Green App for Earth Day Saves Energy: Light Bulb Finder

Switching to energy-efficient light bulbs is one of the fastest and easiest ways to conserve energy and protect the environment this Earth Day. Developed by Eco Hatchery, the free Light Bulb Finder mobile app enables users to decide which energy-efficient bulbs are right for their own homes and budgets. The app shows how much energy can be saved by replacing one or multiple bulbs and what the total carbon footprint improvement will be.
Named “Best Overall App” by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its Apps for the Environment Challenge, Light Bulb Finder is available as a free download on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android mobile devices.
Walking through the home or store aisle, app users get instant recommendations for energy-saving bulbs with the light quality and fit that mimics their traditional incandescent bulbs. For each recommendation, the app displays financial payback and environmental impact information, enabling users to make informed decisions. Bulbs can be purchased through the app or at local stores.
A typical household can save over $110 in annual energy bills by making the switch. That’s money most homeowners would happily keep in the bank or spend on other things.
Changing just one more bulb, like a kitchen spot or porch light, will have a positive impact. If every U.S. household replaces one bulb, it would prevent 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, the equivalent of taking 7.5 million cars off the road, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Energy-efficient bulbs may cost more up-front, but the overall cost of buying and powering them is significantly less in the long run, plus they do not have to be changed as frequently. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs, or CFLs, last on average eight times longer than incandescent bulbs, and Light Emitting Diodes, LEDs, last 25 or more times longer.

Light Bulb Giants Hope U.N. Will Guarantee Their Market Share

A pair of major light bulb manufacturers is teaming up with the United Nations in an attempt to pressure countries into participating in “a global transition” to more energy-efficient light bulbs. The two companies are both major manufacturers of the types of bulbs that would replace incandescents under the plan. A presentation by Rudy Provoost and Martin Goetzeler, CEO of Philips and COO of OSRAM, respectively, calls on the UN’s Environmental Programme to “lead the engagement required with developing and emerging countries, governments and the private sector to achieve a global market transformation” to the types of bulbs that their two companies manufacture.

Porsche Showroom Complements Its High-End Automobiles with GlacialLight LED Lights

GlacialLight, a division of experienced technology manufacturer GlacialTech Inc., is pleased to announce that its environmentally-friendly LED lighting products are being used in many applications around the world and providing users with energy-saving light of the highest quality.
Porsche automobiles are synonymous with high performance and perfected engineering. Recently, a Porsche showroom in Florida, USA applied these principles to their lighting by installing highly efficient GlacialLight LED lights.
The Porsche showroom replaced their outdated recessed halogen bulbs with GlacialLight's GL-BR30 LED lights. Customers and staff have noticed improved visibility with the LEDs shining bright, natural-looking light with no perceptible flickering. The expert crafting of the Porsche automobiles seems to stand out more with the evenly distributed light.
Not only do GlacialLight LED lights produce higher quality light than halogen bulbs, but they also are much more efficient. The GL-BR30 LED lights consume only 11W respectively. With reduced power consumption the Porsche showroom has realized 83% savings in lighting related energy cost. These LEDs will continue to illuminate the showroom using very little electricity for a long time thanks to their long life spans of over 35,000 hours.
GlacialLight is excited to see its product lines being used to make businesses more successful and at the same time benefiting society by offering lighting products that have longer lifetimes and save more energy than traditional lighting, emit no harmful UV or IR radiation, and contain no hazardous materials such as mercury.

MIT's nanowire growth control method could optimize LEDs

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers used gases to precisely control nanowires' width and composition as they grow, which could yield complex structures optimally designed for particular applications, like LED substrates or solar panels. Nanowires can have very different properties than the same materials in bulk, because of quantum confinement effects, based on the behavior of electrons and phonons within the material. Nanowires may conduct electricity and heat or interact with light in new and useful ways. The high surface-area-to-volume ratio makes nanowires especially useful in sensing applications versus bulk materials.

Larson Electronics Announces Release of Mil Spec 461 Compliant Low Profile LED Light Bar

The Magnalight LEDP3W-9 High Intensity LED Light Bar from Larson Electronics is a Mil Spec 461 compliant LED light emitter that produces intense illumination and high output in a compact and rugged package. Producing over 2,000 lumens of light and measuring only 2 inches high by 11 inches long, this LED emitter operates on standard 9-32 volt DC current and is an ideal lighting solution for mounting on vehicles and equipment where abusive conditions are encountered.
The LEDP3W-9 LED light bar produces 2,056 lumens of intense light output while consuming only 27 watts at 2.25 amps when connected to a 12 volt electrical system. Designed with power and durability in mind, this compact LED light emitter has an IP68 rated waterproof housing constructed of extruded aluminum for resistance to abusive conditions and exposure to moisture and harmful contaminants. An unbreakable polycarbonate lens resists damage from impacts and scratching and the CREE XLamp XR-E® LEDs used in this unit provide excellent vibration tolerance. This LED light is available in floodlight or spotlight configurations, and produces a light beam 575' long by 100' wide in spotlight configuration, making it well suited to military, law enforcement and hunting or boating applications where high power and concentrated output are desired. These LED light bars are built to exacting tolerances and specifications to provide exceptional performance in demanding applications and are Mil Spec 461 certified to military defense specifications. The 9 to 32 volt DC power compatibility and compact size of these LED light emitters allows them to be applied over a wide range of applications where traditional incandescent lights simply cannot fit or provide the necessary performance on low voltage power. These light bars can be mounted to flat surfaces or rounded railings, connected to any source of DC power ranging from 9 to 32 volts, and will fit in recessed areas and tight locations where other lights cannot. The LEDP3W-9 also offers a host of additional features including pulse width modulation drive controllers which provide excellent active heat management and allow the connection of external dimmers and strobe controllers to allow versatile operational control. These units will not overheat and can be connected to external controllers to cause them to dim, flash or strobe as desired.

