Ingenious combination of daylight tube and LED fixture illuminates day and night

The TechledLED from Techcomlight is the winner of the Spirit of Innovation Award 2013. It is the unique combination of free daylight and ultra-efficient LEDs.
The jury: “The combination of the Solatube® and the TechLED means that there is now one product that saves energy twice. This can certainly be called innovative. The total concept in combination with application possibilities for the built environment convinced the jury to choose Techcomlight as the winner.”
Energy-saving
During the day, people can enjoy the benefits of free daylight at practically every location under the roof thanks to the Solatube® daylight system. But daylight stops in the evening. That is why Techcomlight developed the SmartLED. As soon as the daylight decreases, the SmartLED automatically switches to the built-in LED lighting. Energy costs remain minimal and interior spaces are always well lit. The jury: “It is also an important Dutch principle. LED lighting provides cheap light, and cheap is nice, but free is better. So daylight is very useful in this respect.” Development
At first glance, the TechLED seems like a simple application, but the development did cause some headaches, admits Mark Veldjesgraaf, Techcomlight. “The development was not without problems. Due to the compact fixture, the air in the Solatube became too warm. By using a custom-made active cooling, this heat is prevented. We also wanted to guarantee the light output. We did this by having the LEDs produce slightly more light than the output from daylight.”