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Cool Light on Hot Days: Fiber Optics Bring the Sun Indoors
C. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS: IR/UV
by Mary-Sue
Haliburton
Pure Energy Systems News
Copyright © 2005
Book-ends of the Visible Spectrum: Infrared and Ultraviolet
 Being
able to use the non-visible portions of sunlight is highly desirable, but still
in conceptual stages. Among the challenges that remain is the need for optical
fibers to be optimized to carry IR and UV wavelengths. The one must withstand
extra heat, and the other must resist the molecular breakdown that high-energy
UV light causes to many types of materials as well as to DNA. There are
UV-resistant plastics, such as those used to protect artwork from fading.
However, their transmission qualities are not yet at the level required for
Sunlight Direct’s proposed applications. The company is working with Oak Ridge
National Laboratories to improve the transmissive qualities of plastic fibers
for each of three main the types of sunlight energy.
INFRARED: Cream or Sugar in Your Solar Coffee?
In the Discovery Channel report, Melissa Lapsa, Program Manager of Solar Energy
Technologies at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, waxes enthusiastic about the
possibility of water heating using IR from sunlight. No wonder. The first
experience that Sunlight Direct had with the impressive potential of sunlight
for heating water involved idly dipping a single optical fiber – which was “emitting
only concentrated visible sunlight” – into a mug full of coffee. Duncan Earl
says, “The coffee was boiling within minutes!” With captured and selected IR
light, the effect would be expected to be even more dramatic.
“When people see this effect in person, they really get a feeling for the
enormous amount of power available in sunlight. And if you’re into totally
natural coffee brewing…” Dr. Earl lets this thought hang tantalizingly in
the air to stimulate imagination. If something is already in the works, he’s
not letting on – yet.
Future Visions: Practical Applications for the Sun’s Heat
Assuming the development of the new IR-conducting plastic, it’s hard not to
fantasize about a kitchen console with heat-tolerant optical rods of various
thicknesses depending on the volume to be heated. Ensconced in ceramic sockets
for safety when not in use, these could be inserted into anything that requires
to be boiled. Such a futuristic setup might include a solar coffee-maker. And
perhaps the deluxe model Sun-Chef console would have a built-in polymer oven
such as the one avant-garde Chicago Chef Homaro Cantu (of the Moto Restaurant)
demonstrated on the Canadian Discovery Channel recently. (Ref)
This simple appliance uses no heating element or flame, only the ability of the
walls to retain heat by – in the reverse of what Sunlight Direct needs to
develop for its water heater and this hypothetical cooker – totally blocking
IR transmission. Before insertion into this modern version of the Fireless
Cooker – using conventional heat in the televised demonstration, but with
fiber optic sunlight in this proposed merger of two technologies – fish, rice
and other foods are brought to a boil. They cook perfectly in the sealed polymer
box with only the enclosed steam – no drying out or burning on.
With the sun’s power focused, a lot of daytime food preparation could be done
without fuel. This would be particularly of value in the sunbelt and tropical
regions. When the need to burn wood or other fuel to cook dinner is eliminated,
forests would be preserved and replanted – a great side-benefit not listed
previously. And because forests are “nature’s refrigerator”, some relief
of excess heat may occur in these regions. I hope we can look forward to
extensive use of this technology in developing nations, perhaps with assistance
of a charity similar to the one that has helped install many bio-gas pits.
Though installing these household methane digesters along with tree-planting has
already made some difference in soil retention, that system does still use
heat-emitting combustion of the methane for cooking.
Early designs of the hybrid system included thermal photovoltaic cells to take
advantage of the IR energy that is not currently being used by the HSL 3000.
This idea was abandoned due to the cost of these cells and the low power output,
but might be revisited if the cost comes down. This might become an add-on in
future. If so, the basic system should be designed so that additional features
can be simply plugged in without having to re-tool or to modify the
already-installed solar collector.
