Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike Series Natural Spectrum LEDs

Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. announced that it has achieved smart lighting design with SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs in cooperation with Casambi Technologies Oy, a developer of wireless lighting control systems based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and it has been adopted for the Italian designed architectural lighting brand formalighting Ltd, a global manufacturer of Italian designed architectural lighting systems and solutions for a new product line which offers motorized luminaire with smart wireless controls.

The SunLike COB LED packages have been adopted by formalighting for the new fixtures, Moto-Zero 40 Compasso and Moto-Zero 66 Zoom, in track mounted motorized spotlight range. In this sector, the Moto-Zero 40 Compasso is known as the world’s smallest motorized fixture with the Moto-Zero 66 Zoom being focused on the best selection of LED lighting for museum, art galleries and commercial spaces. The integrated technology within the motorized luminaires offers more smart control over the beam angle and movements of the fixture, which is able to be tilted vertically 90° in two directions as well as rotated horizontally 360°. The intensity and white color tuning of the light is controlled by CASAMBI™ bluetooth technology.

The embedded SunLike Series LEDs are the world’s first LEDs to produce light that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight, optimized to natural light spectra and color rendering of CRI-97 – close to CRI-100 of sunlight, and higher than the CRI- 80 of conventional LEDs. The spotlight fixtures are designed to bring out the most natural color tones of objects which are particularly color-sensitive. They also deliver considerable benefits that include vivid color, detailed contrast, and homogeneous quality of light. This is achieved through restricting the blue light peak, similar to the sunlight spectral curve, which enables the reduction of scattered reflection and glare.

Shuji Nakamura Awarded Renewable Energy Prize by University of Lousiville for LED Lighting

A pioneer in sustainable energy technology, University of California-Santa Barbara materials professor Shuji Nakamura, has won the 2019 Leigh Ann Conn Prize for Renewable Energy from the University of Louisville. The prize recognizes outstanding renewable energy ideas and achievements with proven global impact. Nakamura is recognized for scientific innovations and commercialization of efficient solid-state LEDs. His innovations have enabled efficient use of energy, reduced the burden on the environment and helped create sustainable lighting worldwide.

2019: A Great Year for Light Bulb Freedom

Whatever else one may say about 2019, it was a banner year for consumer choice when it comes to light bulbs, culminating in the December 20th decision by the Department of Energy (DOE) declining to regulate them any further.  Like many bad ideas from Washington, light bulb regulations had bipartisan support. President George W. Bush signed a massive 2007 energy bill authorizing the DOE to set energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. These provisions were enthusiastically and aggressively implemented by the Obama administration, including some regulations expanding the reach of these rules that were finalized on January 19, 2017, one day before Donald Trump took office.

Cost to change Toledo's streetlights to LED drops

The cost to upgrade the city’s thousands of streetlights to light-emitting diodes just got a lot more affordable. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved a new cost of $207 per fixture to replace conventional high-pressure sodium lamps with LEDs, which is down from $344 per fixture. Toledo Edison also completed an updated inventory of streetlights in Toledo, which puts the count closer to 26,000 rather than the 28,000 that Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz originally thought were in the city.

Trump Administration Blocks Energy Efficiency Rule for Light Bulbs

The Trump administration announced Friday that it would block a rule designed to phase out older incandescent bulbs and require Americans to use energy-efficient light bulbs.In announcing the move, the secretary of energy, Dan Brouillette, who is a former auto lobbyist, said the administration had chosen “to protect consumer choice by ensuring that the American people do not pay the price for unnecessary overregulation from the federal government.” The new rule was unnecessary, he said, because innovation and technology are already “increasing the efficiency and affordability of light bulbs without federal government intervention.”

Trouble with your Christmas lights? Here's what to do

No matter what holiday you celebrate, there's a chance you may find yourself tangling with Christmas string lights this season. Burned-out bulbs, strands that light up only halfway (or not at all), and let's not forget those knots. You don't have to go too far down the internet rabbit hole on Christmas lights before encountering complicated electrical diagrams and DIY'ers offering tips on how to rewire your plugs. Fascinating? Yes. How I want to spend my December? No. For those of us not quite as skilled in the electrical trade, here are some common problems with string lights and how to solve them.

