Glowing Trees to Replace Glowing Lamps

Scientists from the Academia Sinica and the National Cheng Kung University in Taipei and Tainan have implanted glowing, sea urchin shaped gold nanoparticles, known as bio light emitting diodes, or bio LEDs, inside the leaves of a plant. The new nanoparticles could replace the electricity powered street light with biologically powered light that removes CO2 from the atmosphere 24 hours a days.

Christmas lights exchanged for LEDs free

Customers of Southern California Edison can exchange a regular Christmas light strand for a light emitting diode (LED) strand free throughout December, officials said. In order to save money on energy costs, the energy company is offering more than 800 strands for exchange, event spokeswoman Courtney Kalashian said.

High Power LEDs enabling better hydroponics

High power LED applications like automotive headlights, general lighting, or pocket projectors demand ever increasing brightness. High driving currents yield high brightness, but as the current rises, the efficiency of the LED declines. Hence high efficiency at high currents is the key to brighter high power LEDs. OSRAM Opto Semiconductors’ new generation of high power chips features higher efficiency which is achieved by burying the n-type contact inside the chip. Moreover, the efficiency decline at high currents is overcome by reducing Auger recombination.

Second gen solar-powered light bulb lasts longer

You might remember that Nokero's N100 solar-powered light bulb lasted two hours on a charge. Well, it has a new buddy. The N200 not only lasts longer, but is also waterproof as well. The N200 light bulb lasts three times as long as its predecessor — six hours on one charge. We said that the N100 is perfect for your backyard. Well, the N200 is even better. Nokero's latest light bulb has three modes: on, off and turbo-task (higher brightness).

Utility gets permission to use LED street lights

Central Hudson Gas & Electric, which is based in Poughkeepsie but has operations in Albany, Greene and Columbia counties, got permission from the state Public Service Commission to allow municipal street lighting that uses light emitting diodes. LEDs, which use semiconductor technology, are more expensive than conventional streetlights but last much longer, use less energy and require less maintenance.

LED lift-off next year

“Elements of a very strong 2011 are falling into place” for the light-emitting diode market, writes Oppenheimer & Co.’s Yair Reiner in a note to clients, reiterating an Outperform rating on shares of LED provider Cree (CREE), and a $94 price target on the stock, following a meeting with management. Reiner notes that the LED lighting market in China slowed over the summer, held up by the introduction of new regulations by the government

LED yule log definitely won’t burn down the house

If you don’t want to go out of the way to buy a 3D TV and glasses so you can watch Comcast’s ridiculous 3D yule log channel, why not grab one of these tiny desktop fireplace simulators instead. It’ll cost you way less than a new TV, it requires no glasses, and is actually a 3-dimensional thing.

