LEDs Will Get Even More Efficient: Cree Passes 300 Lumens Per Watt

LED maker Cree announced that it had achieved a new record in terms of lighting efficiency, harvesting 303 lumens per watt from a white high power LED at room temperature.  This represents a 10% increase over last year’s record of 276 lumens per watt, also held by Cree. For comparison’s sake (though admittedly not a pefect example), the traditional 60 watt incandescent bulb (now essentially outlawed as a consequence of new lighting standards that took effect in January, and which utilized 95% of its energy to produce heat), typically yielded 750-1150 lumens, or between 12.5 and just over 19 lumens per watt.