I'm thinking about some R&D with cfl's. Massive quantities with reflectors. For 2 -3 plants and basically build a canopy of light over and around them. Here's a drawing I threw together. Pretty much covers them with light. If you used 40 watt cfl's (daylight bulbs which are more in the blue spectrum at 6400K) which put out 2600 lumens each and generate about 150 watts of light each with 7 lights you'd have 18,200 lumens and the equivelent of 1050 watts of light and only drawing 280 watts. Reflectors would concentrate the light down towards where it needs to be.

I understand that best case you use mh's and hps's with 140,000,000,000 lumens, but for the small timer just looking for an efficient means this looks like it will work and not generate the heat the mh's and hps's will plus bathe the girls in lots of good light. Been proven that you can grow well in florescents. Maybe not the massive yields but for a lot of people just fine.

Of course reflectivity of the surrounding walls and everything would be key also. For flowering you throw in some Warm White bulbs and go to town.

What ya think?