New Visible Light Communications Platform That Uses LEDs

Visilink, a visible light communications (VLC) solution, announces the availability of a new communications platform that uses LED lights instead of wires or radio signals to provide wireless network connectivity. The technology can transmit data at very long distances and has the ability to provide near-ubiquitous network access anywhere LEDs are used, including buildings, consumer electronics, outdoor lighting, vehicles, traffic lights and even underwater. The new platform consists of a transmitter module, receiver module, and an ultrasensitive photo detector that can be embedded in a variety of end user devices.
The Visilink solution uses light photons to transmit signals over the open air to receivers. The signals are modulated upon transmission and then demodulated at the receiver for use by an end user device, such as a laptop computer, smart phone or networking server. The Visilink technology uses the blue portion part of electromagnetic spectrum which has the high relative output power even in quasi-white LEDs and therefore makes the best medium for data transmission in VLC-based systems.
For general network conductivity in buildings, Visilink uses quasi-white LEDs or RGB LEDs as transmitters. LEDs, unlike fluorescent and incandescent lights, can be modulated in such a way that the changing power output is not visible to the human eye. In RGB LEDs, any or all of the three separate LEDs can be used to send a signal. Visilink receivers are capable of detecting and then converting the optical transmission into a formatted data stream. Visilink receiver modules enable standard networking protocol such as Ethernet.
Visilink can provide network access through non-traditional environments as well, including electronic signage and computer/television displays. VLC wireless signals can't penetrate walls or other structures, making access local and extremely secure. Visilink technology can operate in environments such as hospitals, precision factories and mines where electromagnetic interference (EMI) prohibits the use of RF technology. Visilink can also eliminate the need to install wired networks by using existing power lines for communications (PLC).
"Up until now, networking has relied on RF technologies to provide wireless connectivity that can be limited in terms of electromagnetic environment and bandwidth," said Fumitaka Murayama, Chief Executive Officer of Outstanding Technology Corporation. "The fact that the Visilink technology can be used in all environments where LEDs are used warrants serious consideration for the next generation communications platform."
Visilink technology has achieved several significant milestones relating to speed and distance for visible light communications since it was first introduced in Japan in 2009. A transmission link using VLC was established at a distance of over 42 kilometers using a single 10W LED. In addition, the technology has demonstrated data transmission rates at over 160Mbps using a single LED, which is believed to be a record for interactive visible light data transmission connecting to the Ethernet.
The Visilink technology is available now for early customer evaluation in three product offerings. The first product, a Low Electrostatic Capacity Reflection Photo Detector LEC-RP0508, receives spatially visible light on which is superimposed a high-speed communication signal. The Visual Light Transmitter Module LEC-RL DV1ch-L contains a miniaturized reflective light-concentration LED (LEC-RL), a highly efficient broadband amplifier and a LED driver. The third product is a Visual Light Receiver Module LEC-RP SM1C-L, which includes a miniaturized, highly sensitive light-receiving acceptor (LEC-RP) and a high-broadband amplifier. Production-level models are planned for later in 2012.
Visilink VLC products work in combination with a MODEM to complete a communication system. MODEMs need to be selected according to the transmitted contents. MODEMs are also planned to be released later in 2012 on a case by case basis.

Chevron Petroleum Station Goes Green with Cree LED Lighting

Beaverton, Oregon's Highland Chevron gas station and ExtraMile food market recently underwent extensive eco-renovations, including the installation of energy-efficient interior and exterior LED lighting by Cree, Inc. The addition of Cree LED fixtures supports Highland Chevron's mission of becoming a zero-energy establishment.
Rebuilt from the ground up, the Highland Chevron store is fully lit with Cree LED luminaires under the exterior canopy and inside the convenience store-delivering energy savings estimated at nearly 70 percent over the old non-LED fixtures. According to Bob Barman, owner of the Highland Chevron, the indoor and outdoor LED lighting allows the station to consume a third less energy than typical 24-hour c-stores and petroleum stations. Barman estimates that the new Cree luminaires should provide payback in 2.5 years and the financial savings just add-up after that. The Beaverton Chevron anticipates more than a decade of virtually maintenance-free operation.
Twenty-four Cree 304 Series recessed canopy luminaires with petroleum symmetric optics replaced the original 368-watt metal halide fixtures on the fueling canopy. Based on BetaLED® Technology, the 105-watt 304 Series(TM) luminaires provide superior NanoOptic® lighting control with little to no spill-off into neighboring areas, helping Highland Chevron comply with local light pollution ordinances. In addition, 330-watt fluorescent fixtures were replaced by 27 Cree 304 Series pendant-mount luminaires in the ExtraMile food market.
Other green features of the gas station and convenience store include 180 solar panels on the fueling canopy and store rooftop, capable of delivering nearly one-third of a typical gas station's electricity needs. Highland Chevron also installed a geothermal well that exchanges heat through groundwater to naturally cool water for the store's refrigeration cases, while water pipes store heat from cooling units underground for hot water usage.

