Eversource Converting Street Lights To LEDs

Eversource is in the second year of a five-year program to convert streetlights in cities and towns over to more energy-efficient LEDs. The utility is responsible for the streetlights in some 125 cities and towns across the state and hopes to replace roughly 125,000 lights by 2021. “There’s an obvious difference– the color temperature, the way they glow, the amount of light they give off,” said Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross. “They are very popular not only with homeowners, but with town officials as well.”

IKEA adds Google Home and Amazon Alexa support to its smart light bulbs

IKEA is betting big time on smart home appliances. In a new Swedish press release spotted by MacRumors, the popular ready-to-assemble furniture retailer announced its affordable TRÅDFRI line of smart lighting systems is slated to get support for Google Home, Apple HomeKit as well as Amazon Alexa. Among other things, the integration will enable users to pair their smart light bulbs with other smart home devices like thermostats and door locks. But perhaps most convenient will be the functionality to control the lights with your voice, once you’ve connected them to your Home or Echo smart speaker.

UK firm designs 'world's most affordable solar lamp'

A UK design consultancy has teamed up with a giant Chinese manufacturer to produce what they say is the world's most affordable solar lamp. Manchester-based firm Inventid designed the SM100 solar light, which retails for $5 (£3.85) in African countries. It was developed in collaboration with China's Yingli and charity Solar Aid. The hand-sized lamp runs for eight hours when fully charged. As well as a stand, it has strap slots so it can be used as a head torch or tied to a bike.

LED streetlight upgrade would reduce energy costs

A proposed streetlight upgrade will make for brighter and more energy-efficient nights in the city. By the end of summer, Newburyport plans to upgrade all overhead streetlights with new light-emitting diode bulbs, known for their low maintenance cost, extremely long lifespan, lack of toxic chemicals – such as mercury in traditional lamps – and increased brightness. The new LED lights will use 68 percent less electricity than the current fixtures, further reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to Lightsmart, the company chosen by the city to assist with the upgrade.

Helvar adds software for human-centric lighting

Finnish LED lighting company Helvar has added another piece to its repertoire of smart lighting technology, introducing touch-screen software that lets offices change the interior lighting's color temperature and brightness to suit different tasks and objectives.

The new Light over Time software delivers what is commonly known as human-centric (HCL), or circadian, lighting. As LEDs Magazine noted in a recent two-part feature, colder blue-hued light can foster alertness, and warmer amber hues can set a more relaxing atmosphere.

Under LED Lights, Nights In Columbus Will Bring A Different Tint

Cities around the country are changing colors, from a warm yellow shade to more of an institutional blue. The change comes from above: They're replacing old streetlight bulbs with new, energy-efficient LED bulbs.

Columbus city officials say the transition will cut public lighting costs in half, but LED lights have raised concerns from some residents and medical experts. The biggest reason for the change, says James Gross of the Columbus Division of Power, is money. LEDs require a lot less electricity to light up neighborhoods.

As LED Lighting Gets Standardized, What Are the New and Different Applications?

Manufacturers, designers and customers are LED veterans. Unlike 2010, when Lightfair transformed into LEDfair, and new technology was everywhere, today’s innovations seem incremental. For our technically oriented team, the show is now less about discovering that one new, radically interesting thing, and more about visiting our existing, preferred suppliers and socializing with other lighting professionals.

Visitors trust that LEDs have long life expectancy and deliver significant energy savings. They know the LED wattage equivalent for a 465-watt HID is at 100 watts and an MR16 is at 8 watts. While chip manufacturers are pushing past 200 lumens per watt, chips have fallen to less than 30 percent of the total cost. Now manufacturers need to push to find other points of differentiation.