Infrared Water Heating: Competing Systems
In Canada the savings that could arise from sun-heating water would be very
significant. Possibly in reaction to serious contaminated-water scares of recent
years (Ref), the Canadian government has imposed a
minimum temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit for water heaters. Turning down
the water heater – formerly suggested as a dodge to save energy – is now
frowned upon for health reasons. The concern is that, at too low a temperature,
the hot-water tank may actually incubate bacteria. New water heaters sold in
Canada, therefore, must have a pre-set temperature of 140°F, as well as – to
prevent scalding – a mixing valve which adds enough cold water back into the
heated water as is drawn out of the tank to ensure safety.
Duncan Earl does not know of any similar regulation in the United States,
However, he states that IR water heating would bring modest savings: “If we
can utilize the currently unused IR component for heating water, that could
provide an additional saving to the home owner (around $100/year in the U.S.).”
In Canada that saving could be much higher. Given that a hot-water tank is a
significant percentage of one’s electricity bill, being able to use sunlight
for this purpose for at least several hours out of the twenty-four will
obviously save on energy costs.
In an effort to meet the famous “One-Tonne Challenge”, some Canadians are
spending $6000 or more to have arrays of pipes installed on the roof, connected
to a heat exchanger in a pre-heater additional tank. (Ref.)
Heated by the sun, the fluid in these pipes transfers heat to this secondary
tank’s water, which then feeds into the standard hot-water tank. Interviewed
on the Canadian Weather Channel (Ref.),
an owner of this Solarco system said that when he takes a shower with the
solar-heated water, the temperature in the pre-heat tank would drop to 15 or 20
degrees Celsius initially. But then it would rebound to 40 Celsius within an
hour or less depending on the sunlight’s intensity.
Simpler Design Advantage – If Industry Co-operates
Solarco’s price for its extra-tank system, and the complications of snow-load
on a roof with this added array of structures are not its only drawback. The
system requires electricity to run a pump to keep the heated fluid moving
through the exchanger and back up to the roof. In contrast, Sun Direct
completely avoids this additional use of electricity because the sun will
deliver its heat to the water tank through optical fibers without our help.
Incorporating IR heating of water into a system that also provides light would
make the Sunlight Direct product financially competitive and perhaps more
attractive. It might amount to a double-whammy “two-tonne” saving, in
Canadian parlance.
Though the idea has been proposed that water heaters could be mounted on the
roof to compensate for the short transmission distance, in general houses are
not designed to take that kind of load in the attic. Since it would be very
expensive to bring the structure up to code to support that extra weight, the
better option is to wait for the development of IR transmission fibers. Dr. Earl
states that the IR light could be “pumped to a basement water-heater and, with
a little bit of modification to the water heater, made to work with the captured
sunlight.” This of course depends on whether the hot-water tank can be
modified. Many people rent water heaters, and permission to do so would have to
be obtained from the contracting company.
Modification to plumbing that a householder owns would not void the agreement
with the rental company in the same way as modifying the actual tank or any of
its components. The alternative would be a specialized pre-heat tank to be added
upstream from the rented heater, similar to the Solarco setup. That, however, is
likely to raise the price too much. Would feeding some IR fiber-optic lines into
the water heater’s intake pipe be sufficiently effective? Some further
experiments might help the company find a workaround for this. Personally, I
would like to see water heaters sold “IR-ready” from the factory.
Retrofitting for Infrared Use
In Canada we have two completely different climates to deal with. In winter,
there is the need to create and/or hold in heat. And in summer, we have the
opposite problem. Since early June of this year (2005), central Canada has had
near-tropical conditions with high humidex readings and high UV. During this
time, one doesn’t even want lights on in the house because they throw so much
heat in addition to light. Therefore, the possibility that sunlight could be
piped in without its heat component is greatly appealing in summer.
In winter, however, sunlight is much lower in intensity and the side-effect heat
of conventional lights is welcome. Though the sun is lower in the sky at these
latitudes, it still provides a significant heating effect, raising daytime
temperatures by fifteen to twenty degrees Celsius. When fibers capable of
carrying the IR energy are created, a future add-on northern customers might
wish for would be the ability to have the IR component of the sun’s light
brought indoors not just for water heating but for general warmth as well.
Perhaps the homeowners who would gain the most from this add-on would be those
who have hot-water radiators instead of forced-air heating.