Semtech Delivers Industry's First Smart Current Sink LED Backlighting Platform

Semtech Corp announced the industry's first smart current sink LED backlighting platform with on-chip digital lighting effects for high-end handheld displays. This new platform incorporates Semtech's patent-pending, smart Automatic Dropout Prevention (ADP) technology to enable a new-generation of high-quality current sink drivers that can replace boost converters and charge pumps in high-end handhelds, while providing high-quality display backlighting. The new SC667 and SC668 current sinks with ADP technology reduce the total parts count and extend battery life compared to boost converters or charge pumps, and offer far superior illumination quality compared to conventional current sink drivers. Additionally, on-chip digital lighting effects provide the flexibility to incorporate fade, breathe and blink effects without changing the firmware.
White LEDs used in backlighting applications typically have a forward voltage up to 3.6V. When the battery voltage declines in portable devices, the supply voltage must be boosted to ensure the white LEDs have sufficient voltage to illuminate the display. Charge pump or inductive boost converter devices have typically been used to provide this voltage boost function. In an effort to maintain constant output power, these circuits increase current draw as the battery voltage declines, shortening battery life. Improvements in white LEDs have resulted in forward voltages as low as 3.0V, reducing the threshold at which conventional LED drivers need to boost the battery voltage. Because of this, LED backlight drivers increasingly are operating in a non-boost mode, making current sink drivers an attractive alternative. Current sink drivers eliminate the capacitors and inductor associated with the boost circuitry, reducing component count, board size and system cost, with the added benefits of eliminating any switching noise and extending operating time.
"With current sink topologies, the supply voltage available to the white LEDs is reduced toward the end of the battery discharge cycle," said Athar Zaidi, Director of Marketing in Semtech's Power Management Group. "Semtech's ADP technology ensures that the LEDs dim in uniform and imperceptible steps as the battery voltage declines. The current sink approach also extends battery life, because there are no boost converters to draw higher current as in conventional implementations."
Prior to the ADP approach, current sinks were not optimal for high-end handheld devices. This was because line transients caused by the heavy system loads (for example:RF transmission)(for example:camera)(for example:camera flash)(for example:Internet access) produced display flicker when these loads were enabled and disabled. Semtech's smart ADP topology eliminates this problem via automatic and simultaneous monitoring of each current sink to avoid dropout as the system loads turn on and off. Each time a current sink with ADP approaches dropout, the digital logic reduces the current setting for all of the backlight LEDs in small increments that are imperceptible to the human eye. This process continues until all current sinks have sufficient headroom to regulate their current at the reduced setting. When this point is reached, the ADP circuitry locks the current setting, thereby eliminating any display flicker.
The SC667 and SC668 are the first current sinks to incorporate ADP technology. These devices also integrate a number of functions to enable high-end features on portables, including an ambient light sensing/control circuit that sets backlight brightness based on surrounding lighting conditions. A PWM dimming interface that incorporates a digital low-pass filter is also included, providing the capability to perform content-adaptive brightness control (versus "always-on" illumination).
The SC668 provides eight current sinks, while the SC667 features seven current sinks plus an interrupt request indicator signal to tell the host processor when an ambient light threshold has been crossed. Both devices include an on-chip digital lighting-effects engine to control LED fade-in/fade-out, breathe, blink, auto-dim full, and auto-dim partial; an I(2)C interface to program and control the LEDs; and four programmable, 200mA low-noise LDO regulators to manage the power for multiple embedded peripherals.

60-Watt Equivalent LEDs for Below $40

If you're looking for long-lasting, energy-efficient lighting, 60-watt replacement LEDs are on the way to big box retailers. These lights screw in just like typical incandescents, but they use less than a quarter of the energy and have no mercury, unlike CFLs.

Will ESL Light Bulbs Beat LEDs?

Do we really need another energy-efficient light bulb to take the place of the glorious but totally inefficient incandescent as it slowly but surely (they’ll be completely phased out in the U.S. by 2014) becomes a technology of “yesterday” along with Walkmans and Betamax players? New York City-based Vu1 Corporation would like consumers to think so with the announcement that after years in the making, the company’s R30 Electron Stimulated Luminescence energy-efficient reflector light bulb — or ESL bulb for short — has been granted final UL approval

Seattle City Light, Bonneville Compare LEDs

Seattle City Light is one of 12 utilities working with the Bonneville Power Administration to give consumers a chance to compare light-emitting diode (LED) technology to traditional lighting in real-life settings, such as a coffee shop, a retail store and even a popular whale museum. Throughout the project, a portion of a participating business' traditional lighting will be replaced with LEDs to see how employees and customers feel about the change. The Seattle businesses testing the lights are Chaco Canyon Cafe in the University District and Bargreen Ellingson restaurant supply in SODO.

LED pushbuttons come in vibrant color combinations

NKK Switches KP Series of illuminated miniature pushbutton switches provides design engineers with an array of options that enhance and complete front panels needing an innovative and modern look and feel. Product Series devices are available with built-in RGB LED illumination.

Fred Upton to revisit light bulb ban

Hoping to counter attacks from his right, Rep. Fred Upton is promising to reexamine a controversial ban on incandescent light bulbs if he becomes chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Michigan Republican told POLITICO on Thursday that he's not afraid to go back after an issue he once supported but that has come under withering assault on the conservative airwaves, including on Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck's talk shows.