Improve Your Car's Looks With LED Bulbs

We've talked about upgrading headlights on vintage cars. But why stop with your headlights? Replacing your other incandescent bulbs with their LED equivalents can give any car a more modern and prestigious appearance. They also catch your eye better than traditional bulbs thanks to their instant on/off behavior, improving safety. My Subaru WRX Premium came with halogen headlights, parking lights, and turn signals. It would be fairly expensive to replace my perfectly good headlight housings with their LED equivalents, but a turn signal upgrade was extremely affordable and easy to install.

IEEE awards George Craford for Contributions to LED Lighting

Lumileds has announced that George Craford, Lumileds Solid State Lighting Fellow, was selected for the IEEE Edison Medal for ‘a lifetime of pioneering contributions to the development and commercialisation of visible LED materials and devices’. Craford will be presented with the medal at the IEEE Honours Ceremony in San Francisco on May 25, 2017, during the IEEE Vision, Innovations, and Challenges (IEEE VIC) Summit. Craford’s career spans from the early days when LEDs were first developed to delivery of high brightness LEDs suitable for commercial use in a variety of applications, including LED bulbs. He is best known for his invention of the yellow LED in 1972. Craford then led the development of increasingly brighter red, orange and amber LEDs.

Philips adds ambient LED spots for hospitality and residential markets

Philips Lighting has introduced a new line of dimmable LED lamps for hospitality and residential settings, which it said puts LED technology on more of a par than it had been with halogen in ambience, while also offering LEDs' well-known energy savings and maintenance benefits.

The new GU10 and MR16 pin-format LED lamps provide “a light spectrum and effects almost identical to halogen with the highest quality dimming,” the Dutch lighting giant said in announcing its new Philips Master LED ExpertColor series. It described the new lamps as “94 percent identical to halogen light color, compared to only about 60 percent with standard LED lights.” The company rated the color rendering index (CRI) at 97, including “enhanced rendering of reds” with an R9 score of >85.

Kenmore saving energy, one LED light bulb at a time

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) would like to thank Kenmore residents for your interest in energy efficiency. Through May 29, PSE is offering every residential customer in Kenmore a free LED bulb. Hundreds of residents have already taken advantage of this offer and the LED bulbs are starting to arrive in mailboxes. Why does switching out just one incandescent bulb to an LED matter? LED bulbs can save you money! Switching just the five most-used lights in your home — for instance, the lights in your living room, kitchen and entryway, which are probably in use closer to four hours a day — could save you around $44 a year on your electric bill.

LEDs light up industrial enclosures

For many years, fluorescent technology was the only option for the internal lighting of industrial enclosures. Fluorescent light sources have many positives and are relatively inexpensive. But they have their share of negatives. Fluorescent lighting was developed nearly 100 years ago, and improvements in the technology have been slow. These low-pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamps haven’t changed much over time. Today, LED (light emitting diode) lighting is the standard for industrial enclosures. The advantages are compelling enough to foster the adoption of LED lighting worldwide.

Danbury Partners With Eversource For Light Bulb Swap

Mayor Boughton and the City of Danbury have partnered with Eversource to invite all Danbury residents to a light bulb swap at City Hall on May 20th. All Danbury residents are welcome to bring their incandescent light bulbs and exchange them for new, LED bulbs, free of charge. Danbury residents must show proof of identification and may bring up to five incandescent light bulbs in any condition.

Cree CEO Swoboda plans to step down

(Pete Souza)

Cree has announced that longtime CEO Chuck Swoboda will step down from his position as soon as a newly-launched executive search lands a new CEO. The company said the board of directors will retain a top executive search firm to begin the process that will consider both internal and external candidates. Swoboda led Cree from what the company described as near startup stage to a leadership position in packaged LEDs and in finished solid-state lighting (SSL) products for the general illumination space. Swoboda will continue in a consultative role with Cree after the new CEO is on board. Swoboda joined Cree in 1993, joined the board of directors in 2000, became CEO in 2001, and assumed the role of chairman of the board in 2005. The company has grown to employ around 6400 employees globally under Swoboda.

