Commercial Lighting Innovations

Abstract

ABSTRACT In our quest for finding ways to reduce the life cycle costs of Navy ships, the Affordability Through Commonality (ATC) project has investigated several commercial lighting innovations. This paper will discuss two particularly noteworthy commercial products that have been selected for further evaluation on board Navy ships: specular reflectors for fluorescent lighting fixtures and the Solar 1000 sulfur light source.Specular reflectors are designed to dramatically increase the amount of light reflected from a fluorescent fixture resulting in one or more of the following benefits: increased task lighting, reduced maintenance and consumable costs (fewer bulbs), reduced acquisition and alteration costs (fewer fixtures), and reduced energy use. Specular reflectors are sized for the specific type of fluorescent fixture and can be designed and formed to provide general or directed task lighting. They are inexpensive and can be installed easily and quickly.The Solar 1000 sulfur light source is the first in a planned family of very bright, energy‐efficient, electrodeless lamps using sulfur bombarded by microwaves to produce illumination in a continuous range of wavelengths very close to sunlight. It is ideal for remote source lighting distribution systems such as light tubes and fiber optics. This innovation in lighting has been heralded by the Department of Energy as “a revolutionary 21st century lighting system.”