LED Lighting and its future
Recently while attending a seminar talking about innovation I came across a Presentation about LED Lighting. As the presentation progressed I came to realize how much Potential LED holds for us.
Apart from saving Energy compared to the regular Bulbs or Tubes that are used these also provide innovation in the Look and Feel.
So what are LEDs basically ?
Light emitting diodes, commonly called LEDs, are real unsung heroes in the electronics world. They do dozens of different jobs and are found in all kinds of devices. Among other things, they form the numbers on digital clocks, transmit information from remote controls, light up watches and tell you when your appliances are turned on. Collected together, they can form images on a jumbo television screen or illuminate a traffic light.
Basically, LEDs are just tiny light bulbs that fit easily into an electrical circuit. But unlike ordinary incandescent bulbs, they don’t have a filament that will burn out, and they don’t get especially hot. They are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material, and they last just as long as a standard transistor.
What are the advantages of using LED s ?
LEDs have several advantages over conventional incandescent lamps. For one thing, they don’t have a filament that will burn out, so they last much longer. Additionally, their small plastic bulb makes them a lot more durable. They also fit more easily into modern electronic circuits.
But the main advantage is efficiency. In conventional incandescent bulbs, the light-production process involves generating a lot of heat (the filament must be warmed). This is completely wasted energy, unless you’re using the lamp as a heater, because a huge portion of the available electricity isn’t going toward producing visible light. LEDs generate very little heat, relatively speaking. A much higher percentage of the electrical power is going directly to generating light, which cuts down on the electricity demands considerably.
Up until recently, LEDs were too expensive to use for most lighting applications because they’re built around advanced semiconductor material. The price of semiconductor devices has plummeted over the past decade, however, making LEDs a more cost-effective lighting option for a wide range of situations. While they may be more expensive than incandescent lights up front, their lower cost in the long run can make them a better buy. In the future, they will play an even bigger role in the world of technology.
But the important thing is LEDs are now practically being used. In India in a City called Pune this has replaced the conventional lightning mechanism.
If the street lighting in Pune was to change over to using LED street lights,this is how it would pan out.Pune has about 1,50,000 street lights, most of them being 250 watts Sodium Vapour.At a special rate of Rs.2.90 / kW, the electricity the PMC coughs up is approximately Rs.11 lakhs per day and carbon emitted by these inefficient lights is nearly 161 tons.By using LED based street lights which consume 45 watts,the PMC will spend Rs.2 lakhs for equal effect and will be save about Rs.60-70 per point per month on maintenance costs.Along with this the city will be benefited reduced carbon emission of approximately 130 tons per night.The value of carbon units amounts to more than Rs.2 lakhs per day.This means the city would be lit up at no cost!
Tags: LED