New light bulbs creating confusion for consumers

Top R&D Achievements in Energy-Saving Lighting Honored at DOE Workshop

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized six research and development project teams at "Transformations in Lighting," its ninth annual Solid-State Lighting R&D Workshop, held this year in Atlanta. The three-day event brought together nearly 300 researchers, manufacturers and other industry insiders and observers interested in keeping up to date on the latest solid-state lighting technology developments.

The following organizations were recognized by DOE for significant breakthroughs and achievements in 2011, representing research in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) conducted at large and small companies, universities, and research institutions:

• Cree, Inc., was recognized for developing a novel LED that enables a new, high-efficiency driver (power supply) architecture to improve overall lighting system efficacy.
• Osram Sylvania was recognized for its work developing an LED replacement for 2 ft x 2 ft fluorescent fixtures (troffers) that has achieved extremely high energy efficiency.
• Philips Lighting was recognized for its efforts to develop a family of LED drivers that are smaller, lower-cost and more efficient.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was recognized for its efforts to close the "green gap" by improving the color rendering of LEDs.
• Universal Display Corp. was recognized for completing two pre-prototype undercabinet phosphorescent OLED systems that have achieved high efficiency levels.
• White Optics was recognized for developing a composite coating to optimize the light output of solid-state lighting systems by maximizing reflection.

Buoni’s Company Lights The Way for Businesses

It seems Nick Buoni started the right kind of business at just the right time. Nick Buoni is owner of LED Direct, a company that imports high-end LED lights from overseas and installs them in various commercial properties around town. Customers concerned about their carbon footprints are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and cost savings associated with LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. “I was a tennis pro for 20 years, and I had been building tennis courts for the last 12 years and selling lighting for tennis courts, basketball courts and running tracks,” Buoni said. “So I was already in the business and customers were asking me about LED lights. They wanted to get into this green technology and save money.”

Glowing LED Snowboarder

I’ve heard about integrating LEDs into clothing, but this is the first time that I’ve seen a snowboarder completely lit up like a Christmas tree. In the short film L.E.D. Surfer, created by filmmaker Jacob Sutton for Nowness, we get to watch Artec pro snowboarder William Hughes going down the French Alps, covered head-to-toe in bright LEDs.

SRP offers free light bulbs to customers

If you're ready to replace light bulbs around your home, Salt River Project (Phoenix, USA) has a great deal for you. SRP is giving away a half-dozen compact fluorescent light bulbs at no cost to customers to help them save energy and money. To participate, SRP customers just need to complete an online form on SRP's website .Then SRP will mail customers two A-shaped, two globe, and two T2, or "spiral" bulbs at no charge. Supplies are limited and will be given on a first-come first-served basis.

Shin-Etsu Chemical Develops New Generation of Low Refractive Index Silicone Encapsulating Material

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. has developed a new silicone encapsulating material product for applications in packaging materials for HBLEDs (High Brightness Light-Emitting Diodes), the "KER-7000 Series," which is a low refractive index (RI)-type that greatly reduces gas permeability. The company is beginning sample shipments, mainly for applications in LED lighting.
Low gas permeability is one of the important characteristics sought in LED encapsulating material along with superb photo-thermal stability in withstanding high temperatures and excellent retention of its initial optical transparency throughout the lifetime of the device. With an encapsulating material that has high gas permeability, it is well known that such gases as oxygen can easily permeate and cause oxidation and sulfuration to occur, and that can lead to the possibility of degradation in light intensity.
Up to now, Shin-Etsu Chemical has been developing many silicone encapsulating materials that have various characteristics, such as methyl-group material that is superior in heat resistance and phenyl-group material that is characterized by low gas permeability. The newly developed silicone encapsulating material product succeeds in greatly reducing the level of gas permeability by 1/10 while maintaining heat resistance at the same level as that of the methyl-group. In addition, when compared with the phenyl group, this new product has the same level of gas permeability and much higher resistance to high temperatures. LED packaging materials that apply this product will achieve dramatically improved reliability of LED lighting because of its effectiveness in preventing the degradation of light intensify caused by the corrosion of the peripheral materials.
Because this new product has a refractive index of 1.38, which is lower than that of the methyl-group material, and is superior in transparency, it is a particularly attractive encapsulating material for flat-package HBLEDs. There are two types of products in this new series that are formulated based on different hardness properties: "KER-7080 A/B" has a hardness level of (Durometer A) 80, and "KER-7030 A/B" has a hardness level of (Durometer A) 30.
In addition to the new silicone encapsulating material product series that is being announced in this press release, Shin-Etsu Chemical has a group of other diverse silicone encapsulating materials for HBLED applications. Representative products in the "SCR Series" are increasingly being adopted for backlighting applications in mobile phones and notebook PCs, and products in the "ASP Series," which have superior characteristics with regard to long-term reliability and possess greatly reduced gas permeability, also are being increasingly adopted, mainly for applications in backlighting for LCDs.
Shin-Etsu Chemical, in addition to encapsulating materials, has successively developed new products for HBLEDs, such as heat-radiating die-bond materials, lens materials, reflector materials and moisture-proof insulating materials. Shin-Etsu is the world's largest manufacturer of HBLED packaging materials. Going forward, to further expand its world's No.1 position in packaging materials for LED applications, Shin-Etsu Chemical will continue to pursue the development of cutting-edge technologies and will carry out its product development efforts with the goal of meeting the needs of the rapidly developing, more sophisticated market for HBLEDs.

