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1 - Lighting Electrical Loads
1 - Lighting Electrical Loads
a- What is light?
Visible light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength that is visible to the eye
Sunlight is electromagnetic radiation by sun and which includes the full spectrum of visible light (as well as
frequencies beyond the sensitivity of the eye, known as ultra violet and infrared)
Artificial light sources are other sources of light which developed to compensate for /assist the natural light.
It will have different frequencies and wavelengths that determine the light color.
A Particular attention must be given to day lighting while designing a building lighting system due to the
following:
The daylight entering a building may include direct sunlight when the window has a view of the sun, as well
as diffuse sunlight that has been refracted by clouds, and reflected from various surfaces such as clouds,
ground or other buildings.
Daylight can therefore vary greatly with weather conditions, ranging from total cloud cover to clear sky with
direct sunlight.
The effectiveness of daylight as a light source is measured as the “Daylight Factor”.
2- What are the main characteristics of day lighting source?
Daylight Factor
It is the ratio of internal light level to external light level and is defined as follows:
Where:
there are two types of technology that are used for utilizing the day lighting source as follows:
1- Active day lighting
It is a system of collecting sunlight using a mechanical device to increase the efficiency of light collection for
a given lighting purpose. Active day lighting systems are different from passive day lighting systems in that
passive systems are stationary and do not actively follow or track the sun
It is a system of both: collecting sunlight using static, non-moving, and non-tracking systems such as
Windows, Sliding glass doors, most skylights, light tubes, and reflecting the collected daylight deeper inside
with elements such as light shelves. Passive day lighting systems are different from active day lighting
systems in that active systems track and/or follow the sun, and rely on mechanical mechanisms to do so.
4- What are the Common Methods for using Passive day lighting technology in a building?
there are many methods for using Passive day lighting technology in a building but the common ones will be
as follows:
1- Windows
Windows are the most common way to admit daylight into a space. Their vertical orientation means that
they selectively admit sunlight and diffuse daylight at different times of the day and year.
The optimal area of skylights varies according to climate, latitude, and the characteristics of the skylight, but is
usually 4-8% of floor area.
With proper skylight design, there can be significant energy savings in commercial and industrial applications
up to 80 percent according to the US Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program. In terms
of cost savings, the DOE reported that many commercial buildings can reduce total energy costs by up to one-
third through the optimal use of day lighting.
3- Light shelves (see fig.2)
It uses modern technology to transmit visible light through opaque walls and roofs. The tube itself is a passive component
consisting of either a simple reflective interior coating or a light conducting fiber optic bundle. It is frequently capped with a
transparent, roof-mounted dome 'light collector' and terminated with a diffuser assembly that admits the daylight into interior
spaces and distributes the available light energy evenly.
5- Problems generated from using day lighting source
Two potential problems associated with the use of day lighting buildings are as follows:
1- Glare
Glare occurs when a bright light source such as the sun is in the field of view of users. It
can also occur when reflections of the sun are in the field of view.
2- Heat
Daylight is always associated with heat, and the challenge is to maximize the benefit
from daylight with minimum heat gain.
all the above information will guide the electrical designer for utilizing the Daylight
Source (in cooperation with the architecture engineer) to have the best lighting design
which meet the user requirements and in same time increase energy savings in the
buildings.
In the next topic, I will explain the artificial lighting sources and loads. So, please keep
following.
5- Smart glass (see fig.4)
It is the name given to a class of materials and devices that can be switched between a transparent state and a
state which is opaque, translucent, reflective, or retro-reflective. The switching is done by applying an electric
voltage to the material, or by performing some simple mechanical operation. Windows, skylights, etc., that are
made of smart glass can be used to adjust indoor lighting, compensating for changes of the brightness of the light
outdoors and of the required brightness indoors.