The Science Behind Solatube Tubular Skylights

The Science of Capturing Light

The first step in Solatube’s light-capturing process begins with its innovative dome, the Raybender® 3000. It utilizes a Fresnel lens, the same type of lens used in lighthouses, to amplify light over great distances. The Fresnel lens allows Raybender® 3000 to capture sunlight from low angles in the morning and evening when the sun is closer to the horizon and redirect it into your home.

During midday, when the sun is at its highest and most intense, Raybender® 3000 will reject overpowering sunlight, preventing harsh glare that could be uncomfortable or disruptive inside your space. This balanced light capture means you enjoy consistent, glare-free daylight all day, no matter where the sun is positioned in the sky.

After capturing the light, Raybender® 3000 sends it to the LightTracker™ Reflector, which targets low-angle sunlight and boosts overall light output. This is particularly useful in the winter when daylight is shorter and sunlight intensity is weaker. The LightTracker™ Reflector ensures that even the low winter sun is harnessed to provide bright, natural light inside your space.

Maximizing Sunlight Transfer

Capturing sunlight is just the first step; now, it needs to be piped into your home or business. This is where Solatube’s highly reflective tubing comes into play. The tube is lined with Spectralight® Infinity, the most reflective material in the world, which reflects an incredible 99.7% of the light that hits it. This maximizes the amount of sunlight transferred through the tube, ensuring minimal light is lost from the roof to your rooms.

What makes this material even more impressive is that it doesn’t just reflect light—it reflects light without any loss of color. This means the natural sunlight entering your home will make colors look truer and brighter, creating a more vibrant living environment. Whether it’s the warm tones of your hardwood floors or the lively hues of your wall paint, everything looks richer and more natural under Solatube daylighting.

Another amazing benefit of the highly reflective tubing is that Solatube tubular skylights can deliver light up to 30 feet from the light-capturing dome. This feature makes it possible to bring sunlight into areas of your home far from the roof, like the ground floor in a two-story building.

Generating Light, Even at Night

Another impressive aspect of Solatube tubular skylights is their ability to provide light even after sunset. Solatube skylights collect solar energy during the day with a small photovoltaic panel installed inside the tube. When darkness falls, the stored energy powers a soft, diffused light that gently lights your space through the same skylight opening that illuminates the space during the day.

This feature is handy in smaller or enclosed spaces like bathrooms, closets, or hallways, where natural light may not reach during the day, and electric lighting is required at night. By providing continuous light, Solatube tubular skylights can reduce your reliance on electric nightlights, helping you save on energy costs while keeping your home safe and illuminated around the clock.

Delivering Light the Way You Want It

The final step of the Solatube daylighting system is to deliver the light into your space. Solatube goes beyond just providing sunlight through a clear opening. There are an array of decorative fixtures to choose from that allow you to customize how the light is dispersed in your home. Whether you prefer a modern or traditional look, Solatube offers options like square or round openings and different styles and colors to match your home’s aesthetic.

In addition to style, Solatube gives you control. Unlike traditional skylights, which are essentially open windows in your roof, Solatube tubular skylights can come equipped with a dimmer that allows you to adjust the amount of light entering your home. Whether you want bright, natural daylight for working or a softer glow for a relaxing evening, you can control the light levels as easily as you would with an electric fixture—but without the energy consumption.

Solatube Tubular Skylights are an Innovative Solution for Natural Lighting

Solatube tubular skylights provide homeowners with a reliable and energy-efficient way to bring sunlight into their homes thanks to advanced Raybender® 3000 light-capturing technology, ultra-reflective tubing, and photovoltaic-powered night lighting. The long-term energy savings and improved natural lighting these skylights provide make Solatube an ideal choice for those looking to enhance their home’s lighting without major renovations.

If you want to learn more about how Solatube can brighten up your home, contact your local Solatube Dealer today to discover the options available and take the next step toward better, more efficient daylighting.