OmniVision Cuts LED Flicker in HDR

The company will start sampling its new 8.3 megapixel automotive image sensors capable of mitigating LED flicker in the first quarter of 2020. A vast number of things could blind a driver on the road. When exiting a tunnel with the sun low on the horizon, the sudden transition from dark to very bright can be dazzling. A machine vision unit fitted into a highly autonomous vehicle (Level 3+ or above) would struggle in the same situation. But it would also struggle in circumstances that humans can handle just fine, too. One of those is dealing with LED flickering. Designed to pulse to control brightness and power, LEDs flicker because they are not always on.

A Tree Of LEDs That Blows Out Like A Candle

The beautiful workmanship in Andrew’s LED tree is gorgeous all on its own, but of course there’s more going on than meets the eye. This  LED tree can be blown out like a candle and it even playfully challenges a user to blow out all the lights at once in a single breath. Some of you may remember the fascinating example of an LED you can blow out like a candle which had the trick of using the LED itself as a sensor. Like any diode, the voltage drop across the LED changes very slightly based on temperature. By minimizing thermal mass with surface-mount LEDs and whisker-thin wires, it was possible to detect when the LED was being blown on.

Amerlux's Weather-Proof Step Lights Win Product Innovation Award

Amerlux, a design-and-manufacture lighting company, announced its game-changing Passo step light has been recognized as one of the most innovative solutions in the industry, according to Architectural Products magazine.

Weather-proof Passo step lights boast an independently sealed LED optical chamber that eliminates water infiltration. Water seepage causes headaches for lighting designers, landscape architects and energy service companies who recommend step lights to end users, such as facility managers and city managers, who are responsible for addressing the ongoing maintenance issues and safety problems associated with subpar fixtures. The luminaire is typically used for steps, staircases and in walls to light walkways and add aesthetics to building facades.

Passo's engineering increases its return on investment in two ways. First, its advanced LED core uses significantly less energy than traditional fluorescent lamps. Secondly, its sealed optical chamber eliminates the high cost of labor associated with burnt-out, water-infiltrated light sources common to even the priciest competitors.

Each luminaire is available in a choice of two output levels to tailor the desired illuminance for the project. A standard 0-10v dimmable drive provides more integration options with controls, which can dramatically magnify an LED lamp's energy reduction and savings by 10-fold, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Pfingsten Invests in Environmental Lights

Environmental Lights announced it has been acquired by Pfingsten Partners, L.L.C. Pfingsten is an operationally-driven private equity firm focused on long-term value creation. Pfingsten has acquired 139 manufacturing, distribution and business services companies since inception in 1989.

"Pfingsten's experience in the lighting industry, growth-oriented approach and focus on the customer will enable us to continue delivering industry-leading products and solutions with superior technical service," said Jamison Day, CEO of Environmental Lights, who will continue leading the business.

Environmental Lights was founded in 2006 in San Diego, California, and has been listed on the Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America for seven years in a row.

Man says spiral light bulb filled with ladybugs almost burned down house

A Kentucky man’s warning about a spiral light bulb nearly causing his home to catch fire is as gross as it is shocking. Jason Whitaker took to Facebook to share the results after he discovered a four- to five-year-old bulb that could’ve burned down his house. “I kept smelling something like electrical fire. I tore my house apart trying to find it and finally did,” Whitaker wrote. “These light bulbs will burn your house down.”

Amazon’s Ring is making its first smart light bulb

Amazon-owned smart home security company Ring makes a variety of smart lighting products. According to FCC documentation, the company is about to enter the replaceable bulb market dominated by companies like Philips Hue with a floodlight-style bulb, as spotted by tech writer Dave Zatz on Twitter. There are not a lot of details on the new Ring light bulb, but the FCC filing does indicate that it’s got Bluetooth (which would make sense, given the “smart” designation).

Acuity Brands Announces Strategic Partnership with CIRCADIAN ZircLight, Inc.

Acuity Brands, Inc. announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with CIRCADIAN ZircLight, Inc. This business partnership includes licensing of CIRCADIAN ZircLight intellectual property, and a collaboration intended to accelerate commercialization within North America of CIRCADIAN’s Zirc™ branded technology through Acuity Brands’ portfolio of indoor luminaires.