Those who buy a fiber optic system before the IR features are available need not
worry overmuch about the cost of upgrading.
The IR component is relatively easily added. The current model simply redirects
the infrared back toward the sun. To use this component of light for water
heating, the secondary mirror, valued at about $50, would need to be replaced
with one that can direct visible and IR light to different focal points. And
then the bundle of IR-transmitting fibers would be installed to bring the
infrared energy to the water heater with the required modification. Though the
capability already exists to provide this function, IR fibers are still too
expensive for the general home market.
As the cost of fuel rises, those who use gas water heaters may be looking for
add-ons to help reduce their actual “greenhouse gas emissions” at least
during the summer. However, optical-fiber IR water heating technology is more
suitably applied to electrical water heaters. A gas-heated tank may require
installation of the secondary pre-heating tank.
UV: Air Purification still a long way off
Oak Ridge National Laboratories is also keen to develop the potential
applications for UV light. One of its primary uses is as an air purifier, as
these wavelengths are able to kill molds and other airborne pathogens. This is a
future application, depending on the development of the specific UV-resistant
plastic optical fibers able to transmit “deep UV wavelengths” in sufficient
strength to have the desired lethal effect on pathogens. At present such fibers
are still too expensive for the general market.
Agriculture: Direct Lighting in Greenhouses
 Future
pharmaceutical research will involve growing plants that produce specific
proteins. Being genetically modified, patented, and valued as corporate secrets,
they are grown in secure installations that are often windowless. Fiber optic
light is the obvious cost-saving solution for providing optimum light balance
for growth under such conditions. And for the well-heeled drug industry, using
expensive glass fiber optic cables enabling longer transmission distance to
underground facilities that are already being used for secure drug production
– such as former mines – would not be an obstacle. Plants may utilize a
wider range of the sun’s energy, depending on species, and in each case the
grower should be able to decide whether to bring in the UV range, and how much
of the IR to include or exclude.
UV in Animal Husbandry
Another area yet to be developed is natural lighting in factory farms. Most of
these high-density barns have no windows. As living creatures, domestic mammals
and birds also benefit from balanced lighting. The UV light kills bacteria,
reducing the risk of infections and loss of valuable livestock. That UV light
promotes health in animals was demonstrated in a television story about an
infant gorilla with a serious infection. The veterinarians of the zoo could not
risk toxic anti-bacterial drugs on this rare and precious newborn primate.
Wearing customized small goggles to protect its eyes, the fuzzy infant was
placed under a bank of powerful UV lights to kill the infection. Since gorillas,
even baby ones, have black skin as protection against UV, intense light was
necessary to get past this barrier and effect the cure. (Ref)
Independent researcher John Ott conducted experiments which demonstrated that
livestock benefit from the UV wavelengths in moderation. The manager of a
livestock operation might be able to improve productivity by controlling levels
and type of UV light, depending on the species and age of the animals being
reared. When the role of UV light in livestock health was brought to his
attention, Dr. Earl expressed interest in the concept and indicated that his
company would look into the possibility of designing systems for livestock
barns. In addition to the beneficial effects of natural light for the growth and
vigour of animals and birds, the producers using fiber-optic sunlight could
expect cost savings on their electrical bills.
SMARTER CONTROL OF NATURE’S ENERGY
While hoping for direct sunlight technology to be successfully brought to
market, one must be patient. Much research remains to be done to perfect the
system, and costs do need to come down for it to be accessible by the majority.
Meanwhile, there are steps that all people can take to reduce heat buildup, and
to adapt to the changing climate. (Ref)
# # #
REFERENCES
• Canadian Discovery Channel’s host Jay Ingram interviews
Duncan Earl, shows footage of hybrid lighting in use. Click on the arrow link
beside this listing:
 |
A
second look at solar power - Can you
guess what could be the newest, cheapest way to provide electricity to
your house? Solar power's long been harnessed by tinkerers and
cottage-owners, but is there a practical way for it to power your house?
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• Beta
testing includes a non-disclosure agreement available at this link.
