GE Lighting expands the LED Infusion module family

Third-generation LED modules provide a broader range of lumen output and beam-spread options for developers looking to jumpstart solid-state lighting (SSL) product designs. GE Lighting has announced the Gen3 family of its Infusion LED modules that include Infusion Spot Light Module, the Infusion Down Light Module, (DLM) and the Infusion Narrow Punch Module (NPM). The third-generation family offers improved efficacy and a broader choice of lumen packages and beam spreads relative to Gen2 products.

Skinny Grids: LEDs Harness More Distributed Energy for Less

Energy efficiency, not the falling price of solar, has done the heavy lifting when it comes to improving the economics of distributed clean energy for the poor. LEDs' reduced demand for energy brings down the size, and therefore the cost, of everything in a system, from solar panel to battery. Imagine if we took this lesson -- energy efficiency unlocks distributed energy for the poor -- and applied it to rural electrification as a whole?

Philips Lumileds announces Luxeon Q LED, pushes efficacy

Philips Lumileds has announced the Luxeon Q family of phosphor-converted white LEDs in a 3.5×3.5-mm package, based on the blue die that the company announced last February. The company said that the epitaxy technology combined with light extraction and conversion enhancements at the die, phosphor, and package level deliver industry-leading efficacy for solid-state lighting (SSL) products. The Luxeon Q family spans the range of 2700K to 5700K CCTs. The warmer-white LEDs have a CRI of 80 whereas the members with CCT of 4000K and above have a CRI of 70. Lumileds will offer the LEDs in 3- and 5-step MacAdam ellipse bins. Still, the primary focus of the new LED is more lumens per dollar through high efficacy.

Osram Licht AG : Osram celebrates 40 years of LED expertise

From the first surface-mountable LED (TOPLED) in 1990 to the awarding of the Deutscher Zukunftspreis (German Future Prize) by the German Federal President in 2007 and the efficiency record for red high-power LEDs in 2011: 40 years of business with opto semiconductors at Osram's Regensburg plant has brought countless seminal achievements in the fields of lighting, visualization and sensor technology. Just in time for this jubilee, the current fiscal year will see Osram Opto Semiconductors achieving total revenue of over 1 billion euros for the first time in company history. "LED technology is the growth driver of the entire lighting market. In the age of digital light, intelligent solutions help us to achieve a better quality of life, higher productivity and highest energy efficiency. Four decades of established LED expertise at Osram give us a clear advantage in the market," said Wolfgang Dehen, CEO of OSRAM Licht AG.

At Osram Opto Semiconductors, Regensburg, semiconductors have been manufactured in clean-room conditions for as many as 40 years.

Siemens first started building a manufacturing plant for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in Regensburg back in 1973. With a workforce of over 7,000 worldwide, Osram's Opto Semiconductors business unit currently develops and manufactures LED components for industrial applications, entertainment electronics, the automotive sector and general lighting. The product range also includes infra-red diodes and semiconductor-based lasers. In the previous fiscal year, the Opto Semiconductor business unit achieved total revenue of almost 900 million euros. Fuelled by the accelerating trend towards semiconductor-based light sources, the business unit for LED components will achieve a historical sales record in the current fiscal year. "Thanks to a high demand across all customer sectors, our sales have now reached the 1 billion euro mark for the first time ever," said Aldo Kamper, CEO of the Osram sector. "I would like to thank the entire team, for this is a great achievement, particularly considering the strong competition and the ongoing decline in prices."

Osram Opto Semiconductors in Regensburg: A byword for innovation in opto-electronic semiconductors for 40 years.

Apart from its innovation and manufacturing site in Regensburg, Opto Semiconductors also operates its own chip factory in Penang (Malaysia). The LED chips are assembled in their housings in Penang, too. It is only then that the chips become light sources. Osram is currently constructing another LED assembly plant in the Chinese town of Wuxi to gear up for the growing demand for LEDs, particularly in Asia.