Over the past five years, CIRCADIAN ZircLight has created evidence-based specifications for workplace lighting and developed specialized Zirc™ LED chips, light engines, control systems and luminaires to address the need for circadian lighting. This partnership reinforces both companies’ commitment to innovation that advances the value proposition of lighting designed to enhance human productivity, alertness and health.

Is it worth switching to LED holiday lights?

As homeowners begin decorating their homes for the holiday season, some are wondering if LED lights are worth the higher price. According to the Department of Energy, LEDs use a lot less energy. It says lighting a 6-foot Christmas tree with traditional mini-lights will raise your electric bill by $10 a month. The cost with LED lights – 27 cents. If you decorate your whole house with LED lights, you could save $50 to $100 a month – and LEDs last longer.

SALC marks a move by pole owners to monetize assets

As always, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Street and Area Lighting Conference (SALC) featured a broad array of presentations focused on improving the nighttime lit environment, leveraging connected and smart lighting technologies, the importance of sensors, and even the impact of LED lighting on crime in cities. But the Sept. 22–25 event that took place in San Diego, CA will also be remembered for a capitalistic undercurrent where municipalities and utilities that own street-light poles have realized that those poles represent valuable assets and provide the potential for new revenue streams — streams that may or may not have anything to do with lighting. And yes, of course the Internet of Things (IoT) was a steady mention, although many presenters are trying to figure out exactly what the IoT is.

Plymouth Ice Center Gets Bright, LED Lights

The Plymouth Ice Center has all new LED lights, which produce brighter, whiter lights than the fluorescent tubes. It took more than a month to replace more than one thousand lights at the rink.
“Our ice is the highlight of why people are here,” said Erik Halverson, Plymouth Ice Center manager. “That’s what we want to highlight for people and that’s what the lights do for us.”

Sensor Electronic Technology Obtains Permanent Injunction against U.S. UV LED Companies

Sensor Electronic Technology obtained a permanent injunction in a patent infringement lawsuit against Bolb, Inc. (“Bolb”), and Quantum Egg, Inc. (“Q-Egg”).

The California Northern District federal court issued a permanent injunction against the sales of an accused UV LED sterilizer device, as well as any mere colorable variations, according to the parties’ stipulation. The Court will therefore prohibit the sale of similar products if they prove to be mere colorable variations of the accused products.

The asserted patents in this litigation cover fundamental UV LED technology, encompassing UV LED sterilizer structures and drivers, chip fabrication, and epitaxial layer growth.

Bolb is a UV LED company co-founded by former SETi employees, and Q-Egg was the distributor of the accused UV LED sterilizer device.

The UV LED market has expanded to a range of fields, including air and water purification devices, as well as medical and bio devices for skin care. The UV LED market value will grow up to $1.2 billion in 2022 according to a market report from LEDinside (2018).

SETi has also collaborated with South Korean UV LED company Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (“SVC”), resulting in the development of Violeds technology for UV LED-based disinfection, deodorization, phototherapy and curing. Violeds technology has been used by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aboard the International Space Station (ISS). SETi also supplies UV LED products to America’s largest heating and cooling manufacturing brand company. This product has been recognized by customers for its high performance in sterilizing various bacteria that live inside air conditioner equipment and preventing it from spreading inside a home or office during operation.

Environmental Lights Launches 5-in-1 LED Light Sheets

Environmental Lights, a leader in LED lighting solutions, announced the launch of the new 5-in-1 LED Light Sheets. The 5-in-1 LED Light Sheet is a cuttable and modular light sheet designed specifically for backlighting applications where bolder colors or softer pastels are of critical importance. Five LEDs are packaged in every node on each light sheet. All five colors can be mixed to create an extremely wide range of color options. Individual light sheets feature 12 cut segments containing six 5-in-1 nodes, for a total of 72 nodes per sheet.

5-in-1 LED Light Sheets take backlighting solutions to the next level by enabling users to create bolder, more vibrant colors and softer pastels than ever before possible. Multiple sheets can be connected to cover larger surface areas, or sheets can be cut to fit a variety of applications.