GlacialLight Exhibiting at LED China 2012

GlacialLight, a sub-division of the experienced technology manufacturer GlacialTech Inc., is pleased to announce its attendance at the world's largest LED event - LED China 2012 from February 20 to 23, 2012. GlacialLight invites all interested parties to visit their booth (#N410 in Hall 9.3) to test products, ask questions, and procure GlacialLight's most advanced LED lighting solutions offerings.
GlacialLight's booth will be featuring several of their newest products including the recentlyreleased GL-FL12, GL-FL30, and GL-FL120 flood lights using Philips Lumileds LED Chips, Pollux Series Panel Lights, Capella Series dimmable down lights, and their innovative LED Drivers that make electronic transformers unnecessary while improving power conversion efficiency as well as reliability.
GlacialLight will also display a wide array of environmentally?friendly and energy?saving products, LEDs with dimming functionality, bay lights, lamp lights, LED tubes, light bar display lights, and streetlight and spotlight solutions.

Introducing the sub-$5 LED bulb, via Lemnis

An LED startup led by the great grandson of the founder of Philips electronics has broken the $5 price floor for LED bulbs. Called Lemnis Lighting, founded by Warner Philips, announced on Wednesday that it’s now selling a line of LED bulbs for $4.95 called the 200-lumen Pharox Blu via its website. The milestone is important because high price has been the biggest barrier for the growth of LED lighting as a replacement to traditional incandescent and compact fluorescent lighting.

Bridgelux raises $25M

Bridgelux, a company that produces low-cost LED light bulbs, announced it has raised $25 million in funding from Chinese lighting company Kaistar Lighting. “We want people to think about lightbulbs and the innovation behind them, we want you to throw away lightbulbs because ours are better and more energy-efficient,” Bill Watkins, Bridgelux chief executive and former Seagate CEO, told VentureBeat.

EcoSense Lighting announced plans to further grow its business in European markets

EcoSense Lighting announced plans to further grow its business in European markets, bringing on a new distributing partner in Scotland. Solus Solutions Ltd has been named an authorized distributor of EcoSense Lighting specifier-grade LED lighting solutions, extending the availability of EcoSense products across architectural, retail and commercial market segments throughout Scotland.
Developed by experienced lighting designers and fueled by innovative solid-state LED technologies, EcoSense Lighting interior and exterior products offer the architectural marketplace a beautiful and powerful line of sustainable LED lighting solutions. Notable eco-friendly benefits such as improved energy efficiencies and reduced heat, UV and carbon emissions, render EcoSense Lighting the best alternative to traditional lighting fixtures. 
In addition to its environmental benefits, EcoSense Lighting products deliver high performance metrics including very impressive lumens per watt and uniform color consistencies across fixtures.  EcoSense Lighting products undergo a rigid LED-binning test resulting in a yield that exceeds the ANSI standards requirement by 400%. 
“Lighting is a key component within the element of architecture and our commitment to achieving technical excellence and outstanding service reflects the importance we attach to our products,” says Ken Colvin, Managing Director of Solus Solutions Ltd.  “The EcoSense team is a strong group of credible LED experts who fully understand the marketplace and produce high quality products. We are extremely pleased to now offer a variety of high performance linear LED products allowing our clients to specify lighting in areas that a few years ago would be deemed impossible.” 

Atmel Introduces LED Driver That Enhances LCD TV Picture Quality

Atmel Corporation announced a new high-performance family of 16-string LED drivers with integrated timing algorithms that improve picture quality of LCD TVs by eliminating 3D ghosting and flickering effects. With these capabilities, the Atmel MSL2164 and Atmel MSL2166 devices are ideal for delivering the most compelling viewing and video gaming experience via new 3D and 2D scrolling backlight TVs. 
The LED drivers work seamlessly with Atmel AVR microcontrollers (MCUs), including the Atmel tinyAVR, Atmel megaAVR and Atmel AVR XMEGA devices. The microcontrollers process timing and dimming instructions, sending this data to the MSL2164 and MSL2166 devices. The AVR devices, along with firmware, provide a total solution that optimizes the entire backlight design, delivering superior performance compared to competitive solutions.
Featuring highest efficiency power management and backlight control along with multiple dimming modes for 3D, scanning and zone dimming edge-lit LCD TVs, the MSL2164 and MSL2166 devices drive up to 16 parallel strings of LEDs and offer comprehensive system and fault management to support high-performance backlight design. With this new driver family, high-end TV OEMs can deliver high screen resolution and greatly enhance picture quality using internal lighting timing algorithms that improve the backlight timing accuracy, with higher resolution vs. other solutions on the market today. At the same time, since OEMs will be able to choose from smaller form factor MCUs, such as tinyAVR devices, they can lower their system overhead.
Historically, TV OEMs have had to calculate the appropriate parameters to effectively illuminate a desired area in the backlight of a display. LED drivers would generate algorithms to set the appropriate string phase to optimize synchronization of the backlight to the LCD panel. Often, OEMs had to perform additional calculations to adjust the string phrase to ensure that the backlight was properly synchronized within the frame refresh. The MSL2164 and the MSL2166, with multiple pulse width modulation (PWM) modes—including forward, inverse, trailing and center—reduce design complexity because the timing algorithms are integrated into the devices. This ensures that the backlight is illuminated at the most optimal moment, when all of the LCD pixels have settled.

