GE Infusion LED Module Debuts in Fixtures from Janmar Lighting and others

GE's new Infusion LED (light-emitting diode) module becomes available for the first time in the coming months in fixtures made by four companies: Janmar Lighting, Inc. (Covina, Calif., USA), Journee Lighting, Inc. (Westlake Village, Calif., USA), Modular International, Inc. (Pittsburgh, Pa., USA), and Spectrum Lighting (Fall River, Mass., USA). Fixtures outfitted with the GE Infusion(TM) LED module will be available to commercial customers through GE's distributor partners.
The new GE Infusion(TM) LED module is a revolutionary product platform that provides general lighting with energy efficient, long-lasting LEDs in directional applications such as recessed down lights and tracks. It gives lighting designers and end-users the ability to easily upgrade LED lighting, addressing the inflexibility of integrated LED luminaires. GE plans to highlight the new fixtures during its participation at LightFair 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. GE's Infusion LED module simplifies lighting and makes luminaires upgradeable and serviceable with a simple clockwise twist that mates the LED module to the fixture housing for necessary thermal, electrical and mechanical connectivity. The module's one-of-a-kind ease of installation contrasts sharply with current integrated LED luminaires and LED modules that are not easily replaceable because they require mechanical fasteners to couple the LED package to a heat sink, and a plug to make the electrical connection.
One lighting luminaire can support a variety of LED modules with varying color temperatures, beam angles and light packages. An added level of lighting design flexibility is enabled with the LED module's wattage-adjust switch that gives end-users three different light level/wattage options. For more information on the fully dimmable Infusion LED module, go to www.gelighting.com/infusion

Washington Redskins Choose Daktronics to Provide Integrated LED Video System

Daktronics and the Washington Redskins announced hat the company was chosen to design, manufacture and install large screen video displays and additional scoring, display and control components for FedExField, home of the Redskins. The multimillion dollar upgrade project is adding super-wide video displays behind each end zone. The Redskins are also retrofitting monochrome incandescent matrix displays with full-color LED ribbon displays to showcase game information and out-of-town scores. Installation of the system is currently underway.
Daktronics will install 15 mm video technology for the main video displays, measuring approximately 100 feet wide and 28 feet high. The wide screen displays will replace the existing traditional (4:3 aspect ratio) video displays and also replace two static displays. Daktronics video technology provides incredible wide angle viewing for better visibility for more fans, increased contrast, and superb image clarity with the ability to display 4.4 trillion shades of color.
The digital ribbon displays will measure approximately five feet high, with two measuring approximately 31 feet long and another pair measuring 15 feet long. Daktronics ribbon displays show game information and real-time team and player statistics, animations and cropped video clips to raise the crowd's interest and enthusiasm level. These displays can also be used in a variety of creative ways to recognize and activate sponsors. Also included in the upgrade project are Daktronics timing system and game clocks, video image processing technologies and the new Show Control system. The company's video processing system is touted by experts as the best in the industry, processing and scaling live and recorded video signal to vivid digital imagery on large displays. The Show Control system is the one of the latest developments from Daktronics, providing a power combination of control software, data integration, and playback hardware that forms a user-friendly production solution. For more on Show Control, visit www.daktronics.com/show.

Cree XLamp LEDs Now Available Mounted on PCBs at Newark

Newark a leading multi-channel, high-service electronics distributor in the Americas and part of the global Premier Farnell Group, today announced that it is the one of the first distributors to offer Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) with Cree XLamp LEDs already mounted on them. The PCBs are sold under the SPC Technology label, one of Newark’s exclusive brands. Cree’s lighting class XLamp MC-E, XR-E, XP-C and XP-E LEDs are available on star boards or on round boards, with as many as 11 LEDs per board, for same-day shipping.