MiJia Debuts PTZ Security Camera And Smart Philips Lamp

Xiaomi’s sub-brand MiJia is launching two new products on the official Xiaomi (MIUI) online store in China. The products are the MiJia Smart PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) Camera and the Philips Ceiling Lamp, priced at 199 yuan ($29) and 349 yuan ($50), respectively.

Both products can communicate with smart devices and be controlled via Android-powered smartphones and other types of smart products.

How one grower uses LEDs to improve propagation

In Rapidan, Va., temperatures and light intensity rise to extremes that are not always conducive to acclimating stage three tissue culture in a greenhouse. To satisfy perennial orders in later times of the year, Battlefield Farms, an annual, perennial and poinsettia grower with 45 acres of undercover production area based in Rapidan, previously propagated sensitive tissue culture (TC) in the greenhouse. And it came at a cost. “With the environmental conditions we had at the time, on certain varieties – certain cultivars – we were having up to probably 40 percent losses,” says Travis Higginbotham, research and development manager at Battlefield. “And it wasn’t due to practices – we had tried our best to manipulate the greenhouse as best as possible. We had taken an entire section and wrapped it. We had 50 percent shade cloth installed, we had foggers to increase the humidity to try to make it as successful as an acclimating area as possible. But we were still having a lot of problems with many different cultivars.”

New Philips Hue White Ambiance Line of Fixtures and Table Lamps

Philips Lighting is extending the Philips Hue connected lighting family of products available to US consumers. The new range of Philips Hue White Ambiance fixtures and table lamps and the Philips Hue White Ambiance candle bulb provide the perfect shade of white light for any moment, so you can feel your best throughout your day and in any room of your home.

“To put it simply, consumers can have one light to support all of their daily activities. Think about all of the moments you enjoy in your kitchen. Select a cool daylight scene for your morning coffee to energize for the day ahead. Help your child focus on their homework with a bright white light. Then, create a cozy ambiance for dinner under a warm light to wind down,” said Mark Cieri, Vice President & General Manager, Home Systems, Philips Lighting US. “With Philips Hue White Ambiance, you can personalize your lighting and truly feel at home.”

See and feel better, while creating the right ambiance for every moment in every room

The range of Philips Hue White Ambiance fixtures and table lamps are designed to give you the white light needed to help you wake up and energize, concentrate, read, relax and go to sleep naturally. With a timeless and elegant style, they can be placed anywhere in your home.

Enjoy decorating your kitchen, dining room or bedrooms with the brushed aluminum Philips Hue White Ambiance Being Flushmount or three different styles of the Philips Hue White Ambiance Fair fixture (Flushmount, Semi-flushmount and Suspension). The products have the Philips Hue White Ambiance connected lighting technology built-in and feature powerful light output (up to 3000 lumens).

The Philips Hue White Ambiance Wellner and Wellness table lamps are smartly designed to fit with any interior. They come with a Philips Hue White Ambiance A19 light bulb (800 lumens) for customizable white light to support your daily activities.

Tunable LED lighting technology takes LightFair center stage

Smart lighting and the Internet of Things (IoT) may have been the most prevalent theme at LightFair International (LFI), but tunable-white LED technology was close behind and of course inherently requires some form of lighting controls to set color and intensity. Some of the most compelling examples of tunable solid-state lighting (SSL) came from Visa Lighting, Acuity Brands, and Philips Lighting. The tunable lighting, a form of human centric lighting (HCL), promises to deliver enhanced wellbeing for humans.

LEDs at Fort Knox mean bright future

Fort Knox continues to be on the cutting edge of energy conservation. The post has received the Secretary of the Army Energy and Water Management Award on 10 occasions for accomplishments as significant as tapping geothermal wells for heating and cooling to harnessing the sun through a network of solar panels. As a sign of the thoroughness involved here, post conservation efforts extend to small matters as well — from harnessing rain water for irrigation and fueling vehicles with its own underground supply of natural gas to items such as repainting rooftops as a conservation tool.

