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The evolution of lighting systems for Bioregenerative Space Life Support (BLSS) has been brought about by two major challenges confronting current BLSS models: (1) the extensive use of highly energy-intensive artificial lamps; and (2) the substantial energy wastes incurred through heat dissipations by these lamps, frequently dictating unnecessarily large, and costly, physical volumes for the plant growing structures. The results of our studies showed that Solar Irradiance Collection, Transmission and Distribution Systems (SICTDS) should be used to augment artificial lighting for growing plants in a BLSS to constitute a reliable, energy-efficient and mass-optimized Hybrid Solar and Artificial Lighting (HYSAL) system for a BLSS.

The long-term supplemental terrestrial solar lighting made available to the Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) located in the Subterranean Plant Growth Facility (SPGF) at The University of Arizona was determined for two cases where two types of Solar Irradiance Collection, Transmission and Distribution System (SICTDS) were used for the facility. Databases for hourly solar irradiance incident upon Tucson, AZ compiled over a 12-year period from 1987 through 1998 were used to calculate the projected average instantaneous PPF within the BPC per hour and per day throughout the year. The results showed that replacing the available solar irradiance within the BPC as delivered by the Himawari SICTDS in June would require either 97.7 W m−2 of HPS lighting or 185.9 W m−2 of CWF lighting supplied continuously for 450 hrs. In energy terms, these would be equivalent to 44.0 kW-hr m−2 for the HPS lamp and 83.7 kW-hr m−2 for the CWF lamp.