"5-in-1 LED Light Sheets are ideal for scenic, stage and retail environments because they provide customers with the ability to create any light box color imaginable," stated Environmental Lights CEO Jamison Day. "We are very enthusiastic about these light sheets because they empower customers to create incredible backlighting solutions, while also reducing installation costs."

Pilkington Automotive taps smart lights for space analysis

In the first known industrial installation of its lighting-based IoT technology, Signify has equipped a Pilkington Automotive warehouse with LED luminaires linked to sensors that gather information and transmit it for data analysis, helping managers improve operations. Signify hung 1300 ceiling luminaires around 11m (36 ft) above a new 47,000m2 (506,000 ft2) logistics facility in Gelsenkirchen, Germany for Pilkington, which makes automotive glass including windshields. Signify attached sensors to the same trunking lines that feed electricity to the luminaires, at roughly the same 11m height.

Google Maps reportedly working on feature that shows streets with good lighting

Google Maps, which is continually releasing new features and updates to further improve the experience for its millions of users, reportedly has another one in the pipeline that will focus on making navigation at night safer. XDA Developers spotted code in the Google Maps v10.31.0 beta that reveal the Lighting Layer, which will show streets that have good lighting. Activating the feature will highlight well-lit streets in yellow, and there will also be indicators for streets with poor to no lighting.

Colour consistency metric proposed for LED lighting

French optical firm Gaggione has proposed a way to compare the evenness of colour in ‘white’ light beams produced by LED lighting – generally those with separate RGBW die as light sources. The aim is to produce a single number which sums up how even a beam will appear when shone on to a white surface, allowing different LED and optical combinations to be compared. “It is very difficult to quantify the quality of colour because everyone has a different way to perceive colour,” according to Gaggione. “We found it necessary to create a unit of measurement that enables the quantification of the quality of colour mixing in a scientific way.”

What is mini LED and what could it mean for iPad and MacBook?

Over the last year or so, we’ve been hearing more and more about new LCD display technologies, and we may see Apple adopt them in its devices as soon as next year. While OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays have become the current choice for many flagship smartphones and smartwatches like the iPhone 11 Pro and Apple Watch, mini LED and microLED are set to bring further improvements to displays.

Traditional LED-backlit displays will have anywhere from several dozen to several hundred LEDs. As the name suggests, mini LED displays make use of miniaturized backlighting and can feature over a thousand full array local dimming (FALD) zones.

Add LEDs To Your Stained Glass

Stained glass is an art form that goes back many centuries, with the churches and cathedrals of Europe boasting many stunning examples from the mediaeval masters of the craft. You do not however have to go to York or Chartres cathedrals to experience stained glass, for it remains a vibrant and creative discipline with many contemporary practitioners. One thing the stained glass of today has in common with that of yesteryear though is that it remains static, being composed of pieces of glass held together by metal strips. This is something that [Frank Zhao] has addressed as he has evolved a technique that allows him to incorporate LEDs into static stained glass, making for a particularly eye-catching effect.

It's lights out for startup Den Automation

Den Automation, the once-promising UK smart home startup that raised nearly £4.5m via equity crowdfunding and boasted former Amstrad chief Bob Watkins as CEO, has agreed to go into liquidation, Documents show Wilkin Chapman Business Solutions Limited has been appointed as liquidators, with Ian Michael Rose and Karen Tracey Potts the named practitioners. UK law prioritises creditors according to a set order. Liquidators take precedence and shareholders get the leftover scraps. It's therefore extremely unlikely that any of the 1,104 investors who backed the company on Seedrs will see much – or any – of a return on their investment.

LED Energy Solutions Is Helping Cities Light the Way Forward, for Free

LED Energy Solutions is moving buildings and companies away from the use of commercial power sources and saving them thousands of dollars annually on their energy bills. In 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act and created the Zero Net Energy Commercial Buildings Initiative. "Eventually there will be mandates to use less energy for every single corporation out there," LED Energy Solutions founder Steve Hotz. "LEDs are the first step to that process because it provides every company with an instant positive cash flow."