Cree doubles lumen density in 9-mm COB LED family

The newest 9-mm chip-on-board LED array from Cree can enable the equivalent of a 39W ceramic metal-halide PAR30 lamp while consuming half the power, and extends the range of retrofit lamps enabled by the CXA1500 family. Cree has announced the latest member of its chip-on-board (COB) LED array family with the CXA1520 delivering 2000–4000 lm from a 9-mm light emitting surface (LES). The company is targeting the new LED for replacement of high-output ceramic metal-halide (CMH) sources that are regularly used for directional accent lighting when halogen lamps can't deliver sufficient light levels.

True White LEDs on the Horizon

Today, white LEDs are not really white, but instead use techniques such as combining the light emission of separate red, blue, and green (R-G-B) LEDs, or coat blue LEDs with yellowish phosphors. Now, researchers at the University of Utah have found a way to tune the color of emission of a polymer semiconductor in hopes of creating organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), which produce true white light.

Energy Efficiency: Driving on LEDs

I think it’s absolutely crucial as we deal with energy and environmental issues that we recognize the interactions between pieces of systems, and between subsystems within our entire biosphere. Climate change, energy consumption, politics, economics, psychology, non-greenhouse gas pollution — it’s quite a big ball of stuff we’re trying to get our arms around and control, or at least keep from blowing up. With this mindset, I found yet another of those “city X is saving Big Money by replacing old tech street lights with LED units” articles particularly interesting. We’ve all seen those article, thanks to the quickly rising uptake in LED street lighting.

Life-cycle study shows current LED bulbs about on par with CFLs, but next-generation twice as good

We already know that incandescent light-bulbs are on the way out because they're incredibly wasteful, being better at producing heat than light... And most people know that LEDs have started replacing compact fluorescents (CFLs) and should become the next gold standard for producing light. But are LED bulbs truly better than CFLs? If so, by how much? To really know, it's not enough to just look at lumens-per-watt efficiency; you have to do a full life-cycle analysis to truly figure out which truly comes out on top when everything is taken into account

Check the Weather with a Forecast-Projecting Lamp

If checking the weather on your computer or phone seems a little ho-hum, you can use an Arduino to project the forecast directly on a lamp shade. This build relies on a Bluetooth low energy module and an Arduino to communicate with an iPhone to pull down weather data.

Cree’s New LED Bulb May Be the Closest Thing to an Incandescent

In order to encourage wider adoption of LEDs, California regulators recently put in place a voluntary standard to make bulbs more closely resemble the warm white light from traditional incandescents. LED manufacturer Cree said this week it had become the first company to meet the standard, producing a bulb with a color rendering index (CRI) of 93 -- coming close to the quality of light from a 60-watt incandescent. A CRI score of 100 is the closest to natural light that a bulb can get.

Consumer Reports: Best LED bulbs

You want to keep your home well-lit, but it can be expensive to make the switch to LED bulbs. Most people rely on about 50 light bulbs to brighten their living space. And you may be asking, why buy energy-efficient bulbs if my old incandescents are going strong? "Incandescent bulbs are really only cheap if you never turn them on. They cost about $8 a year to power. And that's compared with only a $1.70 for an LED or [compact fluorescent light bulbs]," said expert Celia Kuperszmid Lehrman. Most CFLs cost under $3. LEDS are more expensive and can reach $20 to $30 a bulb.

New UV LED for Curing from Prizmatix Offers New Levels of Convenience and Power

Prizmatix, a leader in Ultra High Power LED system for scientific and industrial applications, introduces the Cure-LED Flashlight for convenient hand held curing of small areas of one to two inches. The Cure-LED curing system is a simple user-friendly device for flood curing UV adhesives, coatings, and inks. The device features advanced UV LED technology providing a total of >330mW of useful UV power at 365nm and >370W of UV power at 385nm. The LED controller is designed for convenience and ease of use. The countdown timer on the controller front panel remembers its previous setting and curing is initialized with a convenient hands-free foot switch. A lower cost version for non-destructive dye penetrant testing, the NDT-LED for, is also available with a simpler controller, as well as a battery operated model for field use.

