Sunlight at the Earth’s Surface or How does daylight interact with our direct environment?

After its journey through space, sunlight arrives on Earth. In addition to illuminating and warming us, daylight plays a multitude of essential roles in our direct environment. Firstly, it is a powerful source of renewable energy whose potential is not yet fully exploited. While technology is constantly evolving to make the most of the sun’s energy, plants are experts in this and make optimal use of this energy to produce food. The second contribution in this session was dedicated to the role of daylight in forest ecology. Finally, our stopover on Earth was also an opportunity to reflect on the use of natural light in buildings. This can affect our physiological and psychological health and has comfort, behavioural, economic, and environmental consequences. Marilyne Andersen speaks about "Psycho-physiological effects of daylight on building occupants".