Quantum dot LEDs go cadmium-free

Coming soon to a television near you: next generation, quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) that will illuminate displays without using cadmium, a toxic metal. Researchers led by Eunjoo Jang of Samsung Electronics report QD-LEDs made with quantum dots that feature an indium phosphide core surrounded by a thick inner shell of zinc selenide and a thin outer shell of zinc sulfide. The core’s size determines what color light it emits. This InP/ZnSe/ZnS structure has been reported for quantum dots before, but defects in those materials resulted in decreased performance.

Mike Harrison Knows Everything About LEDs

Driving an LED and making it flash is probably the first project that most people will have attempted when learning about microprocessor control of hardware. The Arduino and similar boards have an LED fitted, and turning it on and off is a simple introduction to code. So it’s fair to say that many of us will think we have a pretty good handle on driving an LED; connect it to a I/O pin via a resistor and that’s it. If this describes you, then Mike Harrison’s talk at the recent Hackaday Superconference will be an education.

Vancouver begins replacing streetlights with energy-efficient LEDs

Forty-nine down, 13,451 to go. That’s how many bulbs have been swapped out in Vancouver as of Monday afternoon as the city kicks off a project to replace all of the sodium bulbs in its cobra-head streetlights with energy-efficient LEDs. Crews with Magnum Power, a contractor from Kelso, began the work late last week in the northeastern corner of the city. They’ll continue to work their way across Vancouver over the coming months, with an estimated completion of the project scheduled for fall 2020.

Mile High Tree, Featuring 60,000 Strands Of LED Lights, Makes Denver Debut

A 110 foot Christmas tree attraction, the tallest installation of its kind, now calls Denver home. “The Mile High Tree” is 39 feet in diameter and is covered with more than 60,000 strands of LED lights that are choreographed to a wide range of holiday music. The display, located along Speer Boulevard at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, is the biggest light-up tree in North America.

Lighting Industry's Future Dims As Efficient LED Bulbs Take Over

A revolution is upsetting the lighting business as LED lightbulbs replace energy-hogging incandescent ones. This is good news for consumers and the environment; using less energy reduces the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. But this shift comes with a cost, exemplified by a century-old lightbulb factory in St. Marys, Pa., that is the latest to shut down. For much of its long history the LEDVANCE facility, 120 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, produced lightbulbs under the Sylvania brand. Now all it produces is scrap metal.

The iconic incandescent light bulb is not dead yet but could well fade away slowly

It has been 12 years since the passage of the EISA and we have seen tremendous gains in overall residential lighting efficiency. However, additional steps contemplated by the law are still in play and remain controversial. In September, a new rule that eliminates previously adopted changes to the definition of General Service Lamps (GSLs) and General Service Incandescent Lamps (GSILs) became law. This action maintains the exemption for certain bulbs from the revised efficiency requirements. In addition, the DOE determined that its actions in this rulemaking do not trigger a backstop provision in the law that would have required all GSIL bulbs to meet a 45-lm/w efficiency requirement by January 1, 2020.

Mimic Artfully Employs LEDs In Fashion

Any science fiction piece set in the near-future involves clothes that light up or otherwise have some form of electronics inside. This hasn’t happened in mainstream fashion just yet, but Amped Atelier are doing serious work in the field. Mimic was their entry for the 2016 MakeFashion Gala, serving as a great example of LEDs in fashion done right.

Jostens debuts NFC-enabled class rings for school champions

Jostens, the jeweler best known for making Super Bowl championship rings, introduced a line of class rings that interact with smartphones. The Champ DX Championship Ring is embedded with  near-field communications (NFC) chip to preserve video and photo highlights of a sports team's winning season. The digital content in the ring can be accessed through a free mobile app that Jostens created with jewelry maker Galatea. Jostens piloted the technology last year with the Valley Christian High School Warriors football team from San Jose, California.

This room-sized LED egg captures amazing 3D models

Capturing human performances in high-definition 3D is a complicated proposition, and among the many challenges is getting the lighting right. This impressive new project from Google researchers puts the subject in the center of what can only be described as an prismatic LED egg, but the resulting 3D models are remarkable — and more importantly, relightable. What’s called volumetric capture uses multiple cameras in a 360-degree setup to capture what can look like a photorealistic representation of a subject, including all the little details like clothing deformation, hair movement, and so on.

