GE Acquires LED Lighting Startup Albeo Technologies

General Electric Lighting, a division of General Electric (GE), has signed an agreement to acquire the Boulder startup Albeo Technologies. The purchase will help GE boost its ability to offer all-LED solutions to customers, especially in the area of industrial lighting. "This acquisition is a big boost for GE customers moving aggressively toward an all-LED building envelope in new construction and retrofits, including retail, commercial and industrial high-bay applications," Maryrose Sylvester, president and CEO of GE Lighting, said in a statement.

Why I Don't Like Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

The theory is that traditional (incandescent) light bulbs waste lots of energy by producing more heat than light. Let's look at the bigger picture. I'm a big fan of saving energy: I go shopping with my car just once a month, I keep the thermostat at 50 degrees, I turn off lights when I leave the room. By far my biggest energy expense here in Massachusetts is heating my house. Ideally, I'd like to heat just the part of the house where I am. I accomplish this partly with space heaters, but it's hard to have them everywhere. It would be nice if there were little heat sources all around the house that would come on when I go there -- and there are! They're called incandescent light bulbs. They help keep my big heating bill down from October through May.

On Semi's high-brightness LED driver

How many times have you screamed while driving, "Turn your high beams down!" Semiconductors are coming to the rescue. On Semiconductor talked with EE Times Brand Manager Alexander Wolfe about the company's new driver for high-brightness LEDs that addresses individual pixels on the LED array. That enables automotive designers to build subsystems for moveable headlights. If you're turning left, for example, the light swivels to left to illuminate where you'll be in a second or so.

LUMEN Bluetooth LED bulb

Office building converts to LEDs

When it came time to begin calculating the potential payback on installation of energy-efficient systems in an office building at 245 E. Liberty St., the family executives of McKenzie Properties of Reno were undaunted in thinking about decades rather than months.“We’re long-term, generational holders,” says Todd McKenzie, whose family developed the building in 1980. Working with lighting contractor Have Lights Will Travel of Sparks, McKenzie Properties just completed conversion of all 1,115 fixtures in the downtown-area building from fluorescent to LED bulbs.

SunLED Launches New 1206 Domed Right Angle SMD LED

SunLED reveals a new right angle package; 1206 domed, bi-polar Red & Green LED. The traditional domed 1206 package is now available in a right angle version. The domed lens package provides a narrow viewing angle of 30 degrees which allows a brighter intensity output and eliminates any light bleeding issues. Typical issues with side fire LEDs when designed on arrays are light bleeding, overshadowing or dim light outputs. These issues can be resolved by using this new domed package. Red & Green dies/chips are proportionally mounted in the center under the encapsulated domed epoxy lens allowing uniform light output for both colors and achieving the maximum intensity possible. This 3.2x1.6 package is excellent for network devices, consumer electronics, medical equipment, hand held products and icon/text indications

LEDs brighten Providence Place garage

A recently-completed lighting upgrade is giving customers a brighter experience at Providence Place Mall. On Thursday, mall officials unveiled two thousand new LED light fixtures installed in the parking garage, some equipped with motion sensors.

WAC Introduces Early Electric Collection of Energy Efficient LED Pendants

WAC Lighting, an innovator of LED and many other lighting products, has introduced the Early Electric Collection, which integrates traditional lighting styles with state of the art LED Technology.
Using just five watts of energy, WAC’s new nostalgic Milford Schoolhouse glass pendants provide warm illumination but are cool to the touch. A timeless classic featuring clean lines and authentic period perfection, good lighting design is always a welcomed constant. Introduced in the new Early Electric Collection, the Milford pendant brings the softer side of schoolhouse to a variety of spaces with a milk white glass shade that creates a warm glow, radiating charm and nostalgia for discriminating designers and homeowners.
Prismatic sparkles softly illuminate from the exquisite Cambridge pendant, intricately sculpted of faceted crystal with meticulous attention to detail and integrated with sophisticated LED technology. Ideal for luxury homes, fine restaurants, hotels and retailers, Cambridge was designed around an energy efficient LED light source to provide sparkle through crystal without the glare of a filament lamp.
Handcrafted to reflect the understated beauty, uncompromising quality and durability of authentic period styling, Sheffield features a classic ginger jar style with milky white cased glass. The soft curves and fresh profile of this shapely shade feel right at home in both restored historic and eclectic interiors.
All of the energy efficient lighting solutions featured in the attached image offer a long life of 50,000 hours and are backed by a 5-year warranty.
WAC Lighting is a leading global manufacturer and innovative designer of lighting for Luxury Residential, Commercial, Hospitality, Institutional, Retail and Architectural applications, specializing in track, recessed, under cabinet, monorail and decorative lighting.
WAC has developed a stellar reputation for upscale decorative and task lighting lines backed by an extraordinary level of service, an unprecedented shipping record, and a Five Year Product Warranty. To reflect Green energy saving strategies, social progress and community involvement, WAC uses the brand standard “Responsible Lighting” that reflects the company’s holistic approach to business, encompassing a deep commitment to responsible eco-friendly manufacturing, extensive research/development, energy saving technology, and altruism.
WAC offers a broad range of award-winning products: LED and Low/Line Voltage Track and Rail Systems; LED Low/Line Voltage Recessed Downlights; InvisiLED®, LED tape systems for indoor and outdoor applications; Artisanal Glass Pendants and Wall Sconces; Display Lighting; LEDme® Step and Wall Lights; and SMART Transformers.

