Recently in Environmental Impact of LED Lights Category

If all decorative light strings sold in America this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, we would save over 2 billion kWh per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to nearly 300,000 cars!

ENERGY STAR qualified decorative light strings — many which feature LED technology — consume 75% less energy than conventional incandescent lights strands.

ENERGY STAR Qualified Decorative Light Strings:

• Can last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent strands.
• Are cool to the touch, reducing the risk of fire.
• Do not have moving parts, filaments or glass, so they are much more durable and shock-resistant than other light strings.
• Are available in a variety of colors, shapes and lengths.
• Come with a three-year warranty, meaning fewer light string replacements.
• Are independently tested to meet strict lifetime and electrical requirements.
• Products labeled for outdoor use are subjected to weathering tests.
• Some models deliver features such as dimming or color shifting.

When you start shopping or installing your Christmas or Hoiday lighting this year...think ENERGY savings... think

ENERGY STAR rated LED decorative light strings!  You'll save at the same time you brighting your neighborhood!

 

The California Department of Transportation has been involved with the development of LED traffic signal modules for more than a decade. The recent energy crisis played a key role in speeding up the statewide conversion from incandescent lights to LEDs.

The Institute of Transportation Engineer's Future Directions Advisory Committee (FDAC) was appointed to identify and consider the trends and issues facing the Institute and the transportation profession. The FDAC gathered and reviewed information on transportation issues and identified trends:

• continuing increase in demand for transportation;
• Population increases and urbanization increase traffic flows
  
• traffic congestion;
• Progarmmable controllers and LED lights can improve communications and monitor/measure and adapt to traffic congestion
  
• transportation programs to help meet air quality and energy goals;
• Think saving energy, reducing greenhouse gases and reducing wasted mileage on the streets
  
• greater mix of revenue sources for transportation;
• Think BLUE LEDs on traffic signals to identify traffic violations!
  
• federal government setting the direction for transportation programs;
• Think funding...and ubiquitious traffic communications for tourism and travelers
  
• operations and demand management taking precedence over increasing capacity;
• Less is better...especially vehicles on the road.  Less oil consumption, less congestion, less accidents, less infrastructure costs...
  
• intelligent vehicle highway systems
• Programmable systems adapt to changing conditions and can even be predictive and take immediate steps to reroute traffic, etc. 
  

Environmental Advantage for LEEDTM Certification by USGBC

LED lights offer numerous environmental benefits over other types of lighting for today's environmentally-conscious facilities and for buildings working toward LEED certification.

• Longer life ratings for less waste for landfills
  
• Daylight harvesting capabilities with solar power
  
• Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHs) compliant
• No mercury or lead is used in the product
  

Earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) points by using KramerLED fixtures. See how by reviewing Kramer Lighting's  LED Lighting Systems in Sustainable Building Design brochure.

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich announced his city’s participation n the LED City® program, an international program that promotes the deployment of energy-efficient LED lighting. This initiative is in conjunction with an energy-related effort calling for the retrofit of all 16,000 municipal roadway lights with high-efficiency LED fixtures.

“I am pleased to announce the appropriation of $2.2 million to enable the city to purchase LED fixtures to change out roughly one-quarter of Anchorage’s streetlights,” notes Mayor Begich. “We have studied new lighting technology extensively over the past several months to validate energy and maintenance cost savings. We also conducted a lighting conference and public survey in March of this year that showed our residents overwhelmingly approve of the new white LED lighting. With this feedback and quantified costs savings research in hand, we are confident in moving ahead with the broad deployment of LED lighting for our roadways.”

The continental US has more than eight hours of daylight per day. Here in Anchorage, approximately 85 days a year we see less than eight hours of daylight.

“Lighting is absolutely critical to daily life in Anchorage. The continental US has more than eight hours of daylight per day. Here in Anchorage, approximately 85 days a year see less than eight hours of daylight. It is significant that this community is at the forefront of adopting energy-efficient lighting,” notes Deb Lovig, Cree LED City program manager. “Cree and the other LED Cities welcome Anchorage into the program and look forward to learning from this large-scale installation as the city pushes forward for energy and maintenance savings with LED lighting.”