Rochester to convert all remaining streetlights to LED in 2020

EastOfWest

The City of Rochester is looking to cut back on its energy bill with the installation of LED streetlights citywide. Included in the 2020 budget is a plan to spend $4 million converting all remaining streetlights from high-pressure sodium to LED. The funding will come from an interfund loan, which will be paid back over an 11-year period using savings on utility costs and annual lighting maintenance. Already, the city has converted 2,280 streetlights over to the more energy-efficient LED bulbs. The project planned for next year will involve changing over the remaining 6,750 streetlights.

Underwater Lighting market is expected to record a CAGR of 3.7%

The Underwater Lighting market is expected to record a CAGR of 3.7% over the forecast period 2019-2024.

The underwater lighting is used for the decoration purpose in the pools or recreational ponds. The underwater lights are also installed for aesthetic water-featured landscaping.

Underwater lights are installed in swimming pools of residential apartments, sports facilities, hotels, and spas. Keeping the pools illuminated makes them attractive and safe for use. The lights are also installed in pools to create a pleasant atmosphere, thus, making it suitable to use pools round-the-clock. These lights create a specific light effect during the night that makes the surroundings more beautiful.

LEDs are increasingly gaining traction for underwater lighting, and they are taking over as the industry standard. As compared to other lighting sources, LEDs are inherently efficient with a long expected lifetime. For instance, Edmonds Pool and Community Centre in Canada is taking advantage of LED technology like other facilities. LED fixtures are used in the aquatic area in overhead lane lighting to guide swimmers and color-changing installations inside the pool tanks.

In line with the growing adoption of LED lights in the underwater lighting market, companies such as Jandy, in 2018, launched Jandy Pro Series WaterColors Nicheless LED lights. These LEDs to allow pool owners to set the mood with nine vibrant colors and five color-changing light shows.

Interactive Hologram uses Ultrasound Waves and LEDs

Researchers at the University of Sussex have built a device that uses LEDs and ultrasound waves to levitate a polystyrene bead and create tactile, 3D holograms. The device, known as a Multimodal Acoustic Trap Display (MATD), maneuvers the 2-mm-wide bead at up to 20 mph, tracing shapes in the air colorized by the LEDs. At this speed, human brains are unable to perceive the bead moving and instead see the shape it creates.

Best Smart Lights That Support Alexa in 2019

The ecosystem of smart home devices that work with Amazon's Alexa smart voice assistant is vast, and one of the most popular categories of smart home products is smart lighting. With so many options out there, how are you supposed to know which ones work well, or which ones work well with Alexa? My top choice is the Philips Hue White Ambiance Bulb, because it is an industry-leading product, has a massive ecosystem of other Hue products it will work with, and it plays well with Alexa.

Corsair's New iCUE QL PWM Fans Pack 34 Addressable RGB LEDS Each

It appears that RGB has been in the market for so long that companies are starting to feel the need to up the ante, which is exactly what Corsair is doing with its new iCUE QL RGB PWM fans. For the time being, the company is only announcing them in 120 and 140mm variants. What’s special about these RGB-enabled fans is that they have not one, two or even three lighting zones. No, they have four lighting zones spanning over a grand total of 34 individually addressable RGB LEDs per fan. I don’t think my entire PC even has that many RGB LEDs in the entire build!

Zoolumination will light up Nashville Zoo

The largest lantern display in the country debuts Friday at the Nashville Zoo. Zoolumination - Chinese Festival Of Lights spans 60 acres.  "We're really trying to let people immerse themselves in the Chinese culture while at the same time celebrating the holidays," zoo spokesman Jim Bartoo said. Zoolumination runs Friday, November 15 through February 2. It is open every night except Thanksgiving, Christmas and Christmas Eve, then Thursday-Sunday after the New Year.

Powerful new optics intensify Golight’s LED work lamps

Golight, specializing in pan-and-tilt remote-controlled lighting technology, recently launched new, more powerful versions of its Stryker ST and Golight GT remote-controlled LED work lamps. The company said the introduction of the new lamps marks a milestone in vehicle-mounted, remote-controlled work lamps. Now packing “unprecedented” beam strength of 544,000 candela, each lamp is 33% more powerful than before, and 55% more intense than any competing product.

