LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology has come a
long way in recent years; and it may soon challenge CFL (compact
fluorescent lamps) as the green lighting choice.
CFL technology has certainly had a huge impact; allowing millions of us to
save substantial cash and carbon dioxide emissions through electricity savings
when compared to using standard incandescent globes. In fact, in some
countries, the sale of incandescent bulbs will be officially phased out within
the next few years.
LED based lighting for domestic applications
has recently been getting increasing attention due to advances in technology
and reduction in price. LED lighting has been around for years; it's
extensively used in applications such as those little red lights on your
hi-fi, standby lights on TV's, operation indicators on adaptors and other
electronic equipment. For room lighting, it's often used in off-grid setups,
RV's and other 12 volt lighting applications.
LED's have no filament to burn out and they
generate little heat. Heat is where much of the energy is wasted in an
incandescent globe. LED's are illuminated by the movement of electrons in a
semiconductor material.
Safe, energy efficient and long life
While CFL's only sip electricity and have a
very long life in comparison to incandescent bulbs, LED's consume less than
half the electricity of compact fluorescent lamps and last about ten
times as long. While there's been concerns raised about the improper disposal
and recycling of CFL's as they contain small amounts of mercury. LED's
don't have any mercury content at all.
Individual LED's are quite small, so it takes a lot of them to produce an
array suitable for lighting an entire room. CFL light output is omni directional
whereas light from a LED is directional; i.e. more focused -
so the application needs to be taken into consideration. In most domestic
applications, the lighting appliance will be a long strip, or a cluster of
LED's in a lamp fitting set at different angles, or with an array of lenses on
the light cover to diffuse the light.
With so many LED's needed in a single light,
the type of light it generates and the the materials an LED is constructed
from being quite expensive, uptake has been relatively slow; but prices are
rapidly dropping.
I had messed around with LED lighting previously, but wasn't really
impressed with the light it produced - fine for torches etc., but for use in
the home without spending hundreds of dollars on high end lamps; I found the
light to be ... odd. I really can't describe it any other way; it was very
cold, unnatural and much harsher than traditional fluorescent lighting.
OLED - Organic LED
The next big thing in LED lighting is the
OLED, which stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. These are comprise of
extremely thin organic materials layered between two electrodes that produce
light when an electrical charge is applied.
One of the main features of Organic LED technology is their flexibility -
OLED's could be worn on clothing, embedded in curtains. With further
development, it's believed Organic LED's could be cheaper than regular LED
technology and also clear the "cold" light hurdle; offering a
warmer quality of light comparable to fluorescents and CFL.
Courtesy:-
Michael Bloch
Green Living Tips.
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