Intematix Lighting-Quality LEDs Set New Price-Performance Benchmark

Intematix Corp., a leading innovator in phosphors, LED components and solid state lighting solutions, today announced the introduction of its C1109D that sets a new value benchmark for lighting-quality LEDs. Ranging from 450 lumens at 143 lumens per dollar in cool white, to 345 lumens at 110 lumens per dollar in high color quality warm white, the ceramic-packaged LED is nominally rated at just 4.7 watts. A typical incandescent bulb would require 25 to 30 watts for an equivalent light output. The C1109D is suited for a wide array of luminaires, especially those demanding maximum operational cost-efficiency, such as street and roadway lighting, garages, gas station canopy, warehouse, and recessed downlights in restaurant, hospitality and other high usage applications.
“Breaking through 1-cent per lumen for a high color quality, warm white LED is precisely what the LED lighting industry needs in order to encourage more rapid adoption of this energy saving technology”
.“Breaking through 1-cent per lumen for a high color quality, warm white LED is precisely what the LED lighting industry needs in order to encourage more rapid adoption of this energy saving technology,” commented Ilkan Cokgor, Director of Business Development, Lighting Products, for Intematix. “While the business case for LED lighting in many 24x7 applications can be fairly clear, luminaire manufacturers are still struggling to show a short enough payback for the more common 12x7 applications, as you find on our roadways, in our parking lots and outdoor service environments, and in many downlight applications. With the LED offerings that have been available up to now, in order to make the business-case work, luminaire manufacturers are often forced to consider potentially less capable LEDs that may not deliver a consistent and high quality color over the long term. A quality LED product, at a breakthrough price point, is the solution.” As with other Intematix patented chip-array-on-ceramic LEDs, the C1109D leverages Intematix' widely recognized patent-backed phosphors, with special production techniques, to deliver impressive color quality and highly controlled bin selections. At 4.7 watts, C1109D series delivers 95 lumens per watt (lm/W) from the 5000K correlated color temperature (CCT) cool white version. The 3000K CCT warm white version is a high color rendering implementation (CRI >80) well suited to general purpose lighting. At 9mm x 11mm, the package is compact enough for use in integral replacement lamps, such as R or PAR type bulbs, as well as other types of downlights and recessed fixtures. The C1109D has several advanced design wins in luminaires that have received Energy Star certification.

Lawmakers want feds to see the light on bulbs

Arizona is one step closer to an incandescent future. And perhaps some more unwanted attention from the national media. The Senate on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to legislation which would allow the continued manufacture of incandescent light bulbs — the ones with those familiar tungsten filaments — after their production is banned in the rest of the country.

Osram inaugurates its first LED chip fab in Asia

After breaking ground on construction in July 2007, Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH of Regensburg, Germany has held a formal inauguration ceremony in Penang, Malaysia for its first LED chip fabrication plant in Asia. The ceremony was attended by CEO Dr Ruediger Mueller, parent firm Osram GmbH’s CEO Martin Goetzeler, Penang’s Chief Minister Y.A.B. Tuan Lim Guan Eng, and Malaysia’s Minister of International Trade and Industry Y.B. Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed. Installation work was completed and the test phase concluded at the fab last December, enabling the start of production.

Tweet Sleeve lets you wear your emotions for all to see

Whatever you decide to post on Twitter, the Tweet Sleeve will reveal your feelings to the physical world you're currently inhabiting. If the lights are green, the coast is clear and you're having a zip-a-de-doo-daa day. But look out when those blinkenlights turn red, because somebody is on the warpath.

Visible Light Upgrades Old Town Albuquerque's Historic Gas Lamps

Old Town Albuquerque fits its name. Many of the buildings were made in the Spanish Colonial style. Its historic gas lamps fitted with 100 and 200-watt bulbs gave it an old-world charm. In the city which was founded in 1706, a central plaza and church is surrounded by homes and businesses. The lighting in turn of the century gas lamps got an upgrade with LEDs. Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry and Visible Light Solar Technologies, a maker of LED and solar lighting applications, switched on the first installation of historic Old Town Albuquerque gas lamps retrofitted with LED and solar technology. The retrofitted lights consume just 21 or 42 watts. The company says that many of the retrofitted gas lamps will incorporate solar cells custom which were designed to be invisible to the multitude of visitors who tour the historic neighborhood each year. industrial?grade mica superstrate that renders the solar panels invisible to the naked eye.

SolarGoodWill Helps Uganda Communities

SolarGoodWill.org expert Brian Clark taught local residents how to build solar panels to provide electricity for their homes during a recent trip to Uganda. The goal of the 3 week trip was to help members of the Mount Elgon Self-Help Community Project learn to build homemade solar panels for residential use and to power irrigation pump for the local villages. Mt. Elgon Self-Help Community Project is located on the on the Ugandan/Kenyan border and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for orphans and other children who have been affected by poverty, conflict and disease. Many of the homes were without electricity, so Brian had to begin his 2-week workshop by teaching electricity basics and solar fundamentals before building the actual solar panels. Next came evaluating individual customer’s energy needs. Most villagers had cell phones, so the workshop included building a small residential solar electric system that could charge them along with generating power for LEDs to light the houses.