Sumitomo Electric Develops 6in GaN Substrates for White LEDs

Sumitomo Electric Industries successfully developed the world's first 6in diameter GaN (gallium nitride) substrates to be used for white LEDs (light emitting diodes). Previously, the company led the world with the production of 2in GaN substrates for blue-violet lasers, which enabled production of the first Blu-ray DVD players.

Colorful leds controlled by your iPhone or iPad

As we all know the saying “there’s an app for that“, here’s yet another new use for your iOS devices – remote-controlled LED lights. The iGloLEDset is a special color-changing LED light set which can be remotely operated using your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The kit includes a 16.4 foot-long strip with 120 colorful LEDs, along with a Wi-fi controller unit. Once you install the iGloLED app on your Apple gadget, you’ll be able to choose from hundreds of color pattern sequences, or create your own.

Track Lighting Retrofit Positively Impacts 50 Timberland Stores

About one year ago, Eco-story LED Lighting Solutions was selected by The Timberland Company to help its stores make an eco-friendly shift in lighting. Timberland, a leading outdoor footwear and apparel company recognized for its commitment to the environment, partnered with Eco-story to create special LED track lights that would advance the sustainability of each store while improving ambiance and saving money. In the ten months since Timberland installed Eco-story's LED bulbs, the company has saved approximately $100,000 in electricity costs.
Timberland chose Eco-story in October 2009 to retrofit the track lighting in 50 Timberland stores across the U.S. Depending on each store's location and size, Eco-story replaced up to 150 50-90 Watt halogen spotlights per store with 10 Watt Par 30 LED bulbs that were color-matched to client specifications.
"Eco-consciousness led the way in our endeavor to make lighting changes, but with the Federal tax incentive and our lowered electric bill, the financial savings has been a significant advantage," said Al Buell, Store Planning and Construction Project Manager at Timberland. "In addition, we are thrilled with the color of the bulbs as they enhance our products, which is critical in the retail sector."
Helping with the cost savings is the durability of Eco-story's bulbs, as Timberland's lights are predicted to last 6 to 10 years and have an extremely low failure rate. Only about 15 of the approximately 5,400 lamps installed in Timberland stores have failed, equaling less than one percent.

PhlatLight LEDs Light Stage for Arcade Fire’s Madison Square Garden Concert

Luminus Devices, developer and manufacturer of ‘big-chip’ PhlatLightLEDs, announced that its CBM-380-RGBW PhlatLight LEDs were used inside Vari*Lite’s VLX Wash Luminaires lighting the stage for Arcade Fire’s recent live HD webcast concert from Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City. “Simply, the VLX was my big wash light during the concert. VLX Wash Luminaires have no match today and their brightness and intense range of color are incredible.”
The Canadian indie rock band enlisted assistance of lighting designer Susanne Sasic who used 40 VLX Wash Luminaries to light the band at MSG. Sasic overcome many lighting challenges during the band’s tour but during the live streaming show from MSG she had to not only ensure the lighting was great for concert-goers but also for fans tuning into the webcast.
“During the concert, the VLX’s were my main lights on the band. The true white from the Luminus LEDs inside the VLX Wash Luminaires were extremely successful for the band member skin tones. I was amazed at how great the band looked under this light,” said Sasic. “Simply, the VLX was my big wash light during the concert. VLX Wash Luminaires have no match today and their brightness and intense range of color are incredible.”
The heart of the Vari*Lite VLX Wash Luminaire is seven, replaceable custom PhlatLight CBM-380-RGBW LEDs. The system has been optimized to deliver a total light output of 14,000 white lumens with an LED lifetime of at least 10,000 hours at maximum output.
“The Luminus ‘big-chip’ LED and the VLX architecture were made for each other, and the resulting Wash Luminaires popularity with lighting designers is a testament to punch and color uniformity previously available only from discharge lamp fixtures,” said Don McDaniel, director, global entertainment, Luminus.
Sasic added, “I love using new technologies and I had seen the VLX Wash during a private demo so I knew that it would be a perfect fit for this tour because of its power, deep range of color, and the true white from the Luminus LEDs. I have used automated LED lighting previously as decorative elements, but never as a main lighting source. Because of its brightness I knew the VLX could easily be my main wash light for the tour.”
Big-chip Luminus LEDs enable new general illumination applications in lighting markets such as architectural, entertainment, retail, residential, roadways, industrial high-bay lighting, digital displays and signage and UV for industrial processing.

