The Bailey Berm House
Solar Lighting
November 9, 2003

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The greatest concern I have is the lighting. There are a few windows and doors with windows in the house, however, the more natural sunlight that I can get into the house, the better. I am planning to experiment with fiber optics and a satellite dish with a reflective inner surface. The idea is to collect an area of sun light and focus it into a bundle of fiber optics. The fiber will pipe the light throughout the underground house via conduit located all through the rammed earth walls. I am currently on the lookout for a sorce to get the fiber from cheaply. I would like to find recycleable fiber. Anyone know where I can get some?

I have just discovered the large-core optical fiber. That looks like a good place to look for a method of carrying the sun light into the house. I think I will implement this type of lighting in our current home to test the 'pay back' time on it.

Further description of this technology can be found at the Hybrid Lighting Partnership site. Be sure to chek out the applications page and the available papers on the subject.

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