LED there be light in Calcutta

The Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) spends around Rs 3.8 crore a month on illuminating the city roads. Apart from burning a deep hole in the civic pocket, the expense hints at a larger peril — an unusually high carbon footprint for the city

Yes, LEDs can be bright and pleasant

Even though they have been a symbol of brilliant thoughts since 1879, the incandescent light bulb may not be such a bright idea after all.  With the average bulb using about 60 watts of energy, or .06kW(kilowatts) per hour and operating 8 hours a day, it comes out to use about 175.2 kW of energy a year. Multiply that by the 45 light bulbs an average American family has in their house hold to get a staggering 7884kW of energy spent on light bulbs alone.

Digital Lumens CEO Tom Pincince to Speak at Industry Energy Events

Digital Lumens CEO Tom Pincince is scheduled to speak at two upcoming energy events. Digital Lumens recently unveiled an Intelligent Lighting Solution that integrates LEDs, networking and software to reduce customers' lighting-related energy costs by up to 90%. Designed for large industrial facilities, the system includes best-of-breed, LED-based fixtures, each with on-board computing, sensing and built-in intelligence. The fixtures form a Smart Light Grid, or 'lighting network,' with system-wide intelligence and integrated controls that deliver energy-efficiency results that far surpass the results achievable with single "dumb" fixtures.

Specifics of Pincince's upcoming event participation include:

•Mass High Tech's Clean Technology Forum, Seaport Hotel, Boston, MA, April 29, 2010, 7:30 a.m. Keynote panelist to discuss "How Cleantech is Being Applied to Business, Home and Community"

•Greentech Media's The Networked Grid, Hyatt Grand Champion Resort, Palm Springs, CA, May 19, 2010, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Panelist to discuss "The Networked Building: Efficient, Automated 'Energy LANs'"

A new survey by the International Facility Management Association shows that 60 percent of those contacted expect to invest in energy efficient projects this year and retrofitting lighting systems was the most popular efficiency measure. The survey also showed that facility managers require a payback period of less than three years and Digital Lumens pays for itself in typically two years.

LED streetlights for the city of Brundidge

Further investigation into the effectiveness of LED streetlights for the city of Brundidge has experts feeling a bit better than they did after the initial assessment. “This looks reliable for most of what was originally planned,” said Consulting Electrical Engineer David St. John at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Customised converters power LED lighting

Bear Power Supplies has announced custom power converters for battery-powered LED lighting applications where high reliability is critical. The company's high-efficiency, constant-current DC/DC converters power LEDs from 0.5W to 15W or more. Customised to the OEM's battery and form-factor requirements, Bear LED drivers feature a compact size, high reliability and a long life. The company designs and manufactures LED power supplies for manufacturers.

Seattle chosen to lead LED street light study

The U.S. Department of Energy says Seattle will lead an effort to promote street lights that use energy efficient light emitting diodes, or LEDs. The DOE said Monday that Seattle was chosen to lead a national consortium of cities that will study the best ways to use the lights and what equipment to buy.

Luminus Devices LEDs Power Philips’ Selecon’s FOCUS LED

Luminus Devices, announced that Philips’ Selecon FOCUS LED display light is powered with a single CBM-380 color mixing chip-on-board PhlatLight LED, a practical and cost-effective alternative to LED arrays. The FOCUS LED is ideally suited for applications such as display lighting for museums and art galleries because it doesn’t generate UV or IR and will protect priceless pieces of artwork.
The FOCUS LED light comes equipped with one CBM-380 color mixing PhlatLight LED, capable of reliably delivering 3,500 lumens, without costly lamp changes or high energy consumption. It is designed for entertainment and architectural lighting applications. The new light meets key needs for designers with highly accurate color rendering in both daylight and conventional lighting applications.

New Range of Resin Colors Designed for LED Applications

SABIC Innovative Plastics has launched its new Expression 2011 palette - a dazzling array of resin colors and special effects for light emitting diodes (LEDs). The colorful new palette is designed to answer customer calls for better, longer-lasting LED life and improved efficiency, and reflects the latest technological milestone in the long evolution of lighting.