Home Depot selling Philips 60-watt equivalent LED online

Home Depot has started selling a Philips LED bulb designed as a replacement for the 60-watt incandescent. The price of the Philips 12-watt bulb, sold using the Ambient LED name, is $39.97 each. The bulbs, which are dimmable, are expected to be in stores in December. The Philips 12-watt LED is significant because it matches the amount of light, at 800 lumens, given off by the popular 60-watt incandescent bulbs. It can be used for general lighting, such as overhead lights and desktop lamps and consumes 12.5 watts.

Lighting Companies Still Perfecting That 'Warm Glow'

A major complaint about strings of light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) is they don't have that warm glow of incandescent bulbs. The white and colored strings were can have a blue cast. Many companies are now selling warm and cool strings of LED holiday lights. 'They (light companies) are trying to perfect LEDs so it looks more like incandescent," said landscaping expert Phil Steinhauer.

Seoul Semiconductor LED Lighting Delivers Fantastic Visual Experience at 2010 Asian Games

LED provider Seoul Semiconductor (SSC) announced that the Z-Power LED Series were installed as stage lighting at the opening ceremonies of the Asian Games 2010. The Guangzhou Games committee selected local SSC partner GOLDEN SEA Professional Equipment Ltd. to provide the Z-power LED Series-embedded lighting solution, which played a vital role in illuminating the on-stage performances with exceptionally high-quality light, creating a fantastic visual experience. The win marks SSC’s continued growth in mainland China, one of the fastest growing LED lighting markets in the world.
“As a leading supplier of high-quality lighting in mainland China, we strive to bring the most advanced, most value-added lighting solutions to our customers”
.SSC’s Z-Power Series RGB LED was chosen by GOLDEN SEA Professional Equipment Ltd. mainly for its outstanding lighting quality and brought to the Asian Games a truly fantastic and dramatic visual experience. With the added ability of generating pure, uniform white light that achieves 80 on the color rendering index (CRI), it also creates outstanding evening visibility, comfort and safety.
The Z-power Series is also extremely energy efficient, producing 100 lumens/W 350mA, achieving the industry’s highest luminous efficacy with only a single die. It also contains no toxic substances such as mercury, emits no harmful IR or UV rays, and cuts down dramatically on energy-based CO2 production, making it a perfect fit for the theme of this year’s Asian Games, “high-tech, energy saving, going green.” And, since the Z-power LED-embedded stage lights last 100,000 hours—over 130 times more than conventional lighting—maintenance costs can be significantly reduced.

Cree launches XLamp XM-L LEDs

Cree, a US-based LED lighting specialist, has launched Cree XLamp XM-L LEDs, which are said to be the brightest, highest-performance lighting-class LEDs that are commercially available. The new commercially available single-die XLamp XM-L LEDs claims to deliver 1000 lumens at 100 lumens per Watt. With breakthrough light output and efficacy, the new LEDs are designed for very-high-lumen applications, such as high-bay or roadway lighting.

Definitely a brighter christmas with LED

LEDs have been around for a long time, but only caught on for use as Christmas lights in recent years. One reason is that older LEDs originally came only in red. Incandescent bulbs, on the other hand, emit only yellow light but are encased in colored glass. Another problem was a lack of brightness of LEDs. The potential was there, however, and advanced LEDs solved these problems. Today one can find LED Christmas lights in all kinds of shapes and sizes and in a wide range of colors.

Mitsubishi Electric Unveils 638 nm Red Laser Diode for Pico Projectors

Mitsubishi Electric has introduced a new 638 nm red laser diode (LD) that is ideal for portable display systems and pico projectors requiring bright red light sources. The ML501P73 diode offers 1W output power, which is the highest among the 638 nm LDs.

