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I was thinking about this idea:

Only one lamp, inside a optical fiber structure, transmitting all the light through a lot of optical fiber cables direct to streetlights. (I guess that the cables would need to be bigger and larger)

The streetlights would not need more your own lamps and photo-sensors, the lamp of the streetlights would be substituted by one convex mirror ( or a crystal, I don't know nothing about it) .

The light would arrive through the optical fiber and would hit the mirror, working like a lamp.

  • Is it possible?

  • It would work good?

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  • $\begingroup$ There are mirror based systems that are used for lighting your basement, you can buy them today. They aren't based on optical fibers as far as I know. You could try to get an answer on the engineering.SE, as it is just a question of engineering now. $\endgroup$
    – WalyKu
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 14:58
  • $\begingroup$ @Kurtovic the difference is because I would like to use only 1 lamp to substitute 100 lamps (for example), just using the refracting to all sides (cables to a lot of streetlights). $\endgroup$
    – Only a Curious Mind
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 16:03

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To answer your questions:

  1. Yes, fibreoptics transfer light.
  2. Maybe. I'll discuss that now

Fibreoptics are strands of glass, they're CRAP at going around corners, I mean seriously crap, communications fibre is VERY THIN. Even then it can't go around bends well, they test it at every stage during laying. However with communications stuff the path matters (more bouncing around inside (due to total internal reflection) causes a larger path, so another signal may get there first). However any bends do put strain on the glass.

A thicker strand of glass would be needed. Electricity has none of these problems.

Additionally you can't "wire" stuff in series or parallel with fibreoptics, it's point-to-point. So you'd have to have an expensive "junction" that siphoned some of the light at each lamp, which would make them get progressively dimmer.

It also is a single point of failure, some git could simply cut this thick bundle of glass and it'd be a bitch to replace. (although America found a way with the cables crossing the ocean, I recall reading somewhere they'd managed to 'tap' the cables, which was something I'd previously laughed off as impossible) Unlike wire, which you can simply strip, twist (tape, and/or solder) and then cover back up.

As you can see, not a practical idea.

Found some info on the fibretapping I mentioned: Wiki
For "full disclosure" sadly so did GCHQ (the UK version)

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  • $\begingroup$ In my idea, the cables could be a very strong protection around it. Because don't have problem if some particles lost himself (its not an information in format of light, its just light). The cables would be underground, like water pipes (as you probably can see, water pipes rarely have problems). What you think about it now? $\endgroup$
    – Only a Curious Mind
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 16:08
  • $\begingroup$ @OnlyaCuriousMind it's a lot of new infrastructure. Also streetlights have light sensors. What if it goes dark due to cloud cover in one area but is just sunset in another? Also there has to be A LOT of lightbulbs at one place. $\endgroup$
    – Alec Teal
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 16:28
  • $\begingroup$ @OnlyaCuriousMind here in the UK there are stretches of road with 100s I'd say of streelights (motorways anyone?) which are in 3s, left, centre and right. That is a HUGE amount of glass needed. Where as with wires we can wire them in parallel! $\endgroup$
    – Alec Teal
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 16:29
  • $\begingroup$ About the sensors, it's an advantage, because you will need just one sensor (in the principal lamp) to identify when is day or night. You mean that is impossible to an optical fiber cable have only one light input but a lot of light output in a lot of directions? $\endgroup$
    – Only a Curious Mind
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 17:14
  • $\begingroup$ ..._an expensive "junction" that siphoned some of the light at each lamp, which would make them get progressively dimmer_... No it wouldn't. It would be designed not to. The intensity of the light in the fiber would get progressively dimmer, but each junction would be designed to "siphon off" as much of the remaining light as needed to make all of the light fixtures seem equally bright. $\endgroup$
    – Solomon Slow
    Commented Aug 21, 2015 at 19:16

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