Getting the green light: LEDs can provide a viable lighting alternative
Schumer's relationship with LED lighting began when he started a small motorcycle—accessory business, Rider West. His desire to buy small LED lights directly from a Chinese manufacturer sparked an interest in another product, white LED lighting, and its green potential. BlueStar Lighting soon followed.
To showcase the new technology, Schumer outfitted a local business, The Record Collector in Sugar House, with LED lighting. The LED bulbs, with their distinctive dot pattern, seem almost arty in comparison to the look of the old fluorescent lights. Owner Dave Hansen said customers comment on the unusual look but often don't notice a difference in the light quality. Hansen likes the way the light beams are focused and the fact that it seems a little brighter in the store. The installation is relatively new, but he's looking forward to a real impact on his electric bill with the more energy-efficient bulbs.
How light occurs
Light is the energy released from an atom when the electrons become excited. Electrons circle the nucleus of the atom, and their orbital distance is determined by their energy level. The more energized, the farther their orbit. As their energy level diminishes, they drop into a lower orbit, releasing light in the form of photons.
LED lighting
In an LED, electrons move across a diode and fall from a conductive band (energized orbit) to a lower orbit, and in the process, release photons, as illustrated above. All diodes release light, but only diodes composed of certain materials will produce light visible to the human eye.
History
Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, were invented by H.J. Round in 1907. The technology remained dormant until 1962, when Nick Holonyak at General Electric used the red lights in appliances and electronic indicators.
Currently, LED lights are employed in a multitude of electronic devices and appliances, including large- screen video displays used for advertising and sports.
The use of white LED lighting for commercial and home use is a more recent development. Because LED light is emitted in either red, green or blue, white light is achieved through combining all three colors or modifying a blue light. LED lights can have a cooler blue cast or be manipulated to cast a warmer yellow hue.
LED advantages
LED lights produce more light per watt. An LED bulb can save from 60 percent to 90 percent in energy
LED lights can emit color without the use of filters found in standard lighting.
The color of LED lighting remains constant when dimmed; incandescent lights take on a more yellow cast.
LED lighting is more durable. Because the lights have no filament, are 100 percent solid state and encapsulated in epoxy resin, they are more resistant to vibration and difficult to break.
Lost energy
Cool lighting, such as LED and fluorescent bulbs, give off most of its energy as light.
Incandescent bulbs are highly inefficient, emitting 90 percent of their energy as heat and only 10 percent as light.
Recent comments
From the Sun, imagine that! God said "let there be light"...
Free Light | May 6, 2008 at 10:56 a.m.
I like LEDs. They are very effecient.
I like fiber optics...
The Rock | May 4, 2008 at 5:17 p.m.
I firmly believe, when GOD, saw it was time for man to get the light...
jtvalentine | May 4, 2008 at 4:54 p.m.
