LEDs Emerge to Fight Fluorescents

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/tech/2007/may/11/051101017.html

The light bulb, the symbol of bright ideas, doesn't look like such a great idea anymore, as lawmakers in the U.S. and abroad are talking about banning the century-old technology because of its contribution to global warming.

But what comes next? Compact fluorescent bulbs are the only real alternative right now, but "bulbs" that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are quickly emerging as a challenger.

LEDs, which are small chips usually encased in a glass dome the size of a matchstick head, have been in use in electronics for decades to indicate, for example, whether a VCR is on or off.

Those LEDs were usually red or green, but a scientific breakthrough in the 1990s paved the way for the production of LEDs that produce white light. Because they use less power than standard incandescent bulbs, white LEDs have become common in flashlights.

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[lvx35]

1. The LEDs will be much better than compact flourescents

Because there are no disposal issues if you need to chuck them, and for many of them, they never HAVE to be disposed of, they go on forever. But I have yet to see an LED that is as bright.

[philb]

11. Compact fluorescents have mercury- a major problem; how many applications can LEDs do?

Mercury is a worldwide pollution issue, contaminating the food chain, water bodies, fish, animals, etc.
Big survey found over 20% of people in U.S. have mercury levels over EPA health limit level;
and over 33% in some states like Florida and New York.
Majority of water bodies have fish with dangerous levels of mercury, and health warnings.
Millions of people documented to have chronic health effects from mercury, and from other toxic metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, etc
Most families have people directly affected by mercury.


Is there an esthetics issue for these LEDs?

I assume that they would reduce heat load

[Nihil]

14. Coal-fired powerstations put out far more Hg every day.

Yes, people should dispose of dead CFLs in a responsible manner.
Given that the typical CFL-buyer at the moment is environmentally
smart by definition, this should also be assumed to be true.
OTOH, even if they dumped it in a landfill, the amount of mercury
released to the atmosphere is unmeasurable compared to that released
*every day* by the coal-fired power stations that are "needed" to
generate the extra energy currently being wasted on incandescents.

In other words, swapping to CFLs today will still reduce the mercury
pollution problem compared to remaining on good old filament bulbs.

(LEDs are better still but it is better to swap to CFLs now than
to keep waiting for LEDs in the future.)

[ThomCat]

2. So, if a bulb costs $50 but uses 1/10 of the energy

How long does that bulb typically have to last to reach the break-even point?

Anyone out there want to present some numbers?

[mike_c]

4. it's a "comparing apples to oranges" question....

The monetary cost of the bulb is not the issue-- rather, the energy cost of the bulb is what matters. If an LED uses a fraction of the energy used by an incandescent bulb, then the LED costs less to operate from the moment it replaces the incandescent bulb.

[ThomCat]

5. Yes, but how long do you need to use that bulb

to save back the $49 exta that you spent to buy it? You're not actually saving any money until after you reach that point.

[jpak]

6. from the OP...

<snip>

The energy efficiency is no doubt a draw for commercial clients like hotels, but LEDs have another big advantage: they last up to 50,000 hours, according to manufacturers. That compares to about 10,000 hours for fluorescents and 1,000 hours for incandescents. Not having to send out janitors to replace burned-out bulbs means big savings in maintenance costs.

<snip>

I bought my first CFL bulb for $30 in 1989 (still have it, but retired it for a newer one that doesn't blink so ferociously when you turn it on)...

[XemaSab]

13. So not only do LED's last 50 times longer

but you're saving electricity on top of that.

[Warpy]

7. Depends on the bulb it replaces

and the replacement rate of the former bulbs.

They might not be cost effective in replacing CFLs but either CFLs or LEDs pay for themselves rather quickly when they replace incandescents.

I went to CFLs starting 11 years ago because I was sick of replacing burnt out incandescents, especially when the procedure required a ladder.

[Deja Q]

3. I have a Stanley brand LED flashlight... 6 large white LEDs...

it requires 9 AA batteries. 13.5v total. It's good for a flashlight, but not yet idea to replace larger entities.

They are useful, but not as bright as fluorescents. Especially during indirect daylight hours where stronger localized lighting would come in handy...

The materials in fluorescent bulbs can be recycled too.

And LEDs will come of age in time.

Both solutions are far better than the incandescent, the bulk of electricity used is wasted as heat.

Now if only they'd consider light rail to replace cars; I can give up that freedom.

[madokie]

8. My newest led flashlight has 52 led's and uses 3 AA batteries

and it will light up the whole back yard, well not all of it but most of it, in other words a burglar wouldn't have a chance at hiding in the dark

[philb]

12. Are they starting to make LED interior lights?

[necso]

9. I have an LED flashlight

that I like, because the batteries last so long in it (especially good for when the power fails).

However, you need multiple LEDs to get decent illumination (they're improving, but there remain issues). And prices must come down substantially.

But, generally, having alternatives is good.

...

Delay, deluge, divert, dilute, divide, encumber.

Time will prove an ally.

Come home (to your districts/states) carrying your shields, or being carried upon them.

[seasat]

10. I've long thought about setting up an aquarium with LED lighting.

It would be ideal to grow aquacultured corals. With a sophisticated controller you could create wave ripples, directed spots, and night time moonlight simulations. It also wouldn't generate a lot of heat compared to metal halides or VHO fluorescents. However, the cost to get a high output for coral growth would be a pretty high initial investment based on when I looked at it years ago. This post reminds me that I need to revisit that idea in the near future.

[hunter]

15. I'm starting to play with LED lights...

... the same way I started with compact fluorescents maybe fifteen years ago.

Mostly I'm making my own. I use little junk power supplies -- the little black plug in transformers -- and various white and amber LED's. I can get some pretty acceptable colors.

But LEDs have gone commercial big-time for some things, especially decorative lighting. I heard somewhere that Disney World is using LEDs for their Christmas lighting, leaf lighting, etc. The retail LED Christmas lights are still pretty much crap because they don't have any sort of sophisticated power supply, which makes them flicker annoyingly, and the strings with removable bulbs corrode and stop working quickly when used outdoors, but some of the commercial lights with the "soft white" color and the heavy duty cords and power supplies are almost indistinguishable from small incandescent white bulbs.

Here's a site I haven't ordered from, but they've got some interesting stuff, including some drop in replacements for halogen spotlights.

http://www.environmentallights.com



If I look into my crystal ball, I see homes equipped with self contained solar LED lighting systems required by code, as a safety feature. People who get their utility electricity turned off will still have light -- they won't resort to candles and burn down the house.