Nanoleaf Canvas: Smarter Lighting

Toronto’s Nanoleaf is a smart lighting company that pioneered a different approach to LED smart lights. Instead of a traditional lightbulb form factor, Nanoleaf developed flat panel lighting that interlocks together and can be wall-mounted. It’s smart lighting that does double duty as an art installation. Or as a custom lighting solution. The first version was the triangular Nanoleaf Aurora system (now known as Nanoleaf Light Panels). Earlier this year, Nanoleaf released a new system called Canvas. It takes everything that was so cool about the original, but makes it considerably better. The square panels (called Light Squares) are easier to work with, they feature touch control and music sync is built-in.

This $37 kit converts any car’s dull yellow headlights to bright LEDs

If you have an older car or even a newer one that’s actually affordable, you probably have those halogen headlights instead of newer HID or LED headlights. Halogen headlights are yellowish and they’re not terribly bright, while HID and LED headlights are bluish-white and they project light much farther. Do you wish you had LEDs? Well don’t worry because you don’t need a luxury car to get them. Just pick up a Hikari LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit for $37 on Amazon,

LCD Panel Lamp Shade Makes For Eye-Catching Lighting

At first sight, Kyle’s Elroy lamp is simply an attractive piece of modern-styled interior furnishing; its clean lines, wood grain, and contemporary patterning being an asset to the room. But when he pulls out his phone, things change. Because this lamp hides a secret: at its heart may be a standard LED bulb, but the shade conceals four LCD screens driven by an Nvidia Jetson. These can be controlled through a web app to display a variety of textures, completing the effect.

Illuminate Your Rooms In Style With This Table Lamp

A lamp doesn’t need to be expensive, nor does it need to be some big lug of an item. You can grab a small one that just blends into the background when it isn’t on and doesn’t overpower the sense when it is. Whatever reason you need a lamp, the Aukey Table Lamp is going to be a smart purchase. It is nice and compact, so it can fit anywhere. Place it on a bedside table to make reading in bed a lot easier, or place it on your desk so you can get some work done without hurting your eyes.

Maine sues Trump administration over light bulbs

Maine is one of 16 states now suing the Trump administration over light bulbs. They're challenging the Department of Energy's new rule rolling back efficiency standards. The coalition of 16 attorneys general is led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the City of New York have all signed on to the suit.

California AG comes to defense of low-energy light bulbs

The everyday light bulb is the latest friction point between energy-conscious California and President Trump, hell-bent on shredding rules and erasing any trace of the Obama era. Sacramento is joining 14 other states and the District of Columbia in challenging plans that would drop wider use of energy efficient lighting. Fluorescent and LED lights are brighter, last longer and use less juice. Banning the older incandescent world began a decade ago with broader requirements due to begin in January. Flipping a switch with the new bulbs can also mean less power plant emissions and a chance at stemming climate change.

Liberty Co. schools converting to LED lights to save money

The Liberty County School System is making a change to cut costs by converting to LED lights.
Right now, Liberty College and Career Academy is the only school within Liberty County School System to have LED lights, but not for long. The board just approved a plan to make sure all the schools are on board. 15 schools and 20 non-academic buildings using electricity in Liberty County are getting costly. The electric bill is $1.9 million. The school system’s Chief Operating Officer, Arnold Jackson, says it’s time to upgrade from fluorescent to LED.

Ikea launches a new $10 smart bulb

The just-released Tradfri LED bulb E26 250 lumen isn’t Ikea’s first smart light bulb — far from it. As of this writing, Ikea sells at least ten different smart lights. Yet, the newest addition to the Tradfri smart light family stands out for two reasons. First, it’s the company’s first smart filament light bulb, meaning it’s more decorative and glows a little warmer (2200 kelvin to be exact). And two, it costs just $10, which is significantly cheaper than other smart filament light bulbs, most significantly the $25 smart filament bulb by Philips Hue.

Power up the outdoors with these supercharged lighting systems

Michigan-based TwistHDM teamed up with lighting controls expert Lutron on a robust wireless lighting control solution for parking lots and garages. Limelight by Lutron directly connects to Lutron’s in-house control system, Enterprise Vue, efficiently managing an entire building’s lighting from a single platform.