32,000 LEDs to light up Pune under ‘smart lighting’ scheme

Soon, Pune will be lit up by 32,000 LED lamps, as part of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC’s) soon-to-be-launched ‘smart lighting’ scheme. A high-end tracking system is currently being developed, which will keep a check on the misuse of electricity in the city. Speaking to The Indian Express, Pune Mayor Mukta Tilak said, “This is one of the many plans we have chalked out as a part of the Smart City initiative. The control system will be effective in ensuring minimum wastage of power.”

Aurora will commercialize data from smart lighting by early next year

Aurora Group has fleshed out details of its recently disclosed line of smart LED luminaires, telling LEDs Magazine that it plans to soon launch pilot implementations and to fully commercialize by early next year when it hopes to start monetizing the data that the product gathers and analyzes via communications chips, sensors, and cloud computing connections. The company will focus its new AXiO brand initially on the retail trade, where stores can use chips and sensors embedded in the lights to track customers around the aisles.

The Economy-Changing Power of the LED Bulb

Per-capita electricity use peaked in the U.S. in 2007. With the exception of a post-recession rebound in 2010, it has declined every year since. I already wrote a column about this epochal shift last month, but the chart that went with it is so remarkable that I'm going to recycle it here.

What caused the decline? I offered several possible explanations. One of them was increased efficiency of electrical appliances. Several readers wrote in to suggest that perhaps it was the lightbulb that did it. Thomas Edison's incandescent bulbs are being pushed aside by energy-efficient light-emitting diodes, aka LEDs, and that had to have had an impact on electricity use.

County school board considers switching to LEDs

The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Lafayette County School Board ran longer than usual as the board discussed the possibility of LED lighting in district buildings. Justin Cockrell of Forza Energy was at the meeting to present a study his company had completed on the district’s lighting system. He answered a lot of questions and explained the financial finer points of what the conversion would entail. The district is considering switch from fluorescents to LED lights in every building on campus.

A Look at ReLamp – An LED Replacement for Halogen Lights

ReLamp allows you to replace old halogen lights, such as ARRI fresnels, and upgrade them with an LED component – a great idea for those who have would like to give a new lease of life to their old fixtures. These revamped versions that Visionsmith showed off at this year’s NAB now feature 90V – 250V compatibility and offers LED replacement units for a wider variety of housings. While many cinematographers have complained that LEDs don’t render perfect colour, I believe the game has changed significantly. Visionsmith claims their LEDs have a CRI of 98, and apparently there are no colour shifts during dimming.

University Housing LED lighting project increases efficiency and effectiveness

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s University Housing is contributing to utility savings and achieving greater safety and security through an LED lighting project. University Housing Facilities Management (UHFM) was awarded a $21,000 grant through the Department of Commerce that was used to update the exterior lighting at Cougar Village Apartments. LED lighting is one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint, and boasts both cost efficiency and effectiveness. The new, brighter lights offer students a greater sense of security when traveling to and from their apartment.

When will the Paris Metro finally get its Li-Fi?

One of the most ambitious public projects to deliver Internet service via LED light appears to have hit a snag or two, but backers are still optimistic that the enterprise — across hundreds of train and underground stations in Paris — will succeed. RATP, the state-owned group that runs public transportation in the Paris region, hopes to equip 302 Metro subway stations and 66 RER commuter rail stations with Li-Fi, the Wi-Fi-like service that can transmit data by using LED lights rather than Wi-Fi's radio signals.

LEDs Gain Foothold in Illuminating School Bus Safety

A pilot project underway at Marietta City Schools for the past two months has been testing the efficacy of additional LED lights installed on the front and rear bumper to call motorist attention to school bus stops. Kimberly Ellis, who succeeded the retired Mark Lindstrom as the district’s transportation director earlier this year, explained that the UltraLED lighting system works in conjunction with the school bus eight-way lights and the stop arm during student loading and unloading.