Luminus Devices Awarded 50th U.S. Patent For ‘Big-Chip’ LEDs

Luminus Devices, developer and manufacturer of ‘big-chip’ PhlatLightLEDs, announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently awarded the company its 50th patent. Having pioneered big-chip LED technology, Luminus has aggressively filed intellectual property (IP) for protection of big chip LED devices, packages and systems. In addition, the company has also been granted 13 non-U.S. issued patents in China, Korea and Taiwan that extend big-chip LED protection into those countries.
In addition to filing for new patents, Luminus has a track record of granting licenses to other LED companies, including: Forepi, Epistar and Nichia. Designed to provide an ultra-bright, reliable light source, PhlatLight big-chip LEDs are used in display applications by some of the world’s largest electronics and lighting companies such as Acer, Guth, LG, Philips Lighting and Samsung. They enable new general illumination applications in lighting markets such as architectural, entertainment, retail, residential, roadways, industrial high-bay lighting, digital displays and signage and UV for industrial processing.

LED driver IC supports automotive head, tail lights

NXP Semiconductors N.V. has just announced the availability of fully integrated, highly flexible driver IC solutions designed for vehicle LED headlights and tail lights, based on automotive-qualified technology. The ASL1010NTK and ASL1010PHN are automotive LED driver ICs which incorporate critical functionality such as direct LED temperature feedback, LED fault detection, internal PWM control for dimming and short circuit protection.

Extends LED EnhanceLite Lamp Line

LEDnovation, a leading innovator in LED lighting and replacement lamp technology, announced the addition of PAR20, PAR30 and PAR38 lamps to its EnhanceLite LED product line. High quality LED lamps, such as the EnhanceLite series, are currently positioned to deliver equivalent or improved lighting performance in comparison to incandescent/halogen and compact fluorescent (CFL) reflector lamps while reducing electricity consumption by up to 88%.

Avago Technologies Adds Cyan 1-Watt LEDs

Avago Technologies, a leading supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, today announced cyan-colored high-power LEDs optimized for traffic signals, here at the Electronica 2010 trade fair. The new ASMT-JC11 and ASMT-AC00 1-Watt LEDs offer high lumens output and high energy efficiency in robust, small footprint packages that boost design flexibility. This combination of features is ideal for traffic signals, and the devices also effectively address sign backlighting and architectural, commercial and decorative lighting applications.
The new LEDs address space constraints in applications with one of the industry's smallest footprints of 5 mm by 4 mm by 1.85 mm for the ASMT-JC11 device's 6-leaded small outline package (SOP). Both devices can withstand maximum current of up to 500 mA to provide high flux output performance of 58 lumens at 350 mA. The high flux output results in more efficient designs that use fewer LEDs to achieve an application's required lumens.
"Our new cyan 1-Watt LEDs position Avago to address the fast-moving transition from traffic signals using incandescent bulbs to more efficient, durable signals based on high-power LEDs," said Francis Khor, director of marketing for the Optoelectronics Product Division at Avago. "The ASMT-JC11 and ASMT-AC00 LEDs offer leading light output performance in small packages with industrial-strength reliability."
Both new LEDs feature an exposed thermal pad for efficient heat dissipation and low thermal resistance of 10 deg C per watt, delivering better reliability over their operating life. High maximum allowable junction temperatures of 150 deg C for the ASMT-JC11 device and 135 deg C for ASMT-AC00 device enable the LEDs to be driven in stringent operating conditions, providing flexibility and reliability to lighting designs. The devices offer a best-in-class Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) resistance of 16 kV, making them insensitive to ESD. As a result, special ESD protection equipment is not required to handle the parts during installation, thereby reducing production costs. The LEDs have an electrically neutral heat sink pad that allows them to be configured in an array using a common metal substrate without fear of electrical shorting, thus simplifying thermal design.

Can the ESL Knock Out The CFL?