Bulbrite Solana Color Changing LED Smart Light Bulb

Bulbrite has been in the lighting business for more than 40 years, but the Solana 60W Color Changing LED marks the company's entry into the smart bulb arena. Priced at $17.99, the Solana is a Wi-Fi-enabled color LED light bulb that you can control from anywhere using your phone and a user-friendly mobile app. It provides rich colors and a nice range of white light, as well as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control. But it was unable to gradually brighten when set to wake-up mode in testing, and it lacks the support for Apple HomeKit and IFTTT that you get with our Editors' Choice, the $25.99 Yeelight Smart LED Bulb.

Norfolk-Based Specialist in LED lighting Re-brand as TLS Lighting

Norfolk-based specialist supplier previously known as TLS Pixelite has rebranded and will be known as TLS lighting. The company is known for LED lights and control solutions. With this new development, TLS Lighting revealed a fresh and consolidated company image to “reflect the company’s evolution and future direction.” From its origins as Technical Lighting Solutions, founded by Alan Reeves in 2007, the company has grown from strength to strength offering innovative and high-quality control systems for LED lighting as well as bespoke manufacture and design of lighting solutions for customers.

Balsam Hill Debuts Stunning LED Tree Light Collection

Balsam Hill, renowned for its lifelike, artificial Christmas Trees, introduces its 2019 Collection of Christmas Tree Lights.  Embracing new LED technology, The Collection features the first fiber optic lights on the show-stopping Broadway Fiber Optics Tree, whose fiber optic light strands create the illusion of draping the tree in thousands of clear or spectacularly colored lights. The tree comes with 23 different light show options for several looks and can be personalized according to color, speed setting, mood or function.

The Color + Clear Collection showcases new LED technology that allows customers to use a remote control and dimmer to change to all color lights or all clear lights (or both) and adjust the brightness from subtle shadows to stunningly bright.

Adapting the multi-color LED light option to today's lifestyles, the Twinkly Lights Collection is connected to a free app allowing the user to control the color of each bulb, pulse the lights to music, create light shows.

The Celestial Fairy Light Collection presents new LED technology as magical dew drops on an ultra-thin wire, perfect for Balsam Hill's purposely sparse, natural looking trees and on frosted trees that mimic the appearance of beautiful snow-covered branches.

The Collection also includes Micro LED, lights as small as pencil erasers and Ultrabright LEDs with a massive number of lights, perfect for people who prefer their trees blanketed in lights.

LED light technology has evolved dramatically since first introduced and is now a substantially smarter choice than once-traditional incandescent lights. A LED light bulb can burn up to 50,000 hours compared with 2,000-3,000 hours for an incandescent bulb and uses approximately one kilowatt of energy each hour, while an incandescent bulb uses at least 12 kilowatts, resulting in dramatic cost-savings. Balsam Hill's LED technology features lights that reflect colors luminously and accurately, are encased in virtually non-breakable plastic and have a life span of up to eight years. Because LED bulbs use much less energy than incandescent bulbs, they are better for the environment and since they don't heat up, they pose less threat of fire, unlike incandescent lights. They are less likely to break when the tree is packed up for the season.

Cree Partners ZF to Create Efficient Electric Drive

Cree reported its strategic partnership with German’s ZF Friedrichshafen for highly efficient electric drivelines development. With this strategic partnership, ZF and Cree are intensifying their existing cooperation. “We're delighted that we're building on our cooperation with Cree using their Wolfspeed silicon carbide technology and are absolutely convinced that combining our strengths will further improve efficiency and competitive edge for our components and systems,” said Jörg Grotendorst, Head of the ZF E-Mobility Division.

Fluence by Osram to Support JWC with Its Horticulture LED Lighting Solutions Lighting

James E. Wagner Cultivation (JWC) announced that it has entered into a mutually collaborative product trial and evaluation agreement with Fluence Bioengineering, a Osram subsidiary, to test and provide feedback regarding the performance, functionality and suitability of Fluence’s VYPR 2p Broad Spectrum LED lighting solution. Analysis will be conducted under the Agreement for a term of eight months to assess whether JWC can further improve its high level of energy efficiency by using lighting equipment provided by Fluence to help optimize cultivation performance at its flagship JWC2 facility in Ontario, Canada.