Hybrid Solar Lighting

Automated Home, a site for great HA news, has the scoop on a hybrid solar lighting system. The panels collect the sunlight and transport it through optical fiber to various lights containing optical elements to dispurse the light and blend it with artificial light. A photsensor maintains light level at nighttime by adjusting the artificial light levels.

From the article:

Controllable, fully-integrated natural lighting system
• Delivers light that makes product colors appear truer & more vibrant
• Extends the lifetime of halogen bulbs by as much as 20 times!
• Environmentally friendly technology
• Minimal roof penetrations (4” diameter post per system)
• Reduces light pollution (dark skies)
• Can be easily reconfigured
• Ambient lighting and directional lighting luminaires available
• IR wavelengths removed to provide cool operating natural light that reduces cooling load