Philips and Future Lighting extend LED distribution deal

Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics is expanding its existing ten-year exclusive LUXEON LED distribution agreement between its LED-making business Philips Lumileds of San Jose, CA, USA and LED lighting components provider Future Lighting Solutions via a new arrangement that will offer a broad range of LED lighting component solutions (including LED drivers, LED modules and other key components) for OEM customers to develop further into finished products. Philips and Future aim to cooperate more closely to strengthen their provision of product choice, design support, logistics and other services to accelerate and enable LED solutions.

eMagin OLED Microdisplays Utilized in Two New Liteye HMD Systems

eMagin Corporation announced that Liteye Systems has developed two new head mounted display ("HMD") products equipped with industry-leading OLED microdisplays from eMagin. Based on Liteye's patented prismatic optic, the new HMDs also take advantage of Liteye's patented universal mount, which allows users to locate the display in virtually any position.
Liteye's new LE-720A HMD is a high performance rugged solution for situational awareness applications. Available in full color SVGA or monochrome video, the lightweight versatile product provides a compact size for portable computing and remote viewing. Prototype LE-720A systems built into Oakley combat goggles are currently being evaluated internationally by military OEMs. The HMD system can also be built into rugged ballistic goggles from a variety of manufacturers, and is ideal for hands-free industrial data viewer applications.
Liteye's new LE-800 is configured to maximize peripheral vision for helmet-mount applications. This product has been developed as the next generation of Liteye's see-through optics products. Liteye spent over two years developing this HMD, utilizing input from multiple military and industrial customers. The product can be customized to meet customers' needs.

GE's 40-watt LED bulbs: A cost-saving investment?

Plenty of people have been talking about GE's new energy-saving LED light bulb. Part of the buzz around the bulbs is the finger-like device that helps evenly disperse the light to make them as warm and home-friendly as incandescent light bulbs. Some say this is the future of lighting.

LED achieves luminous efficiency of 150 lm/W

Seoul Semiconductor has announced that Acriche LEDs, which are made by its own patented technology and driven by an alternating current power source for household or industrial use, achieved a luminous efficiency of 100 lm/w in February, and the company began to put the product into mass production in April and it also recently succeeded in achieving 150 lm/W. The mass production of 150 lm/W is scheduled to begin by the end of the year accelerating the replacement of halogen lamps, incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent lighting with LED technology. The European Union’s legislation banning the sale of incandescent light bulbs of more than 100 watts from September 2009 and future steps to ban all use of inefficient conventional electric lighting are being seen as a turning point for LED adoption.
Seoul Semiconductor’s Acriche, is an AC-driven semiconductor light source.  The Acriche range of LED’s do not require a converter; and therefore are more energy and cost efficient than DC LEDs. Due to the high reliability and quality construction of the Acriche, it has been officially recognized for its safety, having acquired CE and TÜV certifications as well as UL certification in the United States. Acriche is easy to install, and has a typical life span of more than 35,000 hours, far exceeding that of conventional lighting technology.

Industry Experts to Discuss TV, Lighting and Touch Market Outlooks

The Society for Information Display (SID), the leading global organization dedicated to the advancement of electronic display technology, in collaboration with IMS Conferences, a division of IMS Research, today unveiled its action-packed program for the inaugural SID Market Focus Conference Series, taking place May 26-27 during Display Week (May 23-28) in Seattle.  The SID Market Focus Conferences will address the outlook for three critical markets – TVs, touch and backlighting/lighting – each featuring high-level speakers and panelists from key players in the market.
"We are excited to be working with IMS to debut a new series of conferences focused on delivering Display Week attendees the latest market and technology information in these key, high-growth markets," said SID President, Paul Drzaic.  "The program featured at the SID Market Focus Conference covers the most recent innovations in each of these three major markets, and complements the technical symposium, exhibition and additional events taking place this year.  The combination of reports on the latest technology and insights into markets will provide Display Week attendees the complete package of information they need to stay up-to-date in these vital areas."

Handheld LED Military Light with Magnetic Base

Larson Electronics’ Magnalight.com announced the addition of an LED version of their popular HML-5M military spotlight commonly found in the Escalation of Force Kit. The HML-5M-LED40 handheld LED spotlight with magnetic base has an integrated 40 watt LED PAR46 lamp produces 3600 lumens, which exceeds the 3200 lumens of output delivered by 35 watt High Intensity Discharge (HID) light. Drawing less than 2 amps on 24 volts and only 3.3 amps on 12 volts, this multi-voltage light is rated for 50,000 hours, or nearly 5.5 years.
The PAR46 LED’s solid state, waterproof design, means that this LED spotlight can be used in any environment. The HML-5M-LED40 military spotlight continues to offer a heavy gauge steel handle, easy beam positioning and a 100 pound grip magnetic base. A variety of detachable straight and coil cords are available with connectors ranging from cigarette plugs to battery clamps or even NATO plugs. The HML-5M series of military spotlights are used by gunners on convoy vehicles to grab a subject’s attention.