Compact Fluorescents are not without their problems; a lot of people don't like the light from them and disposal is an issue. But LEDs are still expensive. Enter the ESL bulb, short for Electron Stimulated Luminescence. Core77 writes that they have just received UL approval, a necessary step for coming to market, and the Seattle based company VU1 says they will be on the market in early 2011.

Free bike lights in San Francisco

Armed with $10,000 in a state transportation grant money, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will team up with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and the San Francisco Police Department to hand out 2,400 bike lights.  The annual giveaway continue sporadically along well-traveled bike routes throughout the spring.

Grand Central Stars Shine Once Again

After nearly a year of renovation, the lights in the ceiling constellation inside Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan are back on. The 59 lights, representing stars in the galaxy, were first installed in 1913. That system has now been replaced with LEDs, which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority says uses 60 percent less electricity and will save $8,000 a year.

Eco-Friendly LED Solar Lamps

Gama Sonic USA, solar lighting manufacturer, has rolled out a new lighting system called the Royal Lamp Post. The lamp relies on solar light and is suitable for outdoor lighting applications. The Royal Lamp Post follows the company’s Imperial Solar Lanterns and is available in six diverse models. The new solar lamp designs incorporate the cone reflector technology and features bright white LEDs, which provide illumination in the required place

'FLAT' LED Lighting from Altatensione

Altatensione, in conjunction with FW Lighting launch their latest range of high Power LED Eco friendly light fixtures FLAT, that are aimed squarely at architects and lighting designers. Aesthetics, Performance, Technology and Reliability are the primary design criteria for the Flat range which is manufactured from die cast aluminium.

Rubicon Technology Reports Strong Third Quarter

Rubicon Technology, reported financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2010 and announced the opening of two new manufacturing facilities. Revenue rose to $20.5 million, up 30 percent sequentially Gross margin increased 8 percentage points to 54 percent Operating margin reaches 40 percent Diluted earnings per share nearly doubles sequentially to $0.35
ommenting on the results, Raja Parvez, President and CEO said, "We had another outstanding quarter with strong growth in revenue and earnings. Overall demand from the LED market remained strong in the quarter as our customers continued to add capacity in response to the projected rapid growth in the LED industry."
The Company's revenue increased 30 percent sequentially to $20.5 million in the current quarter largely due to increased pricing for sapphire substrates driven by strong demand from the LED market. The Company also reported continued strong interest for its polished six inch wafers. Mr. Parvez continued, "With the increased polishing capacity we are bringing on-line, we expect the six inch polished wafer product to become an increasingly large percentage of our total revenues."

Osram Opto to present LED, IR and laser components

At the electronica 2010 trade fair in Munich (9–12 November), Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH of Regensburg, Germany will be showcasing LEDs, infrared (IR) and laser components for a variety of applications in the commercial, industrial and residential sectors. The versatility of LEDs has already led to some memorable designs, such as the front lighting on the Audi A8, says Osram Opto. IR components can provide breathtaking 3D effects through the interaction of a backlit LED TV and shutter glasses.

Rensselaer Smart Lighting research center deploys first LED bulbs on its campus

The new Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) of Troy, NY, USA has transformed a key building on RPI's campus into a test bed for high-efficiency lighting. Led by director Robert Karlicek, the Smart Lighting ERC worked with campus officials to replace some of the conventional incandescent bulbs in overhead lights with LED bulbs in the nine-story George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation (CII). The initial batch of 119 replaced bulbs is expected to pay for itself via energy and labor cost savings within 12–16 months. Following the payback period, the bulbs are forecast to result in annual savings of $5608.

LED lighting at the crossroads: country road or expressway?

The advantages of the new LED lighting technology are well attested and beyond doubt. Nevertheless, LED lamps have achieved little market penetration so far and are predicted to make far slower market progress than comparable disruptive technologies. McKinsey research conducted by the firm’s LED Competence Center has revealed the underlying reasons behind the slow uptake, and this article presents the means to address them and so accelerate LED penetration. If manufacturers, retailers and regulators collaborate to overcome the five major barriers to adoption that the research has identified, LEDs could dominate the lighting marketplace by 2015

LED TV panel demand to increase

Demand for LED-backlit LCD TV panels will increase significantly in January-February 2011 as TV vendors are planning to launch new models in March, according to David Su, president of Taiwan-based LED epitaxial wafer and chipmaker Lextar Electronics, a subsidiary of AU Optronics (AUO). Su indicated that based on past experience, market demand growth will increase significantly when market share reaches 15-20%, and added that LED-backlit TV market share will reach around 20% in 2010.