• Email by Dr. D. Earl, 12 July 2005, in
response to emailed questions on fire safety.
• http://www.exn.ca/dailyplanet/view.asp?date=5/3/2005
Chef Homaro Cantu demonstrates his patented food-preparation devices on the
Canadian Discovery Channel.
• Email by Dr. D. Earl, 8 July 2005,
answering a query about the origin of the water heater idea.
• The most serious instance was in Walkerton in
December 2000. Seven died, and about 2300 became seriously ill, many
chronically, when E-coli 0157 contaminated the town’s entire water system. http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/americas/12/07/canada.ecoli.ap/
• The Crystal Sun, by Robert Temple.
Published in 2000 by Century, London. Pp 266-7. At the time of the Roman empire,
the sun was conceived of as a crystal ball that refracted light toward the
earth. In that culture and time period, it was considered a great mystery that a
small ball of glass filled with water – which could put out fires – could be
used to start fires with the light from this huge crystal ball in the sky.
• http://www.solarcosystems.com/controllers.htm
- Diagram shows setup of solar heating
using re-circulated antifreeze to transfer heat to dedicated water tank.
• Report by Niall McGee, Canadian
Weather Channel, 10 July 2005
• http://www.undp.org/seed/energy/policy/ch_8.htm
- Widely used already in many “third-world”
countries, the “bio-gas” pit both disposes of and purifies biological waste
(including human excrement) which is converted into safe, disinfected
fertilizer, giving off methane which is collected for cooking and lighting. To
support the reforestation effort, some charities have been assisting with the
cost of installation for low-income families in erosion-prone mountainous
regions.
• Curing a Baby Gorilla with UV light:
Zoo Diaries … Johari, a six-week-old baby gorilla who was born at the ...
jam.canoe.ca/TelevisionShowsZ/zoodiaries.html - 38k - Supplemental Result That
sounds like the right program, but there is nothing at this link. The author of
this article witnessed the TV documentary, but at present is unable to locate a
description of this segment online. The sponsoring network lists the program but
not episode details. http://www.lifenetwork.ca/tv/shows/
• Whole-Earth Review’s article (from1988)
about Ott’s research can be found here.
There are numerous other listings for UV light therapy such as:
http://www.orientationsnova.com/health_and_light.htm
http://www.sun-wellness.com/articles/0a1feat1.html
Let
There be Light, by Darius Dinshah, explains true full spectrum light as
opposed to the various artificial types.
CONTACT:
Duncan Earl, President & CEO
Sunlight Direct, LLC
www.sunlight-direct.com
913 View Harbour Rd.
Knoxville, TN 37922
Phone: 865-675-7827
Fax: 865-675-7587
E-mail: <email >
Additional Links
Follow-up News
Related Products
- Himawari
(Sunflower) - Japanese company has been doing this technology
for more than a quarter of a century. Systems composed of
collector, fiber optic cables, and terminal lighting appliance.
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- SolaTube
- Collector on roof conveys light through highly reflective tube to
rooms below. Available for commercial and residential
applications. Also sells solar attic fans.
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- Arizona State University's Hayden library has used solar collectors and
fiber optic distribution for over 15 years. (Slashdot;
July 27, 2005)
- "When I toured the labs in University of British Columbia a few
months ago, a person showed us his [doctoral] thesis experiment that
center[s] on tunneling sunlight with the help of special reflective (from
3M) tunnels that is over 65% efficient." (guardiangod; Slashdot;
July 27, 2005)
- "There have been building materials developed before that use fibers
to transmit light from outside [optics.org]. I'm a bigger fan of just
designing the building so that more natural light finds its way in, rather
than resorting to expensive materials and tricks. Windows do an OK job when
positioned intelligently. I remember visiting an apartment building in
Norwich which had a brilliant design, sunlight made it down columns to each
floor and there was plenty natural lighting in the hallways. Amazed
me." (bigberk; Slashdot;
July 27, 2005)
Feedback
- The above story was linked from Slashdot
on July 27, 2005, ~10:00 pm MDT. See the numerous comments posted there.
See also
Page posted by SDA
July 26, 2005
Last updated August 08, 2006
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