Hybrid Solar Lighting Making Progress

ENERGY TECH

one cell at a time

by Staff Writers
Oak Ridge, Tenn. (UPI) Aug 08, 2006
U.S. government scientists say they're pleased with progress made in creating a hybrid solar lighting system at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Researchers at the Department of Energy facility say five hybrid solar lighting systems are already in place and another 20 are to be soon installed.

"This is the ultimate 'green' technology," said Duncan Earl, a co-developer of the technology and chief technology officer of Oak Ridge startup company Sunlight Direct, which licensed the technology from ORNL last year.

The hybrid solar lighting technology uses a rooftop-mounted 48-inch diameter collector and secondary mirror that track the sun during the day. The collector system focuses the sunlight into 127 optical fibers connected to hybrid light fixtures equipped with diffusion rods visually similar to fluorescent light bulbs. Those rods spread light in all directions.

One collector powers eight to 12 hybrid light fixtures, which can illuminate about 1,000 square feet. During times of little or no sunlight, a sensor controls the intensity of the artificial lamps to maintain a constant level of illumination.

Beta testing will be conducted at various locations in California, Nevada, New York, Minnesota and Texas.

Source: United Press International

ENERGY TECH

DOE To Invest $250 Million In New Bioenergy Centers

Joliet IL (SPX) Aug 08, 2006
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman announced today that DOE will spend $250 million to establish and operate two new Bioenergy Research Centers to accelerate basic research on the development of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels.

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