Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Technology of Indoor Solar Lighting


By Steve Schafer

How much do you know about solar lighting? Most people don't realize that it can be used both indoors and out. While many of us may not have considered using solar power to provide indoor lighting, it is becoming a growing trend world wide. It is a great way to save both money and energy.

Did you know that solar power use dates back to over 2,600 years ago? Even still, indoor solar lighting technology is fairly new. It is, however becoming more and more frequently used in the U.S. to bring light to small structures such as park restrooms, service sheds, utility structures and others. These are locations far from established grids where conventional power sources would be cumbersome and expensive to run. There are even some commercial buildings that have begun utilizing indoor solar lighting, and the trend is growing in popularity.

Currently most industrial indoor solar lighting is a combination of solar powered lighting and light tube technology. Light tube and solar powered lighting are being used in areas like prisons and other security sensitive applications. The ability of light tubes to be of a small diameter while still transferring significant amounts of natural light indoors makes them ideal in these types of situations. When combined with backup solar powered lighting this hybrid system becomes the most effective and efficient lighting alternative available.

Lighting for your shed, your garage, or gazebo are but a few of the uses for indoor solar lights. They can even be used inside your home. One great benefit is that you don't need to worry about a source of electricity. In addition to that, there is no need to worry about replacing bulbs or the power going out. All you need is direct sunlight to your panel. Indoor solar lights require almost no maintenance and are very simple to install.

Some buildings on your property may be located far away from the main dwelling, making it expensive to provide electricity for even a single bulb. Indoor solar lighting is a great way to solve that problem swiftly and in most cases at very little cost. You can use them in your home as well, in the form of solar track lights or solar skylights.

With all the options becoming available, it's no wonder that indoor solar lighting is becoming more and more popular. A quick search on the internet and you will undoubtedly discover loads of these environmentally friendly lighting solutions. As research continues into areas like solar inks and nanoparticle integration, we will definitely see more and more uses for solar power in the near future. This will open up all kinds of new ways to use solar lighting to not only help save the planet's resources, but save money as well!

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