Cree Ups Performance

Cree, Inc. announces the commercial availability of new levels of performance for XLamp XP-E & XP-C Color LEDs. XLamp XP-E Color LEDs are now available delivering minimum light output of 500 mW for Royal Blue, 39.8 lumens for Blue, 107 lumens for Green, 73.9 lumens for Red-Orange, and 62 lumens for Red, all at 350 mA. XLamp XP-C Color LEDs are now available delivering minimum light output of 350 mW for Royal Blue, 23.5 lumens for Blue, 62 lumens for Red-Orange and 51.7 lumens for Red, all at 350 mA.
"Cree is extending our leadership with industry-best light output across the color spectrum in a common, small footprint," said Paul Thieken, Cree director of marketing, LED components. "These economical, high-performance options can provide designers additional flexibility for a broad set of applications including architectural, emergency vehicle, transportation and decorative lighting, all while leveraging the reliability of the XP package."

SDG&E Annual LED Light Exchange Brightens Holiday Season With Energy Savings

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) wants to make its customers' holiday season a little brighter while helping them save energy and money. SDG&E is offering complimentary light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) to customers throughout San Diego County during the company's annual LED Holiday Lighting Exchanges.
SDG&E customers will be able to exchange up to three strands of incandescent holiday lights for an equivalent number of energy-efficient, multi-colored LED holiday lights at any of the seven lighting events. As an added bonus, the 15 foot strands of lights come with an eco-friendly reusable shopping bag. Participation in the exchange is easy; customers simply need to bring their old lights and present a copy of their current SDG&E bill or their California ID.
"We are happy to host these lighting exchange events with our community partners," said Mark Gaines, director of customer programs for SDG&E. "It's a great opportunity to spread a little holiday cheer while helping our customers conserve energy and save money on their electric bill."
SDG&E's annual holiday lighting exchange events continue to draw more energy-conscious customers. Last year, more than 6,400 customers exchanged some 17,275 strands of lights. That is nearly triple the numbers of customers and lights than 2007.
Compared to traditional incandescent holiday lights, LED lights can save customers up to 90 percent in holiday lighting costs. LED lights are cool to the touch, reduce fire risk, and are safer for use both inside and outside the home. They also shine brighter and last up to 100 times longer than incandescent holiday lights.

New Cree XLamp LED Performance Breakthrough

Cree, Inc. announces the addition of 80, 85 and 90 color rendering index (CRI) options to its XLamp XP-G and XP-E warm white LEDs. Many lighting applications, such as retail, medical and architectural, require high color accuracy to properly render object colors. With previous generation high-CRI white LEDs, increasing color quality meant decreasing efficacy. Thanks to the new high-CRI XP-G and XP-E, luminaire and fixture designers can have both.
"High CRI is a must for certain applications that require a high quality of the light--but at the same time we cannot forget about the system efficacy," said Massimo Santinon, brand manager i-Led, Linea Light s.r.l. "The new XLamp XP-E and XP-G with high CRI are the perfect combination we were waiting for that will allow us to address new markets."
"Lighting applications require specific performance characteristics, and Cree's XLamp LED family delivers products optimized for these individual applications," said Paul Thieken, Cree director of marketing, LED components. "Our high CRI XLamp LEDs can deliver light quality comparable to halogen with better efficacy than fluorescents. And Cree's lighting-class LEDs are proven to be one of the world's most efficient light sources which can enable more economical designs and applications."
The new high-CRI XP-G is available with luminous flux of up to 107 lumens at 350mA in warm white (3000K), providing efficacy of 102 lumens per Watt. Using this new XP-G, LED lamp designers can create systems that are 70 percent more efficient than a traditional halogen PAR38 lamp and deliver similar high color rendering.
High-CRI XP-G and XP-E LEDs are similar to standard XP-G and XP-E LEDs, respectively, and may work in existing systems without any redesign. Just as with the standard XP-G and XP-E, the new LEDs have LM-80 data approved by ENERGY STAR(R), are UL-recognized components under UL 8750 (E326295), and feature excellent thermal management properties.