Ingo Maurer Develops Two OLED Lamps

Ingo Maurer, an internationally designer and producer of lamps and lighting systems, has developed two OLED lamps that are result of the collaboration with Novaled AG. Novaled reportedly developed transparent, efficient OLED modules for this purpose. Ingo Maurer will present the two OLED lamps, the pendant lamp “Flying Future” as well as the table lamp “4 x 4 is 34” at the Light + Building Frankfurt. The OLEDs in these lamps are made on glass substrates and are transparent in the off-state. Novaled points out that with these unique features the organic LEDs open up unimagined freedom of design, which cannot be realized with any other light source. Novaled News Release

Cree’s XLamp XM LED delivers record-breaking efficacy

LED chip, lamp and lighting fixture maker Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA has introduced a new lighting-class LED platform, the XLamp XM LED. According to the firm, the single chip LED has a record-breaking efficacy of 160 lumens per watt at 350mA. It also delivers 750 lumens at 2A, which is equivalent to the light output of a 60W incandescent light bulb at less than 7 watts.

Hitatchi opens Chinese service center

Hitachi High-Technologies Corp. has established its first customer service center in China as part of an effort to increase sales and boost its share of the Chinese market for semiconductor and electronic component assembly systems. It is introducing new chip mounters compatible with solar cells and LEDs, and earlier this year began shipping a new bonder model with enhanced processing speed and a 3-D mounting function that boosts chip integration and memory capacity.

LEDs for wireless data transmission

In the future, getting a broadband connection might be as simple as flipping on a light switch, according to a group of German researchers who say the light coming from the lamps in your home could one day encode a wireless broadband signal. "The advantage is that you'd be using light that is already there," says Jelena Vucic of the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institute in Berlin, Germany.

Launch of innovative LED solutions to personalize homes

Royal Philips Electronics says it is underlining its global leadership in lighting by substantially broadening its portfolio of LED-based lighting solutions which enhance the lives of people at home and in cities. Light + Building - the world’s leading lighting and architecture fair – is providing Philips with a platform to launch additions to its portfolio of complete and innovative LED lighting solutions for consumer and professional applications, including:

• A breakthrough 12 watt LED lamp as a substitute for a 60 watt light bulb

• LivingAmbiance – a revolutionary approach to mood creation, wirelessly integrating multiple luminaires and lamps in one system for the home

• The Lirio by Philips, Arcitone and Ledino collections of distinctive, high-design consumer luminaires to match modern interiors.

• New solutions and concepts enabling municipalities to create more livable cities through the adoption of LED street lighting

• LED luminaire and control solutions for offices and shops

Philips is introducing a revolutionary concept in home ambiance: LivingAmbiance. Using a simple remote control, LivingAmbiance enables a room to be easily matched to the mood or the occasion, integrating multiple luminaires and lamps wirelessly to generate any desired type of ambient lighting.

LivingAmbience also incorporates Philips’ latest generation of LivingColors, the acclaimed range of consumer luminaires which enable thousands of colors to be chosen at the touch of a button. The new-shape range of LivingColors colored and white light luminaires build on this proposition by adding adjustable and dimmable white light for daily activities as well as offering more possibilities for ambiance creation.

As LED technology opens up the application of architecture and design in home lighting, Philips will introduce a collection of home luminaires at the cutting-edge of contemporary interior design. Three new product families - Lirio by Philips, Arcitone and Ledino - each enable consumers to express themselves by applying the design flexibility of LED lighting with bold new forms, materials and finishes.

During 2010 Philips will introduce a new range of outdoor luminaires – CitySoul, CitySpirit, MileWide and StreetStar – all built around LEDGINE, a future-proofed and fully upgradable platform for outdoor luminaires to maintain pace with progressive improvements in LED technologies.

Philips is also exploring the potential of applying LED to help ‘declutter’ city streets increasingly obscured by a variety of elements, including lighting fixtures. Visitors to Light + Building will be able to see a number of proof-of-concept demonstrations in new street lighting designs, including advanced new LED luminaires which rendering lighting virtually invisible during the day, but still ensure bright, white light at night.

