3 ms·

What were the light losses like?

• ptsneves 3y ago
  It depends on how much you want to spend on optics. The optics fit as slots, so you can put a standard mirror(0.8) and depending on the number of reflections(let us assume 6) you will have 0.8^6=25%. From what I researched at the time, in most latitudes you do not care about raw solar power as plants cannot stand it anyway. I also prioritized price and efficient optics are not cheap. The idea is that you compensate the small efficiency with the fact that your light is now free. The infrastructure is really simple and uses mirrors from your local hardware shop. The frame can be done in your home with steel profiles and can be done in scale if needed. An advantage to traditional usage of natural light is that if you want you can put an infra-red filter and have a spectrum that will not heat up your green house to the point you need temperature control. Another is that you can also put your green house in a space with natural cooling surrounding without concerning yourself with light availability. Given that the system is passive except for the tracking mechanism you also need minimal electricity.