A revolution in Interior Lighting

UC's Smart light more than a bright idea, has become a revolution in interior lighting ready to shine. A pair of Cincinnati researchers has developed an effective concept in interior light designing. 

In fact, the light comes directly from the sun. And with the help of tiny, electrofluidic cells and a series of open-air "ducts", sunlight can naturally illuminate windowless work space deep inside office buildings and excess energy can be harnessed, stored and directed to other applications. Great concept isn't it? :) :D 

This new technology is called Smart Light, and its the result of an interdisciplinary research collaboration between US's Anton Harfmann and Jason Heikenfield. Their research paper "Smart Light- Enhancing Fenestration to Improve Solar Distribution in Buildings" was recently presented at Italy's CasaClima International energy forum. 

There is a simple question SmartLight addresses: IS there a smarter way to use sunlight? Every day the sun's rays hit Earth with more than enough energy to meet many of society's energy demands, but existing technologies designed to harness that energy, such as photovoltaic cells, aren't very efficient. But with Smart Light, Harfmann says the sunlight channelled through the system stays, and is used in this original form. This method is far more efficient than converting light into electricity then back into light and would be far more sustainable than generating electric light by burning fossil fuels or releasing nuclear energy. 

This rendering depicts how an office might appear with SmartLight "off" (above) and "on" (below).
Sunlight is directed into different spaces, including to a "SmartTrackLight" in the outer hallway. 

The technology could be applied to buildings. Harfmann and Heikenfield believe that it can bring a great impact especially on commercial buildings. According to U.S Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, 21 percent of commercial sector electricity consumption went toward lighting in 2011. This in turn calls for such a concept which can help in energy saving. That makes this new concept a winner. 

SmartLight could help shift that energy imbalance. It works like this: A narrow grid of electrofluid cells which is self powered by embedded photovoltaics is applied near the to of a window. each tiny cell contains fluid with optical properties as good or better than glass. The surface tension of the fluid can be rapidly manipulated into shapes such as lenses or prisms through minimal electrical stimulation about 10,00 to 100,000 times less power than what's needed to light a traditional incandescent bulb. In this way, sunlight passing through the cell can be controlled. 

This image shows how SmartLight can direct sunlight from the outside of a building

to the inner part of a building and to a centralised harvesting and energy storage hub

The grid might direct some light to reflect off the ceiling to provide ambient room lighting. Other light might get focused toward special fixtures for task lighting. Yet another portion of light might be transmitted across the empty, uppermost spaces in a room to an existing or newly installed transom window fitted with its own electro fluid grid. From there, the process could be repeated to enable sunlight to reach the deepest, most light locked areas of any building. And its all done without needing to install new wiring, ducts, tubes or cables. 

Another question that might rise is about night and cloudy days? Thats where another important property of SmartLight comes into action. It's energy storage ability. On a typical sunny day, sunlight strikes a façade at a rate that's often hundreds of times greater than what is needed to light the entire building. SmartLight can funnel surplus light into a centralised harvesting and energy storing hub within the building. The store energy could then be used to beam electrical lighting back through the building when natural light levels are low. The SmartLight Grid is so responsive-each cells can switch by the second- it can react dynamically to varying light levels through out day, meaning office lighting levels would remain constant during bright mornings spent catching up on email, stormy lunch hours spent eating at your desk and late nights spent reviewing the budget.   

Another important aspect of SmartLight is, it can be controlled wirelessly. There are even mobile apps getting developed that can be used by the user. Heikenfiled and Harfmann are currently evaluating the market, expecting funding from government or industry partners. They have already begun evaluating material;l and advanced manufacturing methods. 

User control Smart Light mobile app

Note: Harfmann anf Heikenfeld originally began developing the idea for the SmartLight years ago. Harfmann was one of the leaders on UC's team in the 2007 Solar Decathlon, a global competition to build the planet's best solar house. Harfmann, an associate dean in UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, collaborated with faculty from other disciplines, including the College of Engineering and Applied Science. That led to his relationship with Heikenfeld and eventually the first discussions of the SmartLight concept.