channel (Ref.), an owner of this Solarco system said that when he takes a shower with the solar-heated water, the temperature in the pre-heat tank would drop to 15 o= r 20 degrees Celsius initially. But then it would rebound to 40 Celsius within an hour or less depending on the sunlight’s intensity.

Simpler Design Advantage – If Industry Co-operates

Solarco’s price for its extra-tank system, and= the complications of snow-load on a roof with this added array of structures are not its only drawback. The system requires electricity to run a pump to keep the heated fluid moving through the exchanger and back up to the roof. In c= ontrast, Sun Direct completely avoids this additional use of electricity because the= sun will deliver its heat to the water tank through optical fibers without our help. Incorporating IR heating of water into a system that also provides li= ght would make the Sunlight Direct product financially competitive and perhaps = more attractive. It might amount to a double-whammy “two-tonne” savi= ng, in Canadian parlance.

Though the idea has been proposed that water heaters= could be mounted on the roof to compensate for the short transmission distance, in general houses are not designed to take that kind of load in the attic. Sin= ce it would be very expensive to bring the structure up to code to support that extra weight, the better option is to wait for the development of IR transmission fibers. Dr. Earl states that the IR light could be “pump= ed to a basement water-heater and, with a little bit of modification to the wa= ter heater, made to work with the captured sunlight.” This of course depe= nds on whether the hot-water tank can be modified. Many people rent water heate= rs, and permission to do so would have to be obtained from the contracting comp= any.

Modification to plumbing that a householder owns wou= ld not void the agreement with the rental company in the same way as modifying the actual tank or any of its components. The alternative would be a specialized pre-heat tank to be added upstream from the rented heater, similar to the Solarco setup. That, however, is likely to raise the price too much. Would feeding some IR fiber-optic lines into the water heater’s intake pipe= be sufficiently effective? Some further experiments might help the company fin= d a workaround for this. Personally, I would like to see water heaters sold “IR-ready” from the factory.

Retrofitting for Infrared Use

In Canada we have two completely different climates = to deal with. In winter, there is the need to create and/or hold in heat. And = in summer, we have the opposite problem. Since early June of this year (2005), central Canada= has had near-tropical conditions with high humidex readin= gs and high UV. During this time, one doesn’t even want lights on in the hou= se because they throw so much heat in addition to light. Therefore, the possibility that sunlight could be piped in without its heat component is g= reatly appealing in summer.

In winter, however, sunlight is much lower in intens= ity and the side-effect heat of conventional lights is welcome. Though the sun = is lower in the sky at these latitudes, it still provides a significant heating effect, raising daytime temperatures by fifteen to twenty degrees Celsius. = When fibers capable of carrying the IR energy are created, a future add-on north= ern customers might wish for would be the ability to have the IR component of t= he sun’s light brought indoors not just for water heating but for general warmth as well. Perhaps the homeowners who would gain the most from this ad= d-on would be those who have hot-water radiators instead of forced-air heating.<= /span>

Those who buy a fiber optic system before the IR fea= tures are available need not worry overmuch about the cost of upgrading. The IR component is relatively easily added. The cur= rent model simply redirects the infrared back toward the sun. To use this compon= ent of light for water heating, the secondary mirror, valued at about $50, would need to be replaced with one that can direct visible and IR light to differ= ent focal points. And then the bundle of IR-transmitting fibers would be instal= led to bring the infrared energy to the water heater with the required modifica= tion. Though the capability already exists to provide this function, IR fibers are still too expensive for the general home market.

As the cost of fuel rises, those who use gas water h= eaters may be looking for add-ons to help reduce their actual “greenhouse gas emissions” at least during the summer. However, optical-fiber IR water heating technology is more suitably applied to electrical water heaters. A gas-heated tank may require installation of the secondary pre-heating tank.=

UV: Air Purification still a long way off

Oak Ridge National Laboratories is also keen to deve= lop the potential applications for UV light. One of its primary uses is as an a= ir purifier, as these wavelengths are able to kill molds and other airborne pathogens. This is a future application, depending on the development of the specific UV-resistant plastic optical fibers able to transmit “deep UV wavelengths” in sufficient strength to have the desired lethal effect= on pathogens. At present such fibers are still too expensive for the general market.

