My house doesn't have any skylights, but many years ago I thought of installing one. That didn't happen for a number of reasons, but I did think about solar gain then and came up with the following idea:
Mount a mirror vertically on the south edge of the skylight, shading it from direct sunlight, but reflecting indirect light from the north.
During the colder months flip the mirror to the skylight's northern edge facing south, reflecting additional sunlight, and partially shading it from northern winds and snow.
This would require access twice a year, and the mirror would have to withstand wind, but it would decrease solar gain in the summer without decreasing light too much, while increasing light and heat in the winter.
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Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.
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