Top 10 LED Reflector Bulbs on the Market

The Institute for Energy Efficiency (IEE) recently partnered with Ecova, a sustainability management firm, to determine the 10 best LED bulbs on the market. “By ‘best,’ the study sought to measure not only an LED reflector bulb’s energy-related qualities—its energy efficiency, payback period, and lifetime cost savings—but also how it compared with a halogen incandescent reflector bulb in both its light quality (warmth) and its dimming capability.  In other words, the study focused on ‘consumer friendly’ and efficient LEDs.” More info on how the bulbs were evaluated is here. The top bulb, overall, was Technical Consumer Products’ 17-watt LED PAR (parabolic aluminized reflector) 38 bulb, pictured above.

Panasonic LED Light Bulb Wins Product Design Award in Germany

Panasonic Corporation has received two Gold Awards, the highest honor in the iF Product Design Award, for its LED Clear Light Bulb (LDAHV4L27CG) and HD Integrated Camera (AW-HE120) at the recent iF Design Awards 2012.
The Gold-winning LED Clear Light Bulb provides sparkling light, just like a clear incandescent light bulb. Using Panasonic's proprietary light emission and diffusion technologies, this LED light bulb has achieved virtually the same size, shape, light source position, light color, brightness, and light distribution as clear incandescent light bulbs commonly used worldwide. Its similarity to a conventional clear bulb in terms of its shape and quality of light makes users feel comfortable with it in their homes, encouraging consumers to replace conventional bulbs with long-life energy-saving LED bulbs. Therefore, it is expected to contribute greatly to global energy-saving efforts. The LED Clear Light Bulb also obtained a Gold Award at the 2011 Good Design Award in Japan, and has been well received worldwide.

LEDs Could Lead You Right to a Discount

When you go to the grocery store, chances are you find yourself hunting for at least a couple of items on your list. Wouldn't it be easier if your smart phone could just give you turn-by-turn directions to that elusive can of tomato paste or bunch of cilantro, and maybe even offer you a discount on yogurt, too? That's the idea behind ByteLight, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup founded by Dan Ryan and Aaron Ganick. ByteLight aims to use LED bulbs—which will fit into standard bulb sockets—as indoor positioning tools for apps that help people navigate places such as museums, hospitals, and stores, and offer deals targeted to a person's location.

New JVC Bullet Security Camera with Built-in IR LED Technology

JVC Professional Products Company, a division of JVC Americas Corp., today introduced the TK-T8101WPRU, an outdoor analog bullet camera with 10-bit digital signal processing and integrated IR LED technology. Part of JVC’s innovative LoLux line of security cameras, it provides True Day/Night performance in challenging lighting environments, including complete darkness.
The TK-T8101WPRU features a 1/3-inch high resolution IT CCD paired with a 3.3-12mm variable focal lens to deliver 600 TV lines of resolution with 52 dB signal-to-noise ratio. In low light, sensitivity is 0.05 lux for color, 0.015 for black-and-white, and 0 lux with active IR LED. The camera also features automatic high light compensation (HLC) for extreme white light, as well as Easy Wide-D for backlight compensation.
Housed in a die-cast aluminum case with tempered glass and sun shield, the TK-T8101WPRU is dustproof and waterproof (IP66 rated), and can operate in extreme temperatures (14-122 degrees Fahrenheit). Other features include motion detection (up to four areas), privacy masking (up to eight zones), digital noise reduction, and on-screen menus for easy installation and setup.

Dialight Achieves 100 Lumens per Watt

Dialight , the innovative global leader in LED lighting technology, today announced the launch of its new 17,000-lumen, 170W DuroSite LED High Bay luminaire, designed to deliver superior lighting quality and clarity in a wide range of industrial lighting applications. The product is currently UL1598/A and CSA 22.2 certified and set to undergo CE compliance testing to broaden availability in the coming months.
The new 100 lumen per Watt fixture is the latest addition to Dialight's expanding High Bay product line that now offers lumen outputs ranging from 8,000 to 17,000, including several models certified for hazardous location use. LED low bay models are also available at 6,000 lumens for lower ceiling height applications, such as parking garages and cold storage facilities.
Instant-on capability allows the units to be paired with an occupancy sensor and/or dimmable components for enhanced energy efficiency. The units operate on an integrated universal power supply at 100-277VAC, and are well-suited for easy changeout from conventional HID light sources, such as metal halide and high pressure sodium. Each unit is backed by Dialight's 5-year full-performance warranty for exceptional long-life durability which encompasses the entire luminaire from fixture housing, lens and finish to LED light engines and integrated power supply.
"This new high-output High Bay is truly groundbreaking technology, combining the maximum light output available in an LED fixture with the superb energy efficiency our customers have come to expect from the Dialight brand," said Roy Burton, Dialight's Group Chief Executive. "For companies considering a move to LEDs, there's never been a better time to make the switch to save energy, and reduce electricity and maintenance costs, as well as take advantage of some valuable rebates that can further drive down total cost of ownership."
In addition to being UL1598/A and CSA listed, the 17,000 lumen product is also IP66 certified for use in outdoor and wash down locations, in addition to indoor use for warehouses, manufacturing facilities and cold storage applications. At just one-fourth the overall fixture height of conventional HID fixtures, the low-profile high bay reduces dust and dirt accumulation, as well as interference with air circulation or other structures

