Sunlight in a Tube -- Possibilities?

[krisw]

Hi Guys,

I caught this article off of Slashdot yesterday, and it got me thinking. Some folks at Oak Ridge National Labortory have come up with a way to capture sunlight on the roof, and carry that light thru fiber optic cables to rooms inside the building, reducing the need for electrical powered lights. Obviously, this is still in the laboratory, but if this ever makes it to the public, do you think it could help reduce our energy bills for our fish tanks? Additionally, would we finally have to stop worry (at least partially) about all the different kelvin ratings of our bulbs because we'd be getting real sunlight. On that note, does anyone here know enough about fiber optic properties to say whether or not they disrupt/reduce the full light spectrum down to just cool white or something?

Anyways, a little off topic, but a neat idea, I thought.

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/050310_suntubefrm.htm

-Kris

[Aaron]

I'll bet it costs more than MH lighting when it becomes available. Sounds like an interesting idea for sure.

[krisw]

Oh, I'm sure initial installation costs would be pretty high. But, if you were doing it in your house already, maybe you could save on the energy bills over time..