Fiber optic solar lighting: Functional competitiveness and potential

Active daylighting schemes utilize sunlight more aggressively, promoting flexibility in the application of sunlight for indoor illumination. The daylighting system based on fiber-optic solar concentrator technologies is one of such systems that constantly track the sun to capture its beam radiation for indoor illumination. This paper introduces the applicability and functional effectiveness of a daylighting system which consists of dish concentrator(s), a dual-axis solar tracker and light guides including optical fiber cables. Simulation models were developed using a number of different software where Photopia provided the relevant photometric data (candela power distribution curves, CDCs) by producing a virtual luminaire of the daylighting system. To assess the validity of different models, a series of tests for the system's application to a test chamber were carried out. The effective combination of sunlight and conventional electric lighting is also explored with the application of a dimming control. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.