Solar Daylighting

Solar Daylighting is the practice of using sunlight 1) to naturally illuminate building interiors, and 2) to solar power motorized components of an Active Daylighting System using Photovoltaic panels. All Daylighting systems incorporate the first definition, but few relate to the later. Only Active Daylighting Systems, compared to Passive Daylighting Systems, even incorporate motorized parts, let alone include solar powered means of doing so. Ciralight’s Suntracker Daylighting System does.

Through the use of a small Solar Panel, the Ciralight Suntracker utilizes GPS technology to determine the suns location throughout the day and rotates a set of mirrors to face the sun and redirect it’s light indoors throughout the entire day. The best of both worlds, the Suntracker not only runs strictly on solar power, but it also provides enough Solar Daylighting to illuminate spaces and end the need for artificial lighting during the daytime.

Solar Daylighting can be accomplished through the use of different building materials; windows, skylights, doors, and other means. Each product has it’s own efficiencies, and depending on the needs of the space, the Daylighting Design should account for any environmental strengths and weaknesses to assure the best distribution of natural light. While windows and doors are practical means of bringing daylight into a building, their angle of entrance is not optimal in most instances to bring in large amounts of light or to reach far into the buildings spaces. Skylights and Daylighting Systems, on the other hand, are capable of higher levels of light with a far greater reach into the room compared to windows and doors because of their design and location.

Solar Daylighting

Daylighting comes in two primary forms; Passive and Active. Passive Solar Daylighting Systems use no moving parts to track sun but do collect and transfer sunlight indoors. The efficiency of these systems often rest more on their position on the building in relation to the sun than the Daylighting System itself, though there are varying degrees of effective Passive Solar Daylighting Systems; some of which include Light Tubes and Mirrors. Active Solar Daylighting Systems, on the other hand, utilize motorized parts to track the sun and transfer sunlight indoors. While Active Solar Daylighting Systems are the minority of Daylighting Systems, their efficiency and ability to naturally illuminate building interiors is unrivaled. Their ability to adjust and track the suns movement through GPS Technology, light sensors, and/or mathematical algorithms allow the Daylighting System to capture sunlight more consistently, more abundantly, for more hours a day than most Passive Solar Daylighting Systems on the market.

Ciralight’s Suntracker Active Solar Daylighting System is one of the premiere Daylighting Systems on the market around the world. Most who are introduced to Active Daylighting Systems have one main concern; the breakdown of the motorized parts. Well, Ciralight’s Suntrackers have been third-party accelerated life-cycle tested to withstand extreme temperature conditions (-20C - +200C) for thirty (30) years and beyond while also carrying a ten (10) year warranty from top to bottom.

The benefits of Solar Daylight are numerous. Immediately after the installation of Daylighting Systems, like Ciralight’s Suntracker, one can expect savings on utility costs by turning of artificial lighting during the day; increased environmental responsibility due to using less electricity created by natural resources; and an improved human condition for all who habituate spaces lit by natural Solar Daylighting. While it’s easy to break down the numbers for the benefits of Daylighting when it comes to money and CO2, it’s difficult to exactly calculate the enhanced human environment, but the benefits are valuable: Improved morale, higher productivity, and decreased absenteeism in the workplace; accelearated learning rates and improved test scores in schools; increased sales, higher customer loyalty, and loger visits in retail establishments; plus improved preventative health measure regarding eyesight, vitamin D balance, and Circadian rhythms are a few of the many human enhancements brought on by the inclusion of Solar Daylighting Systems.

For more information about Ciralight’s Suntrackers, Solar Daylighting, and Daylighting Design, please feel free to call us anytime at (877) 520-5005. Our Daylighting Advisor will happily help you figure out the right Daylighting Systems for your needs, the proper layout for your space, and answer any questions or concerns you may have. We look forward to helping you bring Solar Daylighting to a space near you very soon.