Aircraft Lighting Intl Secures PMA for Falcon LEDs

Aircraft Lighting International (ALI) has obtained U.S. FAA parts manufacturing approval (PMA) for its 8 mm LED direct replacement lighting package for Dassault Falcon 2000s, 900s and 50s. The PMA enables operators to replace existing fluorescent bulbs without obtaining certification for installation. ALI worked closely with Dassault on the lighting package, which can extend the lifecycle of the lights by as much as 10 times. The lighting system has been installed in more than 20 Falcons so far, and general manager Shervin Rezaie said he has received a number of inquiries from customers awaiting the PMA.

4-LED Octal Clock Demands Colorful Math

We’ve all seen LED clocks where RGB LEDs are used to display time. It seems like the simpler the interface, the more likely you’d need to do math to figure out the time. This Octal Clock by Alex Kurrasch proves the point by using only four LEDs: the top two show hours and minutes, and the bottom two LEDs are multipliers. Using octal numbering, inventor Alex translates the data using a Venn diagram of color mixing. The mapping uses 1 as red, 2 as green, followed by yellow, blue, magenta, and cyan. It ends with 7 as white (all on) and 0 as black (all off).

Tony Fadell Is Investing In This Micro-LED Startup That Could Make Displays Better

In 2014, Rohinni, a tiny Idaho-based company, came up with a cool invention: on a thin piece of conductive material, thousands of micro-LED diodes (25 microns small) were distributed randomly. The effect was a glowing sheet of paper that could be placed anywhere. It made for a good demo. The company -- cofounders Cody Peterson and Andy Huska and investor Nick Smoot -- got a meeting with Tony Fadell, then still the CEO of Nest, which Google had acquired for $3.2 billion. Fadell was impressed, but he wanted more. Mainly, he wanted the company to be able place these micro-LEDs down with precision and consistency.

Philips TrueForce LED Offers Plug-in-Play Lamp Alternative for Industrial and Retail Outlets

Philips Lighting has announced a new set of light emitting diode (LED) products for use as a plug-and-play alternative to urban, industrial and retail lighting to replace traditional high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps. Philips’ TrueForce LED lineup includes the TrueForce LED Urban series for use for outdoor luminaires in public spaces and the TrueForce LED Industrial and Retails series for use in industrial and large-scale retail applications. The LEDs offer energy savings up to 75% compared to conventional lamps and lifetime of 50,000 hours, Philips says.

LG Innotek Introduces High Performance and Differentiated LED Product

LG Innotek is participating in Light Fair International 2017 in Philadelphia, U.S. from May 9 through 11. Light Fair International is the largest scale light fair in the U.S., in which approximately 550 companies are participating and 30 thousand people from the industry visit. It is considered the main stage for businesses to expand into the North American and global markets, especially since global companies of areas ranging from finished light products to logistics and light components gather together in the fair, generating numerous transactions.

Since it gives a strong performance for its slim size of 6 by 6 millimeters, it can be applied to hardening equipment in the manufacturing industry. The company plans to develop a 100 mW UV-C LED by the end of 2017.
Also, LG Innotek will exhibit light LED packages such as a high-power LED package with the output of world's best-in-class, CSP, color LED.

Its high-power LED package for lights has adopted a unique vertical chip technology, which enables high optic output while providing a great lighting efficiency of 171lm/W. And its slim size (based on 3535 Gen4-X) supports free design by finished light product companies.
The company's Color LED package is also noteworthy. As it can realize colors of red, green and blue as well as white, it is expected to be applied to various areas from high-end lights for buildings and stadiums to special purpose lights.

LG Innotek will also introduce a 3W and 8W high-power color LEDs and products that release lights of red, green, blue and amber depending on purpose of use.

It will also exhibit the product line of LEDs for vehicles such as surface light source LEDs, head lamps and daytime running lights.

LG Innotek has an integrated production system from LED epitaxial wafers, chips, packages to modules. It has a full lineup of packages and modules for automotive component products ranging from head lamps, daytime running lights, turn signal lamps, room lamps to dashboards.