LED Concepts Installs Energy-Saving LED Light Boxes

LED Concepts has installed thin profile 2 inch deep light boxes using a revolutionary LED light source from ION Light Engines for environmentally-friendly See’s Famous Old Time Candies at their stores in San Rafael, CA and Denver, CO. The brilliant LED backlit light boxes contain 12 to 30 graphics each, displayed horizontally. The thin-profile, two-inch-deep displays combine superb styling aesthetics with superior functionality, the all-welded extruded aluminum construction of the lightweight frame ensures premium product durability and is 100% recyclable. The energy efficient light boxes also use a unique remote power source for the ION Light Engines that takes advantage of Low Voltage Class II technology to provide a power supply with user replaceable power modules.
LEDs are solid-state light engines that last from 50,000 to 100,000 hours, compared to T-5 and T-8 fluorescent lamps that only last from 8,000 to 20,000 hours. LED-illuminated light boxes deliver four times greater energy efficiency than light boxes using fluorescent lamps, and enable users to qualify for energy and tax rebates. The energy savings per light box is a whopping 65% over T-8 fluorescent lamp technology.

TI introduces new LED-lamp Reference Board

Texas Instruments Incorporated introduced a complete LED  lighting driver reference board in collaboration with Lemnis Lighting to help address three important issues: cost, dimming and efficacy. The TPS92010 LED-lamp Reference Board applies TI’s semiconductor technology for general LED lighting and Lemnis Lighting’s expertise in dimmable lighting applications. The board can help speed adoption of energy-saving retrofit LED light bulbs. The reference board will be available in mid-second quarter and is accompanied by a user’s guide that contains the schematics, bill of materials and test results needed to design a dimmable LED lamp. For details see:  www.ti.com/tps92010referenceboard-pr .
The reference board is based on TI’s new TPS92010 LED lighting controller. The TPS92010 offline LED lighting controller implements quasi-resonant flyback power converters to achieve high efficiency of up to 87 percent, small size and lower cost for AC/DC LED lighting drivers. The TPS92010’s control technique allows designers to develop replacement light bulbs in tight, small form factors, and helps reduce overall system cost. The device’s system-level features, such as overvoltage detection and shutdown, prevent system damage caused by an open LED string. Its over-temperature shutdown feature protects against excessive heat in the system. The TPS92010 is the first of a new family of TI LED controllers designed for general lighting applications, such as residential LED fixtures; retrofit LED bulbs; commercial troffers; down-lights; wall sconces; pathway lighting; overhead lighting; and architectural and display lighting.

GE Fast Forwards to Future of LED Lighting

The inventor of the first visible light-emitting diode makes history again this year as it begins to show customers a 40-watt replacement GE Energy Smart LED bulb available later this year or early 2011. GE Lighting's new LED bulb is expected to consume just 9 watts, provide a 77 percent energy savings and produce nearly the same light output as a 40-watt incandescent bulb, while lasting more than 25 times as long. The new GE Energy Smart LED bulb is expected to outperform currently available products that may be underwhelming consumers right now. GE scientists and engineers designed the bulb to better direct light downward on the intended surface and all around, not just out the top of a lampshade, as most current LED bulbs are prone to do. The new GE LED bulb offers 450 lumens—the Energy Star® threshold to be considered a 40-watt incandescent replacement. Currently available LED bulbs produce 350 lumens or less. GE has filed multiple patent applications for the bulb and expects it will be an ENERGY STAR-qualified LED omnidirectional light bulb.

GE Energy Smart LED bulb product snapshot:
•Expected to consume just 9 watts—compared with 40-watt incandescent/halogen or 10-watt CFL, while delivering nearly the same light output;
•Expected 25,000-hour rated life—will last 17 years (4 hours per day), which is 25 times longer than a general service 40-watt incandescent or halogen bulb and more than 3 times longer than a standard 8,000-hour rated life CFL;
•LED technology delivers the instant full brightness of an incandescent or halogen bulb;
•Durable solid-state design with no filament to break;
•Contains no mercury and will be RoHS compliant; and
•Feels cooler to the touch than CFLs and far cooler than incandescent bulbs.

