I saw the absolute coolest set-up for getting sunlight inside!
it was on-line somewhere..saw it years ago and unfortunately I cant find it now!
But I will try to describe..
The person who built it was using it for a huge Salt-water aquarium, but the same concept would work for plants..
He used it to get DIRECT sunlight to shine down on his aquarium..from straight up, rather than using artificial lights..
Picture this..
you have a skylight in the roof, with clear glass, open to the sky.
directly below the skylight you have your plants, or aquarium, or whatever..
now a skylight by itself is nothing too exciting, and doesent actually give a ton of light, especially if it is up high,
but here is the cool part!
There is a mirror outside the skylight, on the roof.
The mirror is attached to a tracking mechanism from a high-end telescope..
these tracking motors are used to move telescopes perfectly in-line with stars, as the stars move..
in other words, you can line-up the computer to a specific star, and the motor-drive will move the scope in perfect sync with the star..
well..the sun is a star right?!
So..you can make the mirror, outside the skylight, track the sun all day and direct a direct beam of sunlight straight down into the aquarium or whatever!!
keeping the object below in direct sunlight as long as the sun is out!!
yes you get less light if its cloudy..but you do outside as well!
basically, its a mechanism to keep direct sunlight on an object that is *indoors*..just as if it were out in the open up on your roof!
I love it!!
Scot