It has added the cutting edge LED technology to the infrastructure of vehicle component business unit, which has been founded on motors, communication modules, etc.

In this fair, LG Innotek plans to target North American and global businesses, one of the largest LED markets.

LG Innotek has created a synergy effect by deploying a vertically integrated LED production facility from LED chips to modules and offering lighting driver and remote lighting control solutions developed in-house.

The company said, "The products to be introduced at LFI have world best class performance and product quality," and "We will keep creating differentiated product competitiveness for our customers."

uVision 365 Forensic and Fluorescent Inspection Lamp

Spectronics Corporation has released a new high intensity, IP 65 rated lamp for fluorescent inspections, the uVision 365 (UV-365EH model).  The hallmark of this high intensity, UV-A lamp is its IP65 rating – signifying the unit can be fully covered in dust and suffer no intrusion, and that the unit is protected against jets of water from all directions. The uVision has three powerful UV-A LEDs for fluorescent detection, providing a wide, bright beam profile to pick up even a hint of fluorescence from a greater distance than traditional tube lamps.  Inspectors can use just one lamp to scan an area quickly and accurately! The uVision also has one white light LED for visual inspection as well.

Program Provides LEDs To Businesses At No Cost

A first-of-its-kind program, available through The LED Partnership, enables qualifying commercial buildings nationwide to receive LEDs at no cost to replace many kinds of older-technology lighting.
Depending on the utility that serves the building, the program can also provide payment toward LED installation cost to replace halogen, incandescent and screw-in compact fluorescent lamps.

LEDs reduce energy cost up to 80%. In addition, they last up to 10 times longer than older-generation lighting, substantially lowering maintenance cost. These energy and maintenance savings are particularly significant with LED T8 tubes, 2- and 4-pin LEDs, exterior and interior fixtures.
In some areas of California, the deadline to receive these special incentives is June 30, 2017. Deadlines in other parts of the country vary. This opportunity comes at a time when many utilities are reducing or eliminating LED conversion rebates for many of their customers.

The LED Partnership is operated by Energy Efficiency Incentives Group (EEI), based in Beverly Hills, California. The EEI management team has developed and implemented energy saving strategies nationwide for utilities, trade associations, property management companies, cities and government agencies companies since 1976.

LED Drivers Expand Control of Automotive Lighting

The automotive industry makes extensive use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in high-beam headlights, brake and position lights, and side and rear direction lights. In an LED driver design, the brightness intensity of the various illuminating devices is not equal; rather, it depends on their specific function. Needless to say, then, that LEDs operate at different brightness levels—for example, at full brightness for braking and from 10% to 25% for the rear lights. LED dimming circuits are used to differentiate the brightness level through a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) driving technique, which modulates the width of the current pulses applied to the LEDs.

The 3 Basic Techniques for Lighting… Everything

Osram launches Simplux LED-centric smart lighting platform

Leading into LightFair International (LFI), Osram has announced the Simplux smart lighting platform designed for commercial spaces of around 10,000-ft2 or with a maximum of 100 network nodes. Osram calls Simplux a standalone wireless control system — meaning that it does not require a central light management system — and the company touts ease of installation and commissioning as a key feature. Still, Simplux networks can also be connected to Osram’s Encelium networked light management system via a software upgrade for full Internet of Things (IoT) functionality.

Spherical Drone Display’ Crosses UAV with LEDs

Japanese mobile services provider NTT DOCOMO Inc. has developed a spherical drone display: an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that displays LED images on an omnidirectional spherical screen while in flight. The device comprises a spherical external frame and an internal LED frame consisting of a series of eight curved LED strips that extend from top to bottom, a drone fitted inside the sphere and legs protruding underneath. During flight, the LED frame spins on its axis in a rapid horizontal motion, forming an afterimage effect to create the illusion of a solid sphere of motionless LEDs.

