Energy Reducing, Ruggedized, Solar Lighting System

The DoD management has duly recognized the scope of the energy problem in its operations and has undertaken several initiatives on renewable and alternative energy technologies.However, there are still energy issues that need to be addressed.According the DoD SBIR 2011.3 solicitation, more than 4,600 gallons of JP-8 fuel is used for lighting shelters in a 600 person base camp.All this energy could be saved by developing a compact, lightweight, and sufficiently ruggedized solar lighting system for military shelters.Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA), an award-winning energy and sustainability small business, considers the development of a solar lighting technology for Army shelters is a timely opportunity and joins Energy Focus, Inc. (EFOI), a leading supplier of energy solutions such as and fiber-optic lighting and LED lighting, in proposing to develop an advanced fiber-optic daylighting system by transforming their prototype passive, fiber-optic daylighting technology to meet the demanding needs of the military shelter application based on the teams collective experience in fiber-optic daylighting, remote-source lighting and energy efficient lighting.During the phase I project, the team established the technical feasibility of developing a fiber-optic daylighting system by building a pre-prototype solar light collector with a low-cost dual-axis motorized tracker, and a hybrid (solar-LED) light fixture.The overall objective of the phase II project is to design, build and demonstrate a reliable, cost-effective fiber-optic daylighting technology for military shelter application based on phase I research undertaken by SWA and EFOI.There are three key components in the fiber-optic daylighting systema solar light collector/concentrator (SLC) that focuses IR/UV filtered solar radiation onto optical fibers, a motorized tracking system to align SLC normal to solar radiation reasonably accurately, and light delivery system comprising fiber-optic cables and hybrid light-fixture.In addition to undertaking phase II research, the team is committed to rapid commercialization of the technology to be developed.