Marvell's Breakthrough Deep Dimming LED Driver IC Accelerates Mass Adoption of Energy Efficient LED Retrofit Bulbs

Marvell announced the Marvell 88EM8183 deep dimming single-stage AC/DC LED driver integrated circuit (IC). The 88EM8183 LED driver IC delivers the highest dimmer compatibility and lowest component count in the industry, while providing superior light quality and dimming performance comparable to incandescent bulbs.
To ensure the dimming compatibility of the 88EM8183 IC, Marvell engineering worked closely with Lutron, the industry leader in lighting controls, testing various dimmers from Lutron including the C-L series dimmer, which is rated for LED as well as traditional lamps.
Leveraging Marvell's unique mixed-signal architecture and advanced dimming control technology, the highly integrated 88EM8183 LED driver IC is designed to achieve smooth deep dimming as low as 1 percent LED current, a significant performance improvement compared to competitive LED driver solutions that typically achieve 10 to 20 percent dimming, which the human eye does not perceive as a significant drop in light level. The 88EM8183 IC is also designed to be compatible with more than 100 different types of (TRIAC) wall box dimmers from various manufacturers around the world, providing consumers an out-of-the-box dimming experience that exceeds that of previous solutions, and provides an exceptional LED dimming experience. Additionally, the 88EM8183 IC reduces the number of components needed for LED drivers by more than half, dramatically shrinking needed board space, allowing OEMs and ODMs to bring LED lighting to all kinds of lamp form-factors, including A19, PAR, BR, GU10 and Candle, without compromising dimming performance.
Moreover, the 88EM8183 IC supports universal AC input and a wide range of LED output wattages from a few watts up to 100 watts. This capability allows lighting OEMs and ODMs to dramatically reduce design efforts and improve operational efficiency by taking a product platform approach, which reduces the number of LED lamp SKUs and streamlines inventory management.

Startup Soraa lights up with 'LED 2.0'

The Fremont, Calif.-based company will come out of stealth mode and launch its first product, a spotlight which uses efficient LEDs (light emitting diodes). The MR 16 bulb replaces a 50-watt halogen and uses 12.5 watts and it offers a better beam and light quality, said Soraa CEO Eric Kim. The bulb from Soraa, which has raised more than $100 million in venture capital, is the first in a planned line of LEDs for general lighting and lasers for projector displays.

Pedestal Mount LED Light operates in hazardous locations

Larson Electronics' Magnalight.com announced the release of a pedestal mounted 150 watt LED hazardous location light designed for easy deployment and illumination of large areas. Constructed with an aluminum pedestal base and wet area suitable LED fixture, the HAL-PM-1X150LED-100 hazardous location light can illuminate up to 18,000 square feet of workspace. This portable LED pedestal light is an ideal solution for operators who desire an effective alternative to hotter running 400 watt metal halide work area lights.
The HAL-PM-1X150LED-100 Pedestal Mounted LED Light from Magnalight.com is designed to provide easy deployment and high power in a portable and hazardous location approved package. The 150 watt LED lamp assembly in this unit produces 14,790 lumens and is housed within an aluminum fixture equipped with a hinged and heat/impact-resistant tempered glass door for easy servicing and rugged reliability. This lamp will illuminate 18,000 square feet of workspace with bright white light and is an ideal alternative to less durable, less efficient, and hotter running metal halide work lights. The lamp assembly is mounted within an aluminum pedestal base that is designed to allow operators to easily carry the unit from one location to another and simply set it down and plug it in to begin operation. This unit is extremely easy to deploy and is very stable when placed on flat surfaces and the aluminum construction resists corrosion and will not rust. The cool operation of the LEDs in this unit means there is no worry of accidental burns, and with no glass bulb, durability and resistance to damage from impacts or dropping is greatly improved compared to HID work lights. Magnalight also includes 100 feet of SOOW cord equipped with an explosion proof plug with this unit, providing plenty of length for moving the light around the work area. Rated Class 1 Division 2 Groups C and D, and approved for wet areas and marine environments, this portable LED work light is an excellent addition to any industrial professionals lighting inventory and provides excellent protection against inadvertent ignition in atmosphere where explosive potential may exist.

Fixtures offer efficiency in new or installed applications

Architectural appearance combined with sustainability and a high level of performance characterize new GranVille II LED luminaires from Holophane. The fixtures offer the same timeless housing choices that made Holophane’s GranVille HID line popular and are offered with Classic or Premier prismatic borosilicate glass optics to facilitate use of new or installed pieces.
Holophane GranVille II LED luminaires feature a new optical design that provides HID light levels while creating a comfortable wholly luminous appearance with low glare, less uplight and less light trespass. Multiple lumen packages are available and fixtures may be ordered with asymmetric or symmetric distributions. The luminaires are optimized to meet existing light standards.
“GranVille II LED luminaires represent the latest generation in the Granville family, which has become the benchmark for decorative acorn-style lanterns,” said Ben Prichard, Holophane Senior Product Manager, Outdoor. “The period style fixtures are highly efficient and provide significantly greater lumens per watt. Depending on the application, they also use less energy than traditional lamp technologies.”
Like most LED sources, GranVille II LED luminaires offer long life with reduced maintenance. A dedicated thermal management system maximizes performance and reliability. The fixtures are also designed for easy access to the electronic driver to simplify maintenance.
GranVille II LED luminaires include cast aluminum housing available in multiple styles, including two utility series and four standard housings. The fixtures are offered with traditional GranVille trim options and mount to industry standard pole tenons and existing locations.
GranVille II LED luminaires are OEM certified for retrofit of existing models. The new product family is pending regulatory listing and will be suitable for up to 40ºC ambient temperature, depending on the selected wattage and options. 

