In the winter most people find the need for sunlight, or any light, a serious need given the shorter days and decrease in time spent outdoors. Usually sun lamps come into play here, giving us the light we need to function, but hybrid solar lighting dishes may be coming not only replace our sunlamps, but all our lamps.
Hybrid solar lighting (HSL) is comparative to solar panels, which convert sunlight into electricity, except these instruments simply channel sunlight directly into a room. No middleman needed. Normal photovoltaic cells used in solar panels only covert about 15 percent of the sunlight collected, while HSL is able to use up to 50 percent of the sunlight collected thanks to direct conversion. In addition, HSL bulbs produce less heat than conventional bulbs thanks to collectors that remove infrared light, which is the main heat-producing spectrum. This not only produces a higher quality of light, but lowers energy costs (not to mention room temperature.) 
HSL does not use the usual solar panels, but instead features a four-foot wide dish, which reflects the sunlight into a cluster of 127 optical fibers nestled at the base of the dish. One of these dishes powers up to eight fixtures, each of which can light about 1,250 square feet.
But HSL does utilize artificial light as well, which comes into play at night or during poorly lit days. About 20 percent of the light produced on a sunny day is artificial, while on cloudy days the system’s photosensors can boost that number to 95 percent.
But perhaps a more surprising side effect of HSL is the light’s reddish tint during sunrise and sunset. At first researchers thought this would be a problem, but many people enjoy it since it mimics the sun’s natural colour during morning and evening, helping set our internal rhythm, which is all too thrown-off thanks to conventional lighting.
Unfortunately, distance is also a problem since the fiberoptic wires loose light the longer they are. Therefore, direct roof access is recommended, meaning HSL works best in one-story buildings, or on the top floor.
Currently HSL is being marketed to commercial centers thanks to studies showing more natural light helps boost sales. But not only this, the system is still very expensive making retailers a prime target for something with a price up to $40,000 for a system with glass optical wires. Thankfully, by using plastics instead of glass, the target price is currently $3,000 for an 8-fixture unit.
HSL is just another choice is a growing range of eco-friendly lighting ideas, from CFL bulbs to solar panels. Hopefully the price will soon drop, making it a must have for residential homes as well.
This is a really interesting concept, hopefully it can be developed further so that home owners will be able to afford it.
That’s pretty cool. I wonder if they’ll continue to seriously research it.
[...] Hybrid Lights: Installing overhead lighting can be a costly problem, both money-wise and energy-wise. For our one-story kitchen, hybrid lights have the potential to be well worth the cost. These lights use not just solar energy, but the very light of the sun to brighten your indoors too. [...]