Redirecting sunlight for indoor illumination

Angelina Zhang; Shunguang Wu

doi:10.1117/12.2585780

12 April 2021 Redirecting sunlight for indoor illumination

Angelina Zhang, Shunguang Wu

Proceedings Volume 11739, Fiber Optic Sensors and Applications XVII; 117390J (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2585780
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2021, Online Only

Conference Poster

Abstract

Indoor illumination is generally characterized by artificial lighting and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, in order to reduce energy consumption, two potential alternatives are solar power and daylighting. Daylighting redirects sunlight to illuminate an indoor space, which also provides potential health benefits to long-term indoor workers through the use of natural light. This paper discusses the use of daylighting as an alternative to traditional, electrical lighting. In the first part of this work, an active daylighting system that follows the sun’s position is proposed. By inputting the location, date, and time variables, the sun’s azimuth and elevation angles are calculated (source code available through the link https://github.com/azhang7740/SolarPositionCalculator), and the results have been verified through an observational experiment. However, the program is unable to adjust for minute differences in the sun’s position from weather and other factors, suggesting that a tracking component may be necessary for direct alignment with the sun. In the second part of this paper, we introduce a sun redirecting prototype system which includes three main components: a light concentrator, transmitter, and diffuser. The light concentrator collects sunlight, and Fresnel lenses, parabolic troughs, and compound parabolic concentrators are considered. Optic fiber cables, which can transmit light through long distances, are a viable option for light transmission. Finally, the diffuser disperses light in order to achieve comfortable viewing, and a combination of lenses are considered for this mechanism. The current study evaluates the feasibility of the proposed method, while our future work will incorporate further quantitative theoretical and experimental analysis.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Angelina Zhang and Shunguang Wu "Redirecting sunlight for indoor illumination", Proc. SPIE 11739, Fiber Optic Sensors and Applications XVII, 117390J (12 April 2021); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2585780

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