Agriculture: Direct Lighting in Greenhouses

Future pharmaceutical research will involve growing plants= that produce specific proteins. Being genetically modified, patented, and valued= as corporate secrets, they are grown in secure installations that are often windowless. Fiber optic light is the obvious cost-saving solution for provi= ding optimum light balance for growth under such conditions. And for the well-he= eled drug industry, using expensive glass fiber optic cables enabling longer transmission distance to underground facilities that are already being used= for secure drug production – such as former mines – would not be an= obstacle. Plants may utilize a wider range of the sun’s energy, depending on species, and in each case the grower should be able to decide whether to br= ing in the UV range, and how much of the IR to include or exclude.

UV in Animal Husbandry

Another area yet to be developed is natural lighting= in factory farms. Most of these high-density barns have no windows. As living creatures, domestic mammals and birds also benefit from balanced lighting. = The UV light kills bacteria, reducing the risk of infections and loss of valuab= le livestock. That UV light promotes health in animals was demonstrated in a television story about an infant gorilla with a serious infection. The veterinarians of the zoo could not risk toxic anti-bacterial drugs on this = rare and precious newborn primate. Wearing customized small goggles to protect i= ts eyes, the fuzzy infant was placed under a bank of powerful UV lights to kill the infection. Since gorillas, even baby ones, have black skin as protection against UV, intense light was necessary to get past this barrier and effect the cure. (Ref)

Independent researcher John Ott conducted experiment= s which demonstrated that livestock benefit from the UV wavelengths in moderation. = The manager of a livestock operation might be able to improve productivity by controlling levels and type of UV light, depending on the species and age of the animals being reared. When the role of UV light in livestock health was brought to his attention, Dr. Earl expressed interest in the concept and indicated that his company would look into the possibility of designing sys= tems for livestock barns. In addition to the beneficial effects of natural light= for the growth and vigour of animals and birds, the producers using fiber-optic sunlight could expect cost savings on their electrical bills.

SMARTER CONTROL OF NATURE’S ENERGY

While hoping for direct sunlight technology to be successfully brought to market,= one must be patient. Much research remains to be done to perfect the system, and costs do need to come down for it to be accessible by the majority. Meanwhi= le, there are steps that all people can take to reduce heat buildup, and to ada= pt to the changing climate. (Ref)

# # #

REFERENCES

• Canadian Discovery Channel&= #8217;s host Jay Ingram interviews Duncan Earl, shows footage of hybrid lighting in use. Click on the arrow link beside this listing= :

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A second = look at solar power - Can you guess what co= uld be the newest, cheapest way to provide electricity to your house? Solar powe= r's long been harnessed by tinkerers and cottage-owners, but is there a pract= ical way for it to power your house?

• Beta testing includes a non-disclosure agreement available at this link.

• Email by Dr. = D. Earl, 12 July 2005, in response to emailed ques= tions on fire safety.

• = http://www.exn.ca/dailyp= lanet/view.asp?date=3D5/3/2005 Chef Homaro Cantu demonstrates his patented food-preparation devices on the Canadian Discovery Channel.

• Email b= y Dr. D. Earl, 8 July 2005, answering a query abou= t the origin of the water heater idea.

• The most serious<= /a> instance was in Walkerton in December 2000. Seven died, and about 2300 beca= me seriously ill, many chronically, when E-coli 0157 contaminated the townR= 17;s entire water system. http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/americas/12/07/canada.ecol= i.ap/

• The Crystal S= un, by Robert Temple. = Published in 2000 by Century, = London. Pp 266-7. At the time of the Roman empire, the= sun was conceived of as a crystal ball that refracted light toward the earth. In th= at culture and time period, it was considered a great mystery that a small bal= l of glass filled with water – which could put out fires – could be = used to start fires with the light from this huge crystal ball in the sky.