NASA Headquarters Launches New Energy-Efficient Cree LED Lighting

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) headquarters, a leased facility in Washington, D.C., has been outfitted with energy-saving CR Series LED Troffers by Cree, Inc. The high-performance LED installation is part of a renovation to maximize energy savings of the 600,000 square-foot building. More than 1,300 Cree CR22™ architectural LED troffers have been installed, and Piedmont Office Realty Trust, owners of the NASA headquarters building, expects the new fixtures to deliver energy savings of 52 percent over the previously installed T8 fluorescent fixtures. An additional 5,200 Cree CR22 troffers are planned to complete the lighting upgrade.
"We originally considered replacing the existing T8 fluorescent tubes with T5 fluorescents, but after testing Cree's CR22 LED troffer, we knew it was the best solution for this installation," said Tony Roberts, senior chief engineer supporting Piedmont Office Realty Trust. "No other manufacturer offered the combination of performance, pricing and efficacy we desired. We continue to be impressed by the improved lighting quality and significant savings the CR22 troffers provide."
Featuring award-winning Cree TrueWhite Technology, Cree linear luminaires enabled Piedmont Office Realty Trust to reduce the fixture count by 10 percent, adding to the overall savings. Designed to last for more than 50,000 hours, twice the lifetime of comparable linear fluorescents, the new fixtures are designed to reduce maintenance and operational costs for the headquarters.
The CR22 troffers feature integrated Lutron EcoSystem dimming technology. The system is controlled by a Lutron Quantum lighting control system, which provides the flexibility needed to reconfigure and improve the occupant experience in any space and can extend LED lifetime. The ability to fine-tune light levels individually in each fixture, and ultimately to achieve the perfect lighting environment, is the result of an ideal marriage between the Cree luminaires and Lutron digital control technology.
"The CR Series is a no-compromise alternative to fluorescent lighting and demonstrates our commitment to driving the broad adoption of LED lighting," said Mike Bauer, vice president of lighting sales, Cree. "The successful integration of CR troffers with digital controls and dimming allows Cree to further the obsolescence of antiquated fluorescent lighting. Optimal lighting is essential to workplace environments like NASA's headquarters. Cree linear luminaires deliver unrivaled performance, making the decision to choose LED lighting over fluorescent options an obvious choice."eneral illumination, electronic signs and signals, power supplies and solar inverters.

Check the Weather with a Forecast-Projecting Lamp

If checking the weather on your computer or phone seems a little ho-hum, you can use an Arduino to project the forecast directly on a lamp shade. This build relies on a Bluetooth low energy module and an Arduino to communicate with an iPhone to pull down weather data.

Bay Bridge: Cutting edge LED lights create unique night landscape

In daylight, the new Bay Bridge's iconic white tower and suspension cables gleam in a panoramic landscape saturated with deep hues of earth, water and sky. But for nocturnal motorists, the span's tens of thousands of icy white LED lights strung on the suspender rope canopy, looping catenary cable and soaring tower is a journey onto a rocket launchpad magically suspended in blackness. Engineers and architects created the outer space sensation with a combination of light, dark and steel.

EPA publishes final Energy Star Lamps V1.0 specification

After having circulated a final draft back in July, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now published the Energy Star Lamps V1.0 specification that will cover both LED-based retrofit lamps and legacy products such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Due to take effect on Sept 30, 2014, the final specification has minor additional changes and lamp manufacturers can immediately commission certification bodies (CBs) to begin testing products to the new specification. Indeed the relatively lengthy certification process is the primary reason the effective date was set more than a year out.

A Lamp That Looks Like It's Made From Meccano

The Construction Lamp by Joost van Bleiswijk is a tribute to industrial structures—and as a result it looks rather like its made from the Meccano you played with as a child. Designed by van Bleiswijk for Moooi, the four-sided structures tapers with height, making it look rather like a telegraph pylon. Each joint of the structure is deliberately exaggerated, with large prominent screws emphasizing the way it's put together.

