Fiber Optic Daylighting with Concentrating Solar Collectors: A State-of-the-Art Review

Nowadays, the development of innovative and feasible sustainable solutions able to reduce lighting costs and enhance the building’s energy efficiency is a hot topic and one of the most challenging research avenues. In this context, fiber optic daylight (FOD) systems are a growing technology, where fiber optics can be used as a waveguide to transmit sunlight into the interior of windowless spaces. This review aims to track, analyze, and discuss the application of integrated FOD systems with concentrating solar collectors and provide a clear understanding of FOD system requirements and overall performance. In view of this, a comprehensive analysis of the most recent FOD systems, along with their different applications, has been provided to ensure a complete overview of the current state of FOD systems in terms of actual technological strengths, limitations, cost-effectiveness, and future application performance. Therefore, this paper comprehensively analyzes the structure and performance of FOD systems. It highlights the recent development and nanotechnology applications of FOD systems. Additionally, this article discusses the challenges of building-integrated FOD systems and the benefits of using FOD instead of conventional grid-integrated lighting devices and systems.