Boise's cross getting LEDs, to be even brighter

A six-story mountaintop cross whose 2,100 watts of white light have illuminated the Boise night since 1956 is going green - and getting even brighter. The private group that owns the cross atop Table Rock is replacing its electricity-devouring fluorescent tubes with 2,600 energy-efficient LED lamps to cut the power bill from about $60 monthly to just $20.

Why Fluorescent Lighting Isn’t Dead

The future of energy-efficient lighting, many experts will tell you, is the solid-state LED (light-emitting diode). You have already begun to see these tiny, bead-like lights in special applications such as traffic signals, exit signs, automotive headlights, and lightweight flashlights. Maybe you have begun to see them in high-end ambient room lighting applications, such as energy-efficient desk lamps and kitchen underlights. Don’t count fluorescents out yet, argues Francis Rubinstein of Lawrence Berkeley Labs

CHDT Announces First Induction Charged Multi-Function LED Headlight

South Florida-based Capstone Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of CHDT Corporation announced today the expansion of its Eco-i-Lite line of rechargeable LED lighting products. The Eco-i-Lite Multi-function LED Headlight is the first ever headlight to use Induction Charging technology as its sustained power source.
With no batteries to buy or bulbs to replace, the Eco-i-Lite Multi-function LED Headlight is an excellent money-saving choice for everyday household projects as well as outdoor activities. The lightweight device includes a 1/2 watt LED for high luminous efficacy; 2 red LEDs for emergency/safety flashing and a power failure function while in the charging base.
The unit is powered by a rechargeable battery and charged automatically when placed in its induction charging base. Induction Charging is a consumer friendly technology which uses no metal connectors and no contact prongs. "I believe our focus on sustainability and multi-functionality, including features such as an induction charging base that also fits all wall outlets, makes us stand out in the crowd," says Reid Goldstein, President of Capstone Industries.

Lexington tweaking traffic lights to make roads safer for cyclists

Officials in Lexington are aiming to make the city's roads safer for cyclists. Kenzie Gleason, who is bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the city's planning division, says some traffic lights will be programmed this fall to be able to tell the difference between bicycles and cars. The initiative is being funded with $175,000 in government money that was initially earmarked to expand a bicycle-sharing program. However, officials found out the funds wouldn't cover the planned expansion and decided to use the money on signal detection.

Apple rumored to include dual-LED flash on next iPhone

iTimes said Thursday that "recent market rumors" indicate Apple's iPhone 5 will likely come with a dual-LED flash. Taiwan-based LED packaging firms Everlight Electronics, Edison Opto and Lite-On Technology are named as potential suppliers. Although the publication has well-placed sources within the Asian supply chain, the accuracy of its Apple predictions varies significantly.

Hella Sees Growing Demand For Rear LED Automotive Lighting

Hella, a leading supplier of automotive interior and exterior lighting systems, sees growing demand for rear LED vehicle lighting in North America. Rear LED lighting offers customers safety features, energy-savings and styling advantages, according to Mark Brainard, vice president of Hella's Corporate Center USA.
Brainard notes that conventional tail lamps take longer to fully illuminate. Because LEDs reach peak performance in milliseconds, they can help motorists avoid rear-end collisions. By allowing drivers more time to react, studies have shown that LED lighting translates into seven to 10 feet in braking distance -- distance that counts in emergency situations.
There's also little or no risk of driving with burnt out rear tail lamps with LED technology. LEDs last for the life of a car, while conventional bulbs typically burn out after 800-1,000 hours of use. Matched against conventional or upgraded HID lamps, LED rear and front lighting systems provide energy savings ranging from 65 up to 80 percent as well.
Automakers are focusing more and more attention on rear-end styling, where LEDs also offer clear advantages over incandescent bulbs. LED rear lamps today are standard on most European luxury cars.  On smaller, less expensive car lines LED treatments are offered in option packages to help distinguish a car line's sport, luxury or special-edition models.
Pietzonka predicts that LED rear-lighting sales in the NAFTA region will grow at a compounded annual rate of between six and nine percent. He spoke during a Hella media briefing at Pine Lake Country Club in Orchard Lake, Michigan.