Intematix announces lumen maintenance milestone for remote-phosphor LED system

The phosphor specialist has demonstrated what is essentially equivalent to LM-80 testing for packaged LEDs, with a sample set of remote-phosphor-based SSL modules being independently verified in delivering 100% of initial lumens over 6000 hours. Intematix has announced that independent test lab TUV SUD has conducted 6000-hour tests of some remote-phosphor-based solid-state lighting (SSL) modules that demonstrate 100% lumen maintenance over the duration of the testing. Essentially the demonstration is equivalent to the LM-80 testing of phosphor-converted white LEDs, which is the typical milestone that gates listing for SSL products in programs such as Energy Star and DesignLights Consortium (DLC).

New Lamp Posts Light The Way At The Fair

That's why workers at the Twin Falls County Fair put up six new lamp posts, so you could see where you're walking. The new lights are behind the fair office near the free stage. Fair Manager John Pitz says, "They've got 85 watt compact fluorescent light bulbs in them, which put out the same amount of lights as a 200 watt incandescent. The lights are a little bit lower, they spread the light out better. They're just way more energy efficient to run than all those incandescent bulbs."

Strictly LEDs Signs Profit by Search as Their SEO Partners

The largest online retailer of both decorative and low energy lighting in the UK, Strictly LEDs, stocks nearly all varieties of lighting to suit every occasion. The leading online store offers some of the latest LED products at competitive prices. Recently, the company signed Profit By Search to look after their SEO campaign. Under the contract, Profit By Search will be featuring their prime keywords on all major search engines, online.
Strictly LEDs also holds one of the finest GU10 LED bulbs, one can get on the market. These specialty bulbs provide a better quality of light as well as helping to save up to 90% in electricity bills. Choosing the right LED bulb with proper luminosity is a prerequisite for a room or for an enclosure. At Strictly LEDs, they help their clients choose the best according to the illumination of the room at a specific budget.
While describing the company's specialties in detail, one of the representatives stated, We have got the largest collection of lights to suit every occasion. Our esteemed clients can choose from our latest light collection which consists of Decking lights, Fairy lights and Christmas lights. We carry one of the best fairy lights online, giving you different types of effects such as flickering, twinkling and static.

MaxLite’s Value Engineered DLC-Qualified Small LED Flood Lights Replace Quartz Halogen and Metal Halide Fixtures

Designed as energy-saving replacements for 100-watt quartz halogen through 175-watt metal halide fixtures, MaxLite introduces its second generation Small LED Flood Lights offered in 15-, 25- and 45-watt styles. Qualified by DesignLights Consortium (DLC), the upgraded Small LED Flood Lights create bright, shadow-free security and general lighting when illuminating façades, landscapes, parking areas and displays in hospitality, public places, office buildings, shopping plazas, apartment complexes, schools, healthcare facilities and other commercial properties.
“While increasing the quantity of LEDs in each of our three upgraded Small Flood Light models, we reduced wattages and increased efficacies to increase energy savings,” said MaxLite’s Vice President of Product Marketing and Engineering Pat Treadway. “Each fixture delivers more lumens per watt while reducing the consumed wattage, thus further expediting the time to reach full ROI.”
Available in a 5000K-correlated color temperature (CCT), the Small LED Flood Lights deliver outputs up to 3620 lumens and 90 lumens per watt. Copper-plated LED modules provide a high thermal transfer rate, minimizing the junction temperature of the LEDS, increasing their life and output and thus maximizing energy savings. Available with a traditional wide beam angle, the fixtures are made with a tempered glass lens featuring a black ceramic paint frit that is designed to reduce glare and improve their appearance.
The Small LED Flood Lights are constructed with a heavy duty, cast aluminum two-piece housing that is polyester powder-coated for durability, rust and corrosion resistance, and are IP65-rated to prevent ingress of water, dust and insects. An optional polycarbonate lens is available.
The fixtures operate on 120- to 277-volt electrical systems and mount at a wide range of angles with its yoke style arm featuring a half-inch National Pipe Thread (NPT) relief fitting for easy installation. The Small LED Flood Lights are compatible with mechanical relay type photocell and occupancy sensors. The fixtures range in size from 3.4-inches tall by 4.5-inches wide to the 7.6-inch by 8.9-inch model.
MaxLite’s other DLC-qualified LED products include RKT Retrofit Kits, Floods and High Output Floods, Area Lights, High Mount Area Lights, Parking Garage Canopy Luminaires and Full Cutoff Wall Packs.