The 9-watt GE Energy Smart LED bulb, a replacement for 40-watt general service incandescent bulbs, hits store shelves this fall or in early 2011. Retailers set pricing but it is expected to be $40 to $50. The new bulb joins GE's growing family of LED bulbs in a broad range of shapes, wattages and colors, including, spot and flood lights (PAR20 & PAR30), ceiling fan bulbs (A15), medium globes (G25), small globes (G16.5), candles (CA10), and night lights (C7). All of GE's Energy Smart LED bulbs are rigorously tested to ensure constant color, long life and verifiable lumen ratings. GE will put prototypes of the bulb—outfitted with Cree XLamp® XP-G LEDs—on display at two upcoming trade shows: Light + Building 2010 in Frankfurt, Germany, and LightFair 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The high-efficiency, high-lumen-output LEDs used in the GE bulbs are Cree's smallest and brightest lighting-class LEDs, designed specifically for general lighting.

Recyclable lighted sign empowers businesses and consumers

A revolutionary new sign technology consists of individual blocks of LED Letters which one can simply snap together in seconds to create instant messaging, announcements, promotions, etc. Traditional lighted signs are expensive and often end up discarded when no longer needed. This fully recyclable new iQ sign allows one to construct a message, announcement, price quote, or greeting in a matter of seconds by connecting individual letter and punctuation modules together in a snap, like liking children's play blocks.
The sign is therefore fully recyclable, and can be dismantled in seconds, then stored for later use as often as required. One simply buys the low-cost individual letters and punctuation symbols in the quantities needed. A simple power supply energizes the entire sign or message when plugged into a wall outlet. The sign can be wall mounted, or suspended, or simply rested on a surface. It is suitable for Corporate Interiors, Retail, Consumers, Displays & Exhibits, etc. One can even create rapid greetings to be sent to loved ones or co-workers; such as: "appy Birthday Chris" or "Congratulations Sophia" or "I Love You Mom" or perhaps to create the name of your favorite musical group.

LedEngin Announces LuxSpot Alta

LedEngin, Inc. announced the immediate availability of LuxSpot Alta, the latest addition to the LuxSpot family of LED modules. LuxSpot Alta delivers over 6000 Lux at 21 watts of power, beating traditional 75W halogen MR16 lamps in performance at 10 times the service life. LuxSpot Alta shares the same sleek, compact form as the standard LuxSpot with over double the lumens and lux opening up additional track and downlighting applications previously unattainable with LED solutions. The high quality, uniform light and excellent color quality coupled with its high performance lumen output - over 1200 lumens in 5500K, makes LuxSpot Alta the product of choice for many retail, hospitality and commercial directional lighting applications. LuxSpot Alta is available in warm, neutral and daylight color temperatures and narrow flood and flood beam distributions. Like the ultra-compact LuxSpot, LedEngin’s new LuxSpot Alta is powered by the company’s industry-leading multichip LED emitter and proprietary secondary optics.

Palo Alto asks public to help pick LED

As it prepares for a citywide shift to more energy-efficient streetlights, Palo Alto is asking residents to weigh in on what brand of LED lights look best. The city has installed sample LED lights from different manufacturers on several streets near City Hall and on residential streets in midtown, officials announced Tuesday. Next month the city will hold a walking tour to find out how the public feels about the different options.

NREL Finds a Way to Give LEDs the Green Light

NREL scientists found a way to generate a tricky combination of green and red that may just prove to be the biggest boost for illumination since Edison's light bulb. NREL scientist Angelo Mascarenhas, who holds patents in solar-cell technology, realized that an LED is just the reverse of a solar cell. One takes electricity and turns it into light; the other takes sunlight and turns it into electricity.

Cypress to Demo Lighting Solutions

Cypress Semiconductor will be demonstrating its intelligent lighting solutions portfolio at the Light+Building exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany from April 11 to 16. According to a release, the demonstrations include Cypress's Powerline Communication solution and AC-DC digital power controllers for LED lighting, as well as the PowerPSoC family of integrated embedded power controllers.
The AC-DC controllers offer a solution for both non-dimmable and dimmable LED lighting. These controllers complement the PowerPSoC family of embedded power controllers, a single-chip solution for both controlling and driving high-power LEDs. The PowerPSoC family earned a 2009 Golden Mousetrap Award from Design News magazine and a 2009 Elektra Award from Electronics Weekly magazine.

Energy Smart Industry introduces energy-saving LED lighting

Florida based Energy Smart Industry announced that its LED lighting systems are especially suited for condo lighting and apartment lighting. With its LED retrofit lighting condo associations can expect at least a 40% saving on their electricity bills. ESI’s client Hollywood Station is expected to see a $ 33,000 saving on its energy bill. All recreation areas, lobbies, hallways and public areas were retrofitted with LED lighting that not only saves energy but brightens up rooms like never before. This condo lighting, ESI believes, will have the effect of reducing 45 tons of CO2 emissions from the environment, taking 8 cars off the road and planting 11 acres of trees. What is even more attractive to condo associations is that this lighting retrofit happens at zero cost down for equipment that can cost as much as $ 100,000. ESI has launched a unique Green Lease Manage Program, under which clients only pay an agreed percentage of the savings on energy bills. They do not have any out-of-pocket expenses.

