SolarPoint™ Lighting distributes natural light within the interior of buildings and is fully integrated into the existing artificial lighting system. Thus, SolarPoint™ Lighting delivers the benefits of natural lighting with the convenience and reliability of artificial light. Independent studies show that natural light increases retail sales, reduces energy consumption, and improves employee productivity and wellness.
The SolarPoint™ Lighting system, also called hybrid solar lighting, consists of a roof-mounted SolarPoint™ Platform, a 45’ long plastic fiber optic bundle, and a number of special “hybrid” luminaires. The technology concentrates natural sunlight into a small bundle of optical fibers that “pipe” sunlight directly into a building or enclosure. Special lighting fixtures called hybrid luminaires diffuse light throughout the space, delivering up to 25,000 peak lumens. The hybrid luminaires blend the natural light with existing artificial lighting to provide controllable interior lighting. As sunlight levels increase and decrease, a daylight harvesting controller automatically increases or decreases the co-located artificial lighting proportionally, providing significant energy savings during daylight hours.
With nearly 80 installations in various environments and uses across the country, customer demonstrations in '06-'08 put the system through nearly one million hours of in-the-field testing. As of November 2008, the technology is no longer being offered for commercial/residential building lighting as it awaits cost improvements and further product development. Sunlight Direct is actively seeking strategic product and business development partners interested in working to take this product to market.
