Research and development teams at Cree, Inc. have surpassed another standard of LED lighting, the company announced Wednesday. According to a press release, Cree successfully developed an LED white light that produces a record 208 lumens per watt.
Not to be outdone, Cree broke its own record previously held at 186 lumens per watt, a mark it set nearly two months ago. All tests were conducted under standard LED test conditions at a drive current of 350 mA at room temperature.
The pairing of two green technologies, solar power and LED lighting, has the potential to pay off in hugely practical ways. Yet, for one reason or another, the two have never been efficiently brought together, until now that is.
According to Philips Lumileds, a new solar-powered LED floodlight system has been made available for residents and communities who find themselves without electricity, particularly those on the African continent. At least, that’s how they’re billing the product.
Coast recently published a new article called Innovations in LED Lighting. The article explores the recent popularity of the LED, briefly examining the technology’s historic roots and speculating where it may lead us in the future.
As I read through the article, I was struck by the extremely long incubation period for LEDs. The technology sat virtually disregarded for close to 50 years before it was given due attention. After that, it still took another 50 years to develop the technology to be used in the way we see it today, when LEDs practically exploded onto the scene not even ten years ago.
The year has been a good one for LED technology — from new innovations to adopted policies — 2009 has been a banner year for the light-emitting diode. Take a look at the following list of achievements for LEDs.
LED Wallpaper — It’s exactly what you think it is.
It would seem that LED technology is, again, evolving to greater extremes. I recently heard about a British company that is currently designing an LED-based wallpaper. Yes, I just said wallpaper.
Apparently, the wallpaper uses a chemical coating that glows, lighting up a room like natural sunlight would. The coating somehow utilizes organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), so the wallpaper comes with all the energy saving and efficiency LEDs bring. Interestingly, an electrical current will run through the wallpaper, but it is reportedly safe to touch.
With Christmas only a day away, holiday LED light retailers have already seen an increase in sales from last season. The New York Times reports that companies who are selling Christmas lights, anyone from home improvement stores to online retailers, are witnessing dramatic increases in sales from the year prior. The feat comes as a much-needed surprise, especially on the backside of an unstable economy.
The Times suggests the example of the nation’s most iconic trees at the White House and Rockefeller Center may have contributed to the technology’s rise in popularity, as both trees are now decked with the holiday LED lights. According to experts, LEDs are expected to account for up to half of all holiday light sales this season and over 100 million decorative light strands are projected to be sold in the U.S. alone.
The Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum recently announced the opening of a new exhibit that’s supported by an LED lighting solution from Cree, Inc.
The LED lighting solution was specifically designed for a new exhibit in the museum, “Moving Beyond Earth.” Reportedly, the exhibit boasts 20-foot high ceilings and 5,000 square feet of space. In addition to providing bright and consistent light, the LEDs burn cooler than conventional bulbs. This particular feature of light-emitting diodes proved extremely beneficial as stable temperature and humidity levels are required to protect the historical artifacts featured in the exhibit.
Given the rising popularity of LEDs, it comes as no surprise that the innovative technology will soon soar through the skies. Volaris, a “high-efficiency airline” based out of Mexico, recently announced it will be converting its wingtip lights to LEDs. The upgrade will serve to decrease costs while increasing the overall safety of the planes.
According to Volaris executives, the upgrade will save operators in downtime and maintenance, since the lifespan increases from 500 hours to 20,000 hours with LED.
