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[sitelights]

The attachment upload function is back in working order.

[Illuminator]

It looks pretty, but what is it?

[sitelights]

What you are seeing in that attachment is one of a series of 50 individually blown glass scale model fires. They are all about 1.5" x 1.5" and illuminated by a dimmable 20w bi-pin xenon lamp; the socket is mounted on a small, fixed pedestal centered in a rotating base. The piece shown in the attachment to the post at the head of this thread shows the "bubble" blown inside the free-hand "textured" surface; the bottom was then cut off and ground smooth using a diamond dust coated wheel. Both of the attachments are the same piece of glass.

In the image below the "fire" is lighted from the interior and dimmed. Details at: http://www.grasslandstipi.com where the project speaks for itself. The glass artist, Robin Stanaway, made all prototypes and finished fires. The commission was to design the glass fires from a concept prototype I presented to the client. The collaboration with the artist to produce the fires took place in a "hot glass" studio. The low voltage dimmable lighting system components were sourced from off-the-shelf parts and the housings fabricated and assembled by a joiner, Dan Wire.

[Illuminator]

Again, very interesting and beautiful artwork. Where do you use these? My mind is racing for ideas, but at only 1.5", I am coming up somewhat short on ideas (at least in a landscape setting) but this is probably not their intended use, correct?

[sitelights]

If you click on the link (and go to the "details" page) on the post with the "fire" attachment the use of the object becomes clear. This is one of the more unusual challenges presented to me; my design range goes beyond low voltage landscape lighting alone. I started out in the lighting business designing interior lighting systems for museums, art galleries, etc. longer ago than I care to remember. As for miniatures, take a look at the bonsai lighting in an earlier post in this forum titled "most unusual job".

I am currently involved in a trail lighting project using solar and LEDs. The technical and design aspects are made difficult because the agency (a local/county/state/federal consortium) has objected to the aesthetics of the pole-mounted 3' x 3' solar array panels. In a conventional outdoor solar lighting application the solar power is stored in a heavy, expensive battery and the panel and the battery box do look ugly mounted on the pole and positioned above the light source. In my design the panel is remote and the battery is eliminated; the appearance is reduced to a plain 20' spun concrete pole and a dark sky compliant LED state-of-the-art fixture.

My suggested solution is to use a large scale solar power installation feeding into the power grid. The solar-derived current would pass through a "reverse" electrical meter; the credit for the solar power input would equal or exceed the distributed 120v electric company's charges. The panels would be mounted on the roof of a service building to be constructed near the trail and its orientation and roof angle will optimize the solar energy captured. All of the necessary solar and metering components are off-the-shelf items and this contributes to the feasibility of the project. The energy is not "stored" as in a battery system.

Since the point of alternative energy sources is to reduce the "carbon footprint" this project will qualify for federal/state/local funding while lighting a walking trail through a public park. It has been calculated that the solar energy generated in excess of the electricity needed to drive the 40 or so pole-mounted LED trail lighting would, over time, contribute to the maintenance costs of the lighting system: a win-win situation.

Of course by remoting the solar arrays the panels no longer are mounted on the poles thus the aesthetic objections are removed and the project can move forward. The installation would remove the expensive components out of harm's way thus minimizing the potential problem of vandalism. I am rather proud of this thinking outside-of-the-box solution which revived a moribund public benefit project.

A properly sized solar power installation using the conventional storage battery approach could provide enough energy to light up a landscape with something other than those wimpy, junky solar pathlights. Enough energy could be captured and stored to allow effective, projected lighting effects using zero carbon-based energy sources. High output LEDs would be required to keep the electrical power load low enough to sustain the lighting the 4 to 6 hours average operating time. A perfect solution for the client that drives a Prius.