How to Transform an IKEA Lamp Into a Personal Death Star

Most people might view this IKEA pendant lamp as a unique piece of home decor. Instructables user MariaK64 instead saw it as a delightfully geeky crafting opportunity. According to Geekologie, all it took was a quick paint job to transform the light into a miniature exploding Death Star. The original lamp already lends itself to the epic design—when the cord is pulled, sections of the globe expand out in all directions. In order to achieve the intended effect, Maria first spray-painted the tiles light gray then covered the lamp in a Death Star pattern with masking tape.

A LED Strip Clock As Linear As Time

We love custom clocks, and are always thrilled to see each inventive means of time-keeping. In a seldom-seen take on the familiar device, the LED Strip Clock’s sleek profile finds itself in good company. The clock is a two-metre strip of 60 LEDs; every minute past the current hour corresponds to one lit LED, every fifth LED is turned to red in order to make reading minutes easier. So 3 red LEDs +3 green LEDs=18 minutes, with the hour marked by a third color. Sounds complex, but the [Brothers] are quick to say you get used to it quickly, especially when the 6 o’clock LED is centered at some noticeable object or feature.

Scientists Deliver Insulin Using LEDs and a Smartphone

Chinese researchers experimenting with mice have developed a method that uses engineered cells and a smartphone-controlled LED light to inject insulin. The researchers took human cells and genetically engineered them to produce insulin before implanting them in the mice. The cells are designed to respond to a specific wavelength of red LED light through a relatively new process called optogenetics. Optogenetic techniques allow researchers to essentially turn genes on and off by exposing the cells to light. In this case, red LED light triggers the insulin-producing genes in the modified cells.

2.1 million street lights replaced with LEDs, savings 295 million units per year

Replacement of 21 lakh conventional street lights with LEDs has resulted in annual energy savings of 295 million unit and reduction of 2.3 lakh tonnes of CO2 annually. Under the government's Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), over 21 lakh conventional street lights have been replaced with LED across the country, the power ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, the newly installed lights have led to brighter streets, a feeling of enhanced safety and security among residents and motorists.

Sunbury replacing street lights with LEDs to save money, deter crime

The future of Sunbury is getting brighter thanks to LED lights that are being installed throughout the city.  Councilman Rick Reichner has been working with PPL Electric Utilities for the past year to replace the 594 street lights in an effort to save money and help deter crime. Last June, Reichner met with PPL officials and learned about the upgrade program, which he said will not cost the city a penny.

LED Performance Gain for Next Generation Lighting

The next generation of Cree’s lighting-class LEDs will be powered by the NX technology platform, enabling the new Extreme Density (XD) LED products. The latter deliver up to four times higher lumen density than Cree’s previous generation of high power LEDs. This technology eliminates current constraints for a wide spectrum of lighting applications such as color-mixing, directional lighting, and industrial lighting. The NX technology platform embodies advances in a number of components and technologies, including the new Dmax LED chip, a more efficient phosphor system, new package designs, and simpler manufacturing processes.

Spray-on process creates bright, efficient LEDs

Researchers have developed a process to make light-emitting diodes by spraying a substrate with quantum dots (ACS Photonics 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.7b00216). The quantum-dot LEDs (QLEDs) are 100 times as bright and efficient as similar devices, the researchers say. The process could someday be used to mass-produce inexpensive, vibrant, and flexible displays. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that emit a single wavelength when stimulated by electricity or light. This pure color can be tuned by changing the size or composition of the nanocrystals. In some electronic displays on the market today, quantum dots convert blue light from a conventional LED into red and green light, needed for a full-color display.

Are Wilmington’s new LED streetlights a health risk?

Almost three years ago Duke Energy Progress began replacing tens of thousands of North Carolina streetlights with LEDs, a project promising to offer only benefits for everyone involved. Last year, though, a report from the American Medical Association (AMA) raised questions about possible health concerns resulting from the light emitted by the types of LEDs typically used for nighttime illumination -- including Duke Energy’s upgrades.