Redwood Systems Expands Product Line to Support All Major Lighting Technologies

Redwood Systems, a provider of building-performance lighting solutions, announced it has extended its product line to support all lighting fixture types. Previously available only for LEDs, the Redwood platform can now deliver energy and cost savings, as well as the benefits of fine-grained sensing, to any lighting environment. The new offering supports all of the industry's most commonly-used light fixtures, including fluorescents, HIDs and CFLs, in addition to LEDs.
While LED installations are expected to capture the majority of the commercial building market over the next few years, many building owners today are still deploying LEDs with other lighting sources. In these mixed environments, the ability to deliver intelligent lighting control has been limited. With this new solution, Redwood can now provide any customer with its best-in-class energy savings, as well as a range of building intelligence applications such as security alerts, temperature sensing and space utilization reporting. By leveraging the new Redwood product for legacy lighting sources, customers are also ensured an easy upgrade path to LEDs.
"The move to LED technology in the commercial space is inevitable, but in the short-term, we will see mixed-use facilities that have multiple lighting types," said Michael Siminovitch, Director of the California Lighting Technology Center. "To address this trend, Redwood's universal solution now brings cost-effective energy savings and smart building applications to any lighting environment."
Redwood's new product offering consists of two components, the Redwood Universal Gateway and the Redwood Sensor. The Redwood Universal Gateway turns fixtures on, off or dims them by sending a 0-10V output signal to dimmable ballasts or by controlling one or two external relays. The Redwood Sensor collects data on light levels, occupancy and temperature, and is extensible with up to 14 different sensor types. Once installed, the Redwood Sensor connects with the Universal Gateway to send the data it collects back to the core of the Redwood platform, the Redwood Engine, for reporting and control.
"Whether our customers are moving to LEDs or using other lighting technologies, they clearly want one control system to manage all of their lights," said Dave Leonard, CEO, Redwood Systems. "Considering our record growth last quarter and even stronger start to 2012, demand for LEDs remains high and will continue to be our focus. However, our customers made it clear that they want to bring our advanced energy savings and building intelligence to their facilities that haven't yet moved fully to LEDs. By designing a product that delivers the same capabilities of our existing solution, we are ensuring that anyone can reap the benefits of the Redwood technology."

Three Channel LED Driver From Supertex Delivers Sub-Microsecond PWM Dimming

Supertex, Inc. introduced HV9989, a three channel, boost LED driver integrated circuit (IC) designed to drive LEDs in LCD backlighting applications. It features Supertex's patented PWM dimming control algorithm that individually regulates each channel's output current down to sub-microsecond dimming pulses, which permits dimming at frequencies outside the audible range (> 20kHz) without any shift in the "white point" or the color-correlated temperature. It drives strings of either RGB LEDS or multiple strings of white LEDs.
HV9989 drives boost or SEPIC converters in either continuous-conduction mode (CCM) or discontinuous-conduction mode (DCM). It features independent short- and open-circuit protection for each channel and three 1MHz transconductance amplifiers with tri-state outputs to close feedback loops and accurately control the LED current. It is powered by a built-in 40V linear regulator.
"HV9989 can operate with very high dimming frequency and deliver an over 10,000:1 dimming ratio because of its patented PWM dimming method," states Stephen Lin, Vice President of Marketing at Supertex. "The IC combines excellent line and load regulation in a multi-channel driver IC to reduce board space and system cost in LCD backlighting applications like flat screen TVs and monitors."

LEDs illuminate supermarkets in the Jerónimo Martins Group

The Jerónimo Martins Group is among the first European retail companies to equip its new stores entirely with innovative LED lighting, a move that will save the company 50 percent of its lighting energy costs in future – thanks to Oslon SSL LEDs from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors and the intelligent light management system of the luminaires supplied by the Portuguese lamp manufacturer Arquiled. The Jeronimo Martins Group has been using the luminaire concepts from Arquiled in its new stores since spring 2011.

Officials call for recycling of Lantern Festival LEDs

Tourism and environment officials in Tapei are calling on the public to recycle LED lights used in lanterns after Lantern Festival. In this way, the lights can then be used in art projects to promote Taiwan overseas. More than 1 million LED lights are used every year during Lantern Festival, and officials are calling on Taiwanese to recycle the lights to help showcase the creativity and environmental awareness embraced by Taiwan’s LED manufacturing industry, which is one of the largest in the world. Tourism Bureau Planning and Research Division Deputy Director Yang Yeong-sheng said the bureau sends lantern displays made of LED lights to countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Canada every year.

LED Wafer Innovation May Spur Energy-Efficient Lighting Growth

The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a report that forecasts the energy-savings prospectus for solid-state lighting (SSL) compared with conventional white-light sources. The cumulative energy-savings potential from the predicted LED market penetration over the 2010-2030 study period is 2700 trillion-watts-per-hour (TWh), which is a savings of $250 billion at today’s energy prices and also the equivalent of 1800 million metric tons of carbon emissions.