LUMEN Bluetooth LED bulb

Not too long ago Phillips unveiled its green LED bulb called the Hue. The coolest part about the Hue was that it was designed to use a standard socket and can be turned on or off as well as being color controllable via an app from your smart phone. A company called Lumination is looking to bring a very similar competing product to market called the Lumen.

New LED fixtures light the way

For close to two years, almost half of the street lights and parking lot lights on Peterson AFB have been disabled in an effort to cut energy costs. This past summer, the lights started coming back on in anticipation of new light-emitting diode fixtures being purchased. According to Jim Jacobsen, 21st Civil Engineer Squadron energy manager, in late 2007 Air Force Space Command put together a cross-functional team to conduct market research, identify requirements, and develop specifications and an implementation strategy.

Applebee’s reduce lighting-related energy use by 88% with LEDs

Lighting Science Group Corp. has collaborated with Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar to monitor, evaluate and markedly reduce energy usage for lighting in Applebee’s 23 company-owned restaurants. Through the installation of ultra-efficient and design-enhancing LED lamps, Applebee’s should net an energy reduction for lighting of 88% per year. “Replacing outdated incandescent and halogen bulbs made economic sense to us,” said Bill O’Keefe, Applebee’s executive director of development. “The new LED lighting systems make our restaurants more energy efficient and match our design standards, and Lighting Science has been a valuable partner in this process.”

LED Lights Transform Park into Wonderland

Japan’s Nabana no Sato Botanical Garden, located on the island of Nagashima in Kuwana in the northern Mie prefecture, looks like a magically wonderland. Millions of LED lights have been used to create illuminated hedgerows, tunnels and trees. One installation replicates Mt. Fuji, the iconic strato-volcano in Japan.

Energy-efficient GaN-on-Si LED lighting

More and more countries, including the US, are phasing out the sale of incandescent bulbs, which offers an increasing market opportunity for energy-efficient LED lighting. President Barack Obama actively supports LED lighting and his Recovery Act legislation included hundreds of millions to support this industry. Clean energy technology such as solar, wind and electric cars, coupled with increased energy-efficiency are the two-prong approach being executed globally to reduce carbon emissions, which are being increasingly linked to global warming and the influx of weather disasters such Hurricane Sandy, which recently wreaked havoc in the US.

LEDs tackle outdoor displays in extreme conditions

The Displix black and Displix blackprint multichip LEDs by Osram Opto Semiconductors are designed to address the environmental demands of such large-format outdoor displays as those used at rock concerts, sports events, or perimeter advertising. The robust LEDs are high-contrast and high-power, and can withstand high humidity levels, torrential rain and wide temperature fluctuations.
Both LED options produce high levels of brightness. The light intensity at the illuminant D65 white point is 1450 millicandela (mcd) at an operating current of 20 mA, which is very bright in its black package.  The blackprint version is even more intense at 2960 mcd with good contrast.

95% of US Cities Satisfied with LED Streetlights

Among cities and municipalities in the United States that have implemented Light-Emitting Diode (LED) streetlight projects, 95% were satisfied with the overall performance of the streetlights. The more efficient LED streetlights were found to save on average nearly 60% in combined energy and maintenance costs, according to a new survey published today by Washington, DC-based research firm Northeast Group, LLC. The firm surveyed nearly 100 cities and municipalities across the US that have implemented some form of LED streetlight initiatives.  The results were published today in the new study "United States Smart Infrastructure: LED and Smart Street Lighting."
"LED streetlights are transforming cities and municipalities across the US," said Northeast Group. "Not only are LEDs helping save money through reduced energy and maintenance costs, but 95% of the cities and municipalities we surveyed said both they and residents were very happy with the performance and light quality of the new streetlights. Many reported that law enforcement officials in particular had praised the lights for improving visibility and public safety. The success of these LED projects is also helping to set the stage for more advanced 'smart' street lighting systems, which will reduce energy consumption by a further 20-30%. In total, the LED and smart street lighting markets are expected to reach a cumulative $4.7 billion in the US by 2025."
But there are also some challenges facing the market. The survey revealed that 45% of the respondents had funded their LED streetlight projects almost entirely with stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A further 36% relied on ARRA funding or other grants for at least a portion of their financing. As this stimulus funding recedes, financing for future LED streetlight projects has been more difficult to secure, despite the success of early projects. However, the price of LED streetlights is steadily falling and on track to hit parity with legacy technology within a few years. As a result, the payback period for these projects is becoming more favorable and within the reaches of budget-constrained cities and municipalities. As the LED streetlight business case continues to improve, the number of projects is expected to expand rapidly in the coming years.
Northeast Group's study identified nearly 400 US cities and municipalities that had either already begun or had considered installing LED streetlights. After conducting interviews with nearly 100 of them, the survey was able to draw conclusions such as the actual savings captured by pilot projects and full deployments, the public reaction, the most common financing mechanisms, and the vendors serving this market. Northeast Group found that over 25 vendors were already active in the US LED streetlight market and that, with expected strong growth, the market will continue to attract many vendors offering diverse solutions.