• http://www.solarcosy= stems.com/controllers.htm - Diagram shows setup of solar hea= ting using re-circulated antifreeze to transfer heat to dedicated water tank.

• Report by Niall McGee, Canadian Weather Channel, 10 July = 2005

• http://www.undp.or= g/seed/energy/policy/ch_8.htm - Widely used already in many “third-world” countries, the “bio-gas” pit both disposes of and purifies biological waste (including human excrement) which= is converted into safe, disinfected fertilizer, giving off methane which is collected for cooking and lighting. To support the reforestation effort, so= me charities have been assisting with the cost of installation for low-income families in erosion-prone mountainous regions.

• Curing a= Baby Gorilla with UV light: Zoo Diaries … Johari, a six-week-old baby gorilla who was born at the ... jam.canoe.ca/TelevisionShowsZ/zoodiaries.ht= ml - 38k - Supplemental Result That sounds like the right program, but there is nothing at this link. The author of this article witnessed the TV documenta= ry, but at present is unable to locate a description of this segment online. The sponsoring network lists the program but not episode details. http://www.lifenetwork.ca/tv/s= hows/

• Whole-Earth Review’s article (from1988) about Ott’s research can be fou= nd = here. There are numerous other listings for UV light therapy such as:
http://www.or= ientationsnova.com/health_and_light.htm
http://www.sun-= wellness.com/articles/0a1feat1.html
= Let There be Light, by Darius Dinshah, explains true full spectrum light as opposed to the various artificial types.

CONTACT:
Duncan Earl, President & CEO
Sunlight Direct, LLC
www.sunli= ght-direct.com

913 View Harbour Rd.=
Knoxville, TN 37922
Phone: 865-675-7827
Fax: 865-675-7587
E-mail: < email >

Additional Links

PESN Story: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3

Disco= very Channel TV Segment that describes the HSL technology. <= /o:p>

Sunlight-Direct: Product brochure for the HSL3000.

Sunlight-Direct: Video demonstration of the HSL3000 Lighting System for Fluorescent Light= ing with a comparison to 3500K fluorescent lighting.

Follow-up News

<= b>ORNL hybrid lighting technology gaining momentum around nation - With five systems already in place and another 20 scheduled to be installed in t= he next couple of months, the forecast is look= ing sunny for hybrid sunlight/fluorescent lighting. (PhysOrg; Aug. 7, 2006)

Related Products

Himawa= ri (Sunflower) - Japanese company has been doing this technology for more than a quarter of a century. Systems composed of coll= ector, fiber optic cables, and terminal lighting appliance.

SolaTube - Collector on roof conveys light through highly reflective tube to rooms below. Available for commercial and residential applications. Also se= lls solar attic fans.

=

Arizona State University's Hayden library has used solar collectors and fiber optic distribution = for over 15 years. (Slashdot; July 27, 2005)

"When I toured the l= abs in University of British Columbia a few months ago, a person showed us= his [doctoral] thesis experiment that center[s] on tunneling sunlight with= the help of special reflective (from 3M) tunnels that is over 65% efficient." (guardiangod; Slashdot; July 27, 2005)

"There have been building materials developed before tha= t use = fibers to transmit light from outside [optics.org]. I'm a bigger fan of j= ust designing the building so that more natural light finds its way in, ra= ther than resorting to expensive materials and tricks. Windows do an OK job when positioned intelligently. I remember visiting an apartment buildi= ng in Norwich which had a brilliant design, sunlight made it down columns to each floor and there was plenty natural lighting in the hallways. Amazed me." (bigberk= ; Slashdot; July 27, 2005)

Feedback

The above story was linked from Slashdot on July 27, 2005, ~10:00 pm MDT. See the numerous comments posted there.

See also

S= olar (index at FreeEnergyNews.com)

PESN (Pure Energy Systems News) - feature stories

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