Optimizing Natural Light Distribution for Indoor Plant Growth Using PMMA Optical Fiber: Simulation and Empirical Study

<table class="fixed-width table-group" id="tab1"><tr><td><table class="table"><colgroup><col style="width:7.64em"/><col style="width:4.88em"/><col style="width:4.59em"/></colgroup><tr><td class="thead-hr" colspan="3"><hr/></td></tr><tr class="thead"><td class="align_center" colspan="3">Illumination (PPFD [<svg height="12.0392pt" id="M6" style="vertical-align:-0.2454996pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -11.7937 64.0587 12.0392" width="64.0587pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M518 50L491 51C452 54 444 60 444 110V444C429 441 405 437 377 434C348 430 314 427 287 426V403L323 397C356 392 365 386 365 333V99C331 66 293 51 257 51C212 51 169 75 169 164V299C169 366 169 413 172 444C156 441 128 437 101 433C75 430 50 427 29 426V403L57 397C82 391 90 386 90 333V137C90 29 147 -12 214 -12C241 -12 262 -4 291 13S342 48 365 65V-6L371 -12C390 -7 415 1 441 8C468 15 496 21 518 24V50Z" id="g121-115"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,6.903,0)"><path d="M797 0V26C739 32 732 36 732 103V296C732 394 682 449 605 449C576 449 550 437 529 423C504 407 475 389 446 366C425 418 382 449 334 449C303 449 279 437 253 421C222 403 201 385 180 371V452C135 432 85 419 41 411V388C99 379 102 374 102 310V103C102 38 93 32 27 26V0H238V26C189 32 180 38 180 103V338C210 363 250 390 289 390C351 390 377 348 377 275V103C377 37 368 32 306 26V0H520V26C465 32 456 38 456 101V296C456 314 455 326 453 338C491 369 529 390 565 390C628 390 653 345 653 274V107C653 36 642 32 583 26V0H797Z" id="g121-107"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,17.498,0)"><path d="M257 449C165 449 37 374 37 209C37 98 119 -12 256 -12C355 -12 473 65 473 226C473 349 381 449 257 449ZM244 416C333 416 380 320 380 204C380 67 329 21 267 21C184 21 130 115 130 241C130 354 184 416 244 416Z" id="g121-109"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,24.036,0)"><path d="M238 0V26C174 32 166 38 166 104V712C132 700 70 683 18 677V653C81 647 87 645 87 577V104C87 38 78 32 15 26V0H238Z" id="g121-106"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,27.326,0)"><path d="M797 0V26C739 32 732 36 732 103V296C732 394 682 449 605 449C576 449 550 437 529 423C504 407 475 389 446 366C425 418 382 449 334 449C303 449 279 437 253 421C222 403 201 385 180 371V452C135 432 85 419 41 411V388C99 379 102 374 102 310V103C102 38 93 32 27 26V0H238V26C189 32 180 38 180 103V338C210 363 250 390 289 390C351 390 377 348 377 275V103C377 37 368 32 306 26V0H520V26C465 32 456 38 456 101V296C456 314 455 326 453 338C491 369 529 390 565 390C628 390 653 345 653 274V107C653 36 642 32 583 26V0H797Z" id="g121-107"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,38.115,-5.944)"><path d="M556 236V289H56V236H556Z" id="g54-33"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,43.676,-5.944)"><path d="M414 144C384 79 371 75 317 75H135L276 221C367 316 408 376 408 465C408 570 327 635 237 635C179 635 131 609 100 575L42 494L67 471C94 510 138 565 205 565C277 565 321 517 321 435C321 348 258 270 195 195C146 137 88 81 33 26V0H411C423 44 433 88 446 135L414 144Z" id="g50-51"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,48.643,0)"><path d="M319 325C317 349 306 409 297 431C277 440 250 449 209 449C117 449 57 389 57 319C57 243 122 209 182 182C232 159 261 135 261 91C261 48 227 21 190 21C130 21 85 79 68 145L41 140C41 104 51 36 58 22C75 7 121 -12 172 -12C252 -12 337 35 337 126C337 195 286 231 210 262C166 281 126 304 126 348C126 388 152 417 191 417C240 417 274 378 294 318L319 325Z" id="g121-113"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,53.414,-5.741)"><path d="M556 236V289H56V236H556Z" id="g54-33"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,58.974,-5.741)"><path d="M389 0V32C297 38 291 46 291 118V635C234 613 175 595 109 583V556L161 554C203 552 207 547 207 497V118C207 46 201 38 110 32V0H389Z" id="g50-50"></path></g></svg>])</td></tr><tr class="thead"><td class="align_left" rowspan="2">Direct Sunlight </td><td class="align_center" colspan="2">Optical Fiber</td></tr><tr class="thead"><td class="align_center">No Filter</td><td class="align_center">Filter</td></tr><tr><td class="thead-hr" colspan="3"><hr/></td></tr><tr><td class="align_left">2121</td><td class="align_center">69.3</td><td class="align_center">15.1</td></tr><tr class="table-tr"><td colspan="3"><hr class="tbody-hr"/></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>

<div>Illumination values of direct sunlight and 20 mm optical fiber with and without a filter in San Marcos, TX, at 11:30 AM GMT-5 on December 21, 2017.</div>

Journal of Renewable Energy

tab1

Table 1

Table 1: Optimizing Natural Light Distribution for Indoor Plant Growth Using PMMA Optical Fiber: Simulation and Empirical Study 