Basic Information on LED Lights
Many people are not aware that LED Lights is in fact quite an established technology having been first used in the 1960’s .
LED light bulbs were originally used as a substitute for incandescent indicators and displays in laboratory apparatus and eventually in TV’s, watches, radios and calculators. It has only been in recent times that the technology has become financially viable to be used in homes and businesses .
EFFICIENT POWER…
Ordinary light bulbs only convert around 10% of the electrical power it consumes into light with the rest being output as heat, LED lights on the other hand converts more than 70% into usable directional light making them far more economical .
LED’s also last for more than 50,000 hours, substantially longer than both incandescent and CFL. Used continuously they will last nearly 6 years .
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY…
LED lighting is safe, environmentally friendly and contains no toxic mercury.
LED lights use 90% less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs and a lesser amount of than half the energy of compact fluorescent lamps. Consuming a reduced amount of power results in less greenhouse gas emissions being released into our environment .
LED’s are designed to last for 50,000 hours more resulting in fewer resources being used as there is no longer the need to replace used bulbs that gets thrown into the dustbin The LED life cycle is also healthier for the natural environment because of their long lifespan there is much less garbage from burn out LED bulbs and this reduces the load on recycling depots and rubbish dumps .
The below is a short history of man-made light
The History of man-made light is based on heat – wax, Oill and Gas burn to produce light. The filament in an incandescent bulb heats up to produce light. Gas in a fluorescent tube is zapped to illuminate .
The basic method has been ” Heat it up and it glows”
For more than 120 Years, incandescent light bulbs have brightened and warmed our lives. Electric powered bulbs were a major improvement over candle, gas and oil light sources – but they are extremely ineffecient. Up to 90% of the power going into the bulb is converted to heat!
While fluorescent lights are far more cost-effective than incandescent bulbs the fact that they contain mercury, one of the most poisonous substances on earth, makes them a hazard to use and makes disposal very dangerous. Mercury seeps into the ground and contaminates water and soil for thousands of years .
In the past 4 years a new light source has emerged that is sufficiently bright and effective to be used for general illumination.
LED characteristics – economical, long lasting and non-toxic makes them the most exciting development in man-made light ever! . The first commercially viable LED was introduced in 2006 and now lighting manufacturers around the world are producing a whole new class of LED products for general illumination.
Light Emitting Diodes (LED’s) are solid state lighting components. They are not flimsy or easily broken making them easy to use and transport . LED’s are many times more cost-effective than Incandescent Bulbs. Just as vacuum tubes were replaced with solid state components, the last remaining vacuum tube light bulbs are being replaced by solid state components.
Imagine a grain of sand that emits a very bright light when an electrical current is applied. That’s essentially an LED. The actual science and manufacturing process to develop an LED is quite complex, but the principle is simple .
The first LED’s for commercial applications were red. They functioned as on/off indicators in electronic devices such as VCR’s, calculators, strereo systems and even automobile sub-systems. Eventually LED’s were produced in green and amber as well. The major breakthrough can in 1989 when CREE, INC. of Durham in the United States, started shipping the first commercially viable blue LED based on silicon carbide. The blue LED enabled white LED’s to be made because mixing red, blue and green light produces white.
Today a more cost-effective and cost effective white LED is revolutionising the lighting world. The white LED, based on a blue LED chip coated with phosphor is bright and efficient enough to be used in general illumination.
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