LED Driver Controller from Diodes Incorporated Handles More Demanding Lighting Applications

Diodes Incorporated announced the ZXLD1371 LED driver controller. By extending input voltage operation from 60V down to as low as 5.0V, the ZXLD1371 has been designed to handle as broad a range of applications as possible, including those subject to the greatest variance in input voltage, such as automotive lighting and 12V AC powered systems. Its ability to control an external driver FET in buck, boost and buck-boost driver topologies makes it an all-in-one solution, capable of driving as many as 20 high-current LEDs in boost mode with a high level of accuracy.
Employing patent pending control loops and single resistor high-side current sensing, the ZXLD1371 will deliver a typical output current tolerance of 1%, helping to produce improvements in brightness control and lamp luminance matching. The LED driver controller offers users dimming over a wide dynamic range, through separate 20:1 DC dimming and 1000:1 PWM dimming options, resulting in higher accuracy light control particularly at lower brightness levels.
To further improve the reliability of LED lamp systems, the ZXLD1371 provides thermal management of LEDs via a dedicated external thermistor input, which combined with fault diagnostic outputs reporting LED load and driver status, helps to increase LED longevity. Switching at up to 1MHz, the TSSOP-16EP packaged LED driver controller will also help minimize circuit size by reducing the value of the external inductor. For further information, visit the Company's website at www.diodes.com .

LED products make up 18% of lighting sales at Philips

LED products continue to grow in importance for Philips’ lighting business, while new LED families have been introduced by Philips Lumileds. Philips has revealed that sales in its lighting business were EUR 2.072 billion for the fourth quarter of 2011, (from total company sales of EUR 6.7 billion). The company said that its LED-based sales (including all types of products, from packaged LEDs to lamps and luminaires) grew 37% compared to Q4 2010: LED products now represent 18% of total Lighting sales (or EUR 373 million for the quarter).

Pittsburgh begins installing LED streetlights

Pittsburgh officials hope to have 3,000 LED — or light-emitting diode — street lamps installed by the end of the month in a move the city hopes will culminate with all 40,000 street lights in city business districts being replaced by the more efficient lights. City Councilman Bill Peduto has championed the change and claims the city will save $800,000 to $1 million annually in energy costs if all 40,000 lights are replaced with LEDs.

Noribachi Announces LED Prix 2.0 Technology Upgrade

Noribachi, lightening the grid load with smart energy products, announces technology and performance upgrades to its LED lighting solutions with LED Prix 2.0, Noribachi’s proprietary LED customization technology. The upgrade includes numerous advancements in the thermal management of Noribachi’s custom retrofit bulbs, DLC certification for Noribachi’s key products and significantly lowered pricing – reflecting Noribachi’s goal of advancing the mainstream adoption of LED technology.
Noribachi’s LED Prix 2.0 upgrade includes DLC certification of one of the company’s most popular bulbs, the LIN.24.REC, as a “LED retrofit kit for pole/arm mounted outdoor area and roadway luminaires.” Noribachi’s bulb not only exceeded DLC standards, but also tested as the brightest product in its category.
Achieving DLC certification as a retrofit kit rather than as a stand-alone fixture highlights the versatility of Noribachi’s custom bulbs. Because the LIN.24.REC can be retrofitted into almost any fixture, new or existing, it extends DLC certified illumination into a much wider range of applications. Noribachi is currently in the process of DLC certifying its entire product line. Scheduled to receive certification in the next few weeks are Noribachi’s most popular LED fixture, the HIGHBAY.M, and the remaining retrofit bulbs in the same DLC family as the LIN.24.REC

National Mall gets more efficient LED lighting

The historic bronze streetlamps that line America's front yard, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., are casting a new, more efficient glow. This week, they were retrofitted with LEDs (light emitting diodes), donated by lighting manufacturer Osram Sylvania and installed pro bono by the city's electric utility Pepco. The bulbs replace the Malls' high intensity discharge and CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) lighting. They're expected to use up to 65% less energy and last up to 25 years.

No color bins, no flux bins, no Vf bins

Philips Lumileds introduced LUXEON K this week, its illumination grade array that charts a new direction for downlights and retrofit bulbs so that solutions can come to market more quickly and at a price that drives market adoption. LUXEON K arrays provide thousands of lumens of light output and will be available in three different CCTs with a typical CRI of 85, and with five configurations of 4-24 emitters per array, in early Q2 of this year.
"LUXEON K extends our portfolio of illumination grade LEDs engineered to optimize end-user satisfaction of specific applications," said Rahul Bammi, VP Marketing at Philips Lumileds. "For downlights and retrofit bulbs, LUXEON K provides a unique approach that delivers the highest, most consistent quality of light in an easy-to-implement array. Our hot testing and specification at 85 deg C, and freedom from color, flux, and Vf binning, makes LUXEON K the simplest of LEDs to specify and use."

LEDs America to Award Viper Networks Exclusivity in India and Saudi Arabia

LEDs America has agreed to award the Company with complete sales and marketing export rights with 100% exclusivity for LEDs America's LED products for the entire country of India, as well as Saudi Arabia for the next 5 years.
To receive automatic exclusivity renewal for these two countries, final terms of the agreement will include modest annual sales and/or revenue growth benchmarks, since Viper Networks is currently in manufacturing supplier contract negotiations with LEDs America in North America.
The exclusivity agreement includes all products sold under the LED-O(R) registered brand name, along with complete rights for current products under development, and future products that may be developed and/or engineered during the Company's exclusivity period.