Illumination of dense urban areas by light redirecting panels

With the high population growth rate, especially in developing countries, and the scarcity of land resources, buildings are becoming so close to each other, depriving the lower floors and the alleys from sunlight and consequently causing health problems. Therefore, there is an urgent need for cost-e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics express 2014-05, Vol.22 Suppl 3 (S3), p.A895-A907
Main Authors: El-Henawy, Sally I, Mohamed, Mohamed W N, Mashaly, Islam A, Mohamed, Osama N, Galal, Ola, Taha, Iman, Nassar, Khaled, Safwat, Amr M E
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:With the high population growth rate, especially in developing countries, and the scarcity of land resources, buildings are becoming so close to each other, depriving the lower floors and the alleys from sunlight and consequently causing health problems. Therefore, there is an urgent need for cost-effective efficient light redirecting panels that guide sun rays into those dim places. In this paper, we address this problem. A novel sine wave based panel is presented to redirect/diverge light downward and enhance the illumination level in those dark places. Simulation results show that the proposed panel improves the illuminance values by more than 200% and 400% in autumn and winter respectively, operates over wide solar altitude ranges, and redirects light efficiently. Experimental and simulation results are in good agreement.
ISSN:1094-4087
1094-4087
DOI:10.1364/OE.22.00A895