Arrow Electronics and Cree Plan Upcoming Lighting Fair

Arrow Electronics, Inc. and Cree, Inc. said they have teamed with manufacturers of complementary components to host a lighting design seminar and solutions fair Dec. 1-2 at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, Calif.
According to a release, the free, two-day event is ideal for West Coast lighting engineers, specifiers and designers, and professionals looking to accelerate the conversion to solid-state lighting.
Chuck Swoboda, chairman and chief executive officer for Cree, will kick off the event with the keynote address on the current state of the solid-state lighting market and accelerating the transition from tradition lighting to LED lighting.
Guest speakers include local energy and municipal specialists such as Michael Seaman, with UC Davis' California Lighting Technology Center, Aaron Klemm, energy project manager with the City of Huntington Beach, and Teren Abear with Southern California Edison Design and Engineering Services.
Seminars and technical training will be provided by Arrow, Cree and related manufacturers on topics such as LED design, the latest in LED drivers and controls, optics and thermal considerations, converting municipalities to LEDs and more.
"Arrow works with partners like Cree to offer customers a complete lighting solution from concept development to production," said Gary Zullo, director of Arrow's lighting segment. "As LEDs become more widely accepted, we'll continue to identify new ways to support our customers with the knowledge, training and tools they need to move ahead with their solid-state lighting projects."
Manufacturers participating in the seminar and solutions fair include Analog Devices, Inc., Autec Power Systems, California Eastern Labs, Cypress Semiconductor, Diodes, Inc., Emerson Network Power, Fraen Corp., Infineon Technologies, Linear Technology, Micrel, Molex, National Semiconductor, NXP Semiconductors, ON Semiconductor, RECOM Power, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, and Tyco Electronics.

Exposure Six Pack

This monster light takes Exposure’s self-contained Cable Free Design range to the maximum output. Six XPG LEDs packed intothe front give it the most powerful lux punch of any of the lights we’ve tested this autumn.

As you’d expect, that means long range illumination is outstanding,with dramatic blue-white clarity even at a distance for fast, confident riding. Bounce-back glare and the sharp edged, relatively narrow beam can be tiring on the eyes though.

Momentive to Extend Service Life of LEDs

Momentive Performance Materials, Inc., a provider of specialty chemicals and materials that offers solutions and products that help industrial and consumer companies, will launch a new series of thermally conductive silicones to be considered for use in light emitting diodes (LED) manufacturing and assembly.

ATMI Invests in Lake LED Materials

ATMI, Inc announced it has purchased a minority interest in Lake LED Materials of Daejeon, South Korea, a materials technology start-up focused on providing metal organic precursors to the LED (light-emitting diode) market. Under the agreement, ATMI will help accelerate commercial LED materials introductions, with select marketing and technology rights. The collaboration highlights ATMI's technical expertise in process materials for LED applications with its global infrastructure in conjunction with Lake LED Materials' technology. This collaboration represents ATMI's first step in a multi-faceted strategy for addressing process efficiency opportunities in the LED market.
"Light-emitting diodes are the wave of the future for lighting -- for TVs, personal electronics, and business and home lighting," said Dan Sharkey, ATMI Executive Vice President, Business Development. "LEDs are a type of semiconductor, and while the basic technology has been around for decades, moving it into cost-effective mass production requires developing the enabling materials that can be readily incorporated into high volume production. Just as ATMI has created a pre-eminent position in materials with traditional semiconductor manufacturers, we believe that, working jointly with Lake LED Materials, we can establish a similar enabling materials position with leading global LED manufacturers."