Strictly LED’s Signs Profit by Search as Their SEO Partners

The largest online retailer of both decorative and low energy lighting in the UK, Strictly LED’s, stocks nearly all varieties of lighting to suit every occasion. The leading online store offers some of the latest LED products at competitive prices. Recently, the company signed Profit By Search to look after their SEO campaign. Under the contract, Profit By Search will be featuring their prime keywords on all major search engines, online.
Strictly LED’s also holds one of the finest GU10 LED bulbs, one can get on the market. These specialty bulbs provide a better quality of light as well as helping to save up to 90% in electricity bills. Choosing the right LED bulb with proper luminosity is a prerequisite for a room or for an enclosure. At Strictly LED’s, they help their clients choose the best according to the illumination of the room at a specific budget.
While describing the company's specialties in detail, one of the representatives stated, “We have got the largest collection of lights to suit every occasion. Our esteemed clients can choose from our latest light collection which consists of Decking lights, Fairy lights and Christmas lights. We carry one of the best fairy lights online, giving you different types of effects such as flickering, twinkling and static.”

LEDs bring new automotive lighting options

Automotive design has long favored lighting as both a functional and aesthetic feature and differentiator. This lighting was usually limited to white light bulbs with colored covers. This methodology has limitations on both design and location due to the size, heat dissipated and power needed to operate an incandescent bulb. This has changed with the use of high-brightness LEDs (HBLEDs) for the automotive market. One of the major changes between designing with LEDs and incandescent lights in the automotive space is the lifetime of the bulbs. Standard incandescent lights have a 500-1000 hr operating life. This results in a design that is based on accessibility for bulb replacement and operating life.

Can LEDs Brighten Investor Portfolios?

Goldman Sachs recently highlighted LED lighting as a top “disruptive” theme over the next decade. While I'm often inclined to believe that these sell-side "theme pieces" are designed more towards generating attention during stretches of slow company news, I have little doubt that the penetration rate of LEDs in the lighting market is going to increase significantly over the next decade. That is going to fuel significant demand for LED-making equipment, LED packaging, and finished lighting fixtures for companies like Aixtron, Cree, Philips and Osram What is less clear to me is the extent to which investors can expect to see huge gains at this point – the “LED revolution” has been long in coming and while there are certainly going to be trading opportunities come and go, the idea of “buy and hold” in this sector seems optimistic at best.

Osram and Sharp; Zumtobel exec and business changes

Osram and Sharp have cross-licensed LED and laser-diode patents, while Zumtobel appoints a new CEO and its Tridonic business completes the sale of its magnetic ballast plant in Australia. Osram GmbK based in Munich, Germany, and Sharp Corp based in Osaka, Japan have entered into a patent cross-licensing agreement that covers LEDs and laser diodes. Zumtobel has appointed former Infineon CEO Ulrich Schumacher as the new CEO that will lead Zumtobel through the solid-state lighting (SSL) transition. Meanwhile, Zumtobel's Tridonic business continues along that transition in focus path.

Crete kicks in to upgrade traffic signals to LEDs

The Village Board has agreed that Crete will pay part of the cost of upgrading traffic signals and lights to a more energy-efficient bulb. Trustees on Monday approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation that calls for Crete to pay $1,006.25 toward the cost of the upgrade of traffic signals at State Street and Steger Road. Village President Michael Einhorn said most of that intersection is within Steger, but some of the lights fall within Crete’s jurisdiction. Municipal governments for both Crete and Steger, along with Cook County government, will pay matching costs to the $39,201.75 the state Department of Transportation will pay.