We believe that a rash of recent stories, suggesting that Cambridge University researchers have solved all the barriers to low-cost LED lighting, are overblown. The hype being generated could have a damaging effect on the LED lighting industry.
Read the Opinion piece on the LEDs Magazine website and give us your comments.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
White LEDs fail to match hype
Frazer Monks of Exhibitas Design recently wrote to LEDs Magazine to explain his decision to stop specifying lamps based on white LEDs.
Read the Letter in full.
"As an exhibition designer and lighting specifier I have been a keen advocate of white LED lighting in exhibitions, but recently I have had to reconsider this decision," says Monks.
"There is an urgent need for the white LED lighting industry to develop a more transparent and meaningful framework for the specification and performance rating of white LED-based lamps.
"If this is not done then I believe that many of the developmental gains of the last few years may be squandered as users are put off by the poor performance of some products...
"I have been forced to replace whole lighting systems at my cost and consequently I have had to take the decision to not specify white LED lighting until such time as I can be confident in the specifications and lamp life.
"Unless the true performance of white LEDs can be dramatically improved or costs substantially reduced then this technology may yet prove to be a dead man walking."
Your comments on this subject are very welcome.
Read the Letter in full.
"As an exhibition designer and lighting specifier I have been a keen advocate of white LED lighting in exhibitions, but recently I have had to reconsider this decision," says Monks.
"There is an urgent need for the white LED lighting industry to develop a more transparent and meaningful framework for the specification and performance rating of white LED-based lamps.
"If this is not done then I believe that many of the developmental gains of the last few years may be squandered as users are put off by the poor performance of some products...
"I have been forced to replace whole lighting systems at my cost and consequently I have had to take the decision to not specify white LED lighting until such time as I can be confident in the specifications and lamp life.
"Unless the true performance of white LEDs can be dramatically improved or costs substantially reduced then this technology may yet prove to be a dead man walking."
Your comments on this subject are very welcome.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Europe bans incandescent lamps
On December 8, 2008, EU Member States' experts endorsed the European Commission's proposals for a regulation progressively phasing out incandescent bulbs starting in 2009 and finishing at the end of 2012 (see News story).
The regulation (scheduled for formal adoption by the Commission in March 2009) targets lamps typically used in households - in particular incandescent lamps, halogen lamps and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) - by setting minimum energy efficiency and functionality requirements.
Beginning in September 2009, all non-clear (frosted) incandescent lamps and all clear incandescent lamps at 100W and above will effectively be prohibited from sale. The staged phase-out process will then remove lower-power incandescents from the market as well.
An EU document entitled "Phasing out incandescent bulbs in the EU - Technical briefing" describes LEDs as "a fast-emerging technology, whose efficacy competes with that of CFLs. However, LEDs for room illumination are today only in the first phases of commercialisation, and rare are those that fulfil all the expectations of the consumers in terms of light output and other functionalities. They are likely to become true alternatives to CFLs very rapidly."
In the meantime, however, CFLs are the forefront the EU's plans to enhance the adoption of energy-efficient lighting.
The EU's decision has been applauded by the European lighting giants Philips and Osram, the world's two largest lighting companies.
However, there are many groups such as the Professional Lighting Designers Association (PLDA) that feel a ban on incandescents is not warranted, given the inherent problems with CFLs and their unsuitability for many applications. See the PLDA's Letter on this subject.
The effect of the EU's decision on LEDs is yet to be determined. On one hand, it could accelerate the adoption of LED lamps as customers look for energy-efficient lighting products that do not have the same deficiencies as CFLs.
However, LED lamps in general have not yet reached the necessary price-performance point to compete effectively in the market. Pushing inferior or expensive products into the market could create a negative perception among consumers, which could be difficult to shake off.
Another factor is that CFLs will be forced to improve rapidly, in turn reducing the advantage of switching to LEDs, although most people agree that LEDs will be the solution for most lighting applications in the longer term.
Let us know what you think.
The regulation (scheduled for formal adoption by the Commission in March 2009) targets lamps typically used in households - in particular incandescent lamps, halogen lamps and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) - by setting minimum energy efficiency and functionality requirements.
Beginning in September 2009, all non-clear (frosted) incandescent lamps and all clear incandescent lamps at 100W and above will effectively be prohibited from sale. The staged phase-out process will then remove lower-power incandescents from the market as well.
An EU document entitled "Phasing out incandescent bulbs in the EU - Technical briefing" describes LEDs as "a fast-emerging technology, whose efficacy competes with that of CFLs. However, LEDs for room illumination are today only in the first phases of commercialisation, and rare are those that fulfil all the expectations of the consumers in terms of light output and other functionalities. They are likely to become true alternatives to CFLs very rapidly."
In the meantime, however, CFLs are the forefront the EU's plans to enhance the adoption of energy-efficient lighting.
The EU's decision has been applauded by the European lighting giants Philips and Osram, the world's two largest lighting companies.
However, there are many groups such as the Professional Lighting Designers Association (PLDA) that feel a ban on incandescents is not warranted, given the inherent problems with CFLs and their unsuitability for many applications. See the PLDA's Letter on this subject.
The effect of the EU's decision on LEDs is yet to be determined. On one hand, it could accelerate the adoption of LED lamps as customers look for energy-efficient lighting products that do not have the same deficiencies as CFLs.
However, LED lamps in general have not yet reached the necessary price-performance point to compete effectively in the market. Pushing inferior or expensive products into the market could create a negative perception among consumers, which could be difficult to shake off.
Another factor is that CFLs will be forced to improve rapidly, in turn reducing the advantage of switching to LEDs, although most people agree that LEDs will be the solution for most lighting applications in the longer term.
Let us know what you think.
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