Hitachi to replace neon lights on Tsutenkaku Tower

Hitachi will replace most neon lights for its advertisements on Osaka's signature Tsutenkaku Tower with light-emitting diodes in a bid to cut electricity consumption by half and contribute to nationwide energy-saving efforts. The LED system, to be lit up starting Oct. 28, will display a greater array of colors and also serve as a bulletin board, displaying slogans and messages selected from public entries.

Watch the world's oldest light bulb on a live webcam

Every day, billions of people all over the world see light bulbs burning in their homes, at work, in school, and just about everywhere where there is a need for illumination. Obviously, unlike when they were first invented, light bulbs are nothing special. However, one bulb at the Livermore-Pleasanton Firehouse, located in California. Why is this bulb so special? Well, it's been burning for 110 years.

Elemental LED Launches Incentive-Based DIY LED Lighting Project

San Francisco Bay Area-based Elemental LED has launched a new monthly initiative in May. The program will provide benefits to employees creating projects using LED lights. An ailien helmet lit with color changing LED lights.

Each month Elemental LED will allocate a budget to the participating employees to spend on LED accessories and lights from the product catalogue of the company. The participants will get an opportunity to display their creation at a show hosted by the management at the end of the month. Viewers present at the show vote on creations they like the best and the winner receives gift certificates to stores and local restaurants.

Art lights up City Hall at night again

Well over a hundred people gathered last Thursday night for the relighting of the Crystal Arch in front of the City Building of Anderson, Indiana.

For the last seven years the arch has been dim due to extreme heat that faded its fiber optic lights. The arch was retrofitted with LED lighting thanks in part to the Urban Enterprise Association, which dissolved last year.

Amended sign ordinance could be final

The City of Laurel could finalize changes to its sign ordinance that regulates the use of LED (Light Emitting Diode) signs this week. The Laurel City Council is scheduled to conduct and approve the second reading of an amendment to the Laurel Code, Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, Section 602 General Sign Regulations in order to further regulate placement of digital signs within the city. The city in July implemented the sign ordinance regulating the use of LED signs within the city limits of Laurel.

Father and Son to Cross Country on a Light Bulb's Worth of Energy

How far will a parent go to convince their child to stop leaving lights on around the house? For inventor and journalist Pierce Hoover, the answer is 4,000 miles. Hoover and his son embarked today on a cross-country adventure in a custom human-electric hybrid vehicle that will bring them from Virginia to Oregon on the energy of a single light bulb each day.
Their journey--called the Eco Tour-- is sponsored by GE and Popular Science magazine, which will host Hoover's chronicle of the trip at www.popsci.com/ecotour.
Hoover, a Brand Manager at publisher Bonnier Corporation, and his 13 year-old son, Nash, will spread the word that turning off unneeded lights and appliances can do more than shrink a household's electric bill--that every watt saved can help save the planet.
The duo hatched the idea for the Eco Tour after Hoover taught Nash a powerful lesson about energy waste. While struggling to persuade Nash to stop leaving lights on around the house, Hoover brought his son to a local gym, where exercise bikes measure energy output in watts--the same unit used to measure electricity. He asked Nash to pedal fast enough to generate the energy to power a 100-watt bulb. Nash soon discovered just how hard he had to work to power even simple household devices.
The experiment sparked an audacious idea, explained Hoover. "Nash and I wanted to demonstrate how much we could do with the energy we'd save by turning off one light, and together we set the goal of crossing the country on the power of one bulb per day."
Pierce and Nash, along with a team of engineers, designed and built an extraordinary human-electric hybrid vehicle with a 100-watt motor fueled by battery power and kinetic energy through pedaling. With a top speed of 25 miles per hour, the vehicle achieves a staggering energy efficiency equivalent of 1,000 miles per gallon. Traveling 60 miles per day, the pair will stop in communities along the way to spread their conservation message.

Bovie Medical to Distribute Next Generation of Medical Lighting

Bovie Medical Corporation, a manufacturer and marketer of electrosurgical products, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Medical Illumination International, Inc. San Fernando, CA to bring a new generation of medical lighting to the medical community in the United States. This line of LED lights features a 4300 degree Kelvin white light which uses half the electricity and produces a small fraction of the heating intensity of the old standard halogen lighting. The LED lights include an extended life of 50,000 hours which is approximately twenty-five times longer than halogen lighting.

The agreement also includes Bovie exclusively distributing Medical Illumination's non-LED medical lights as well as any new LED lights under development.

Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Federal securities laws. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved.