SSL extends lifespan of LED bulb

Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs offer the potential of 50,000 hours of operating lifetime, which is almost 25 years of typical usage. This is a 50x improvement over incandescent-equivalent technology. With demand for LED lighting growing rapidly, a key issue that could hold the industry back is if solid-state lighting (SSL) bulbs do not achieve the promise of long operating life. The obvious design considerations for solid-state lighting are efficiency and cost. But, thermal management is just as vital as any other design criteria, because too much heat can impact operating life, not to mention bulb safety.