LumenZ aims to brighten more homes with LEDs

Interesting that a spin-out from North Carolina State University would land on the sixth floor incubator space at Boston University's Photonics Center, but that's just what has happened with LumenZ Inc., an LED lighting start-up that has been all too happy to leave all of us in the dark about what they've been working on for the past two years.

Luminus Devices Introduces its First Ultra-Violet PhlatLight LED

Luminus Devices  announced the UV CBT-120, the company’s first big-chip UV LED built on PhlatLight technology. The CBT-120 is ideally suited for a widely diverse number of industrial processes ranging from epoxy, ink, paint, laminate and adhesive curing to semiconductor processing. The UV CBT-120, based on Luminus’ award-winning large monolithic chip platform, is well-suited for UV applications that demand a high-flux of UV photons. The UV CBT-120 has a power density of 1 W/mm2, offering extremely high optical output of 10W at 390 nm.
The UV CBT-120 features high thermal-conductivity packaging, with a junction to heat sink thermal resistance of only 0.7 °C/W so it can reliably be driven to the demanding power levels necessary for industrial processing. It is an energy saving, environmentally friendly light source lasting over 10,000 hours compared to 1,000 – 2,000 hours in traditional high intensity discharge lamps.

Arrow Electronics To Showcase LED Designs

Arrow Electronics will exhibit at Lightfair International 2010 for the fourth consecutive year. Arrow will showcase leading-edge LED (light-emitting diodes) designs and total lighting solutions at Lightfair, May 12-14, in Las Vegas, Nev. The Arrow booth will be lit 100 percent by LEDs and feature LED fixtures with the latest electronic components and modules. Attendees can demo new LED designs and technologies from Arrow's extensive line card of world-class manufacturers. Arrow's lighting specialists will be in the booth to discuss opportunities and trends in LED technology and design, and Arrow's full range of services from prototyping to complete solutions.

Global LED Market to Reach $14.8 Billion by 2015

Global LED market is expected to witness rapid growth, led by increasing demand for efficient displays and lighting fixtures along with the rising awareness levels about energy conservation. Though high prices restricted the initial use of LEDs to a small group of applications (which included decorative lighting, exit signs, architectural lighting, and entertainment lighting), the current LED market is relatively broad in terms of end-use applications and encompasses notebook PCs, LCD TVs, residential and commercial lighting, handsets, and signals and displays. Improvements in luminous efficacy and application technologies of LEDs led to their utilization in backlights, landscape lighting, traffic lights, and automobile lights. Due to rising environmental concerns, most of the governments are focusing on phasing out of incandescent lights, replacing them with energy efficient LED lights. Short-term growth is likely to be propelled by the growing popularity of LED TVs and notebooks, while general lighting segment is expected to drive market growth in the long run, as stated by the new market research report on Light Emitting Diode (LED) market. Mobile phones emerged as the leading end-use market with more than 25% share of value sales for 2009, while LCD TV is expected to post the fastest growth in terms of volume sales. The market is also expected to benefit from rapid technological advancements that are expected to bring down the number of chips per box as well as the average selling price of LEDs.
Although the global economic crisis significantly influenced the operations of LED market in 2009 leading to a sales decline in major LED utilizing sectors such as mobile phones, large outdoor displays and automotive, the decline was partly offset by the increasing use of LEDs in segments such as backlights for notebook PCs and LCD televisions, apart from the lighting sector.

Future Lighting Solutions Wins LED Industry Leadership Award

Future Lighting Solutions has earned the Industry Leadership award in LED Journal’s annual Innova Awards competition for SSL Designer, an online tool that speeds the process of defining, calculating and optimizing baseline system requirements and costs for solid state lighting applications. It was Future’s second consecutive Innova Award recognition, following a 2008 win for the company’s QLED Thermal Design and Simulation Software. SSL Designer and other Future tools for streamlining and optimizing LED system development will be shown at Light + Building in Frankfurt April 11-16 (Hall 4.1, Walkway J, Stand 70) and Lightfair International in Las Vegas May 12-14 (Booth 1121).