The LED fixtures from BetaLED are expected to use 50-percent less energy than current streetlights, which could save the city $360,000 annually at today’s energy prices. The LED fixtures, based on performance-leading Cree XLamp LEDs, typically last up to seven times longer than high-pressure sodium fixtures, allowing Anchorage to better utilize maintenance resources.

Despite a slumping economy, new store venue is seen as smart strategy by a lighting store in Fort Myers, FL.

The roughly $3 million building will offer a host of improvements over the current location, including a two-story atrium for grand chandelier displays, light lifts in the ceiling - a motorized apparatus that allows chandeliers to be lowered to eye level - and a customer service area separate from the showroom.

LED Signage Attracts Consumer Traffic

The exterior will be highlighted by a roughly 35-foot-tall electric sign with a 9-foot by 14-foot LED screen that can be used for advertisements and demonstrations.

In response to the downturn, the Bebbers have tightened their credit policies, reduced overhead through such things as cutting energy usage by using fluorescent display lighting and dramatically increased retail advertising. The additional advertising has meant a boost in retail trade over the past year, as has a moving sale that began in January.

Sector Marketing Strategy Shifts to Consumer Remodeling

"We felt a lot of people would keep their money and turn to remodeling and home improvements, so we started marketing to them to try and make up for the lack of the volume-builder business," Chuck Bebber said.

Today, retail customers represent about two-thirds of the store's business, a position commercial customers occupied before the advertising blitz.

<a href="http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080627/BUSINESS/806270357/1014">READ MORE</a>

LUXEON power LEDs from Philips Lumileds are poised to rapidly increase their presence in front-of-vehicle applications with expected European Union regulations mandating daytime running lamps (DRLs) on new cars beginning in 2011.

One of the major factors driving LUXEON use will be the dramatic reduction in DRL power consumption (Watts), on the order of 80%, made possible by energy-efficient LED technology.

Audi and VW currently offer LUXEON-based daytime running lights, and several other carmakers are
preparing to release vehicles with LUXEON-based DRLs over 2008-09 as part of a movement to improve road safety by increasing vehicle visibility during daylight hours.


This energy savings is critical because DRLs built with conventional bulbs consume more power than any other exterior lighting application due to their always-on daylight use, potentially running afoul of today’s fuel economy standards.

A typical DRL solution with incandescent or halogen bulbs uses 40-80 Watts of power. LUXEON-based
DRLs consume 10 Watts of power or less because of the technology’s low power demands and energy
efficiency.

Given these benefits, any new regulation requiring DRLs is expected to drive broader LUXEON adoption for
daytime running lamps as well as other forward automotive lighting applications. Already, LUXEON
technology is lighting the world’s first all-LED headlight on the Audi R8 supercar.

“Today LED DRLs are used on fewer than 1% of vehicles, in part because daytime running lamps are not
required in most countries. If the new regulation by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe moves ahead as expected, it will increase that number dramatically because of the low power usage,
longevity and design flexibility of LEDs compared to conventional light sources,” said Scott Kern, Vice
President, Automotive Sales, for Philips Lumileds. “LUXEON LEDs promise to lead the market because of
their reliability, high quality white light, and proven performance in the automotive industry.”

Over the years, Philips Lumileds has pioneered many automotive exterior lighting applications with its
LUXEON, SuperFlux and SnapLED products. In addition to driving the industry’s first all-LED daytime
running lamp and all-LED headlamp, the company’s solid-state lighting technology has enabled the world’s
first all-LED rear combination lamp, first single-LED stop-tail lamp, first LED front-, rear- and side-mirror
turn signals.

How intuitive graphical data sets help lighting designers accurately predict power LED reliability in different operating environments.

When designing LED-based lighting systems, engineers need to understand LED lumen maintenance and mortality in similar terms to those used when designing with conventional light sources. However, comparable data has been nearly impossible to find. In addition, designers need extra information to predict the lifetime of LEDs under a variety of operating conditions. A number of techniques to predict LED lifetimes have been proposed, but these have not been sufficient to generate the clear and unambiguous data that lighting engineers can use easily. This white paper provides lighting designers with an understanding of a new tool introduced by Philips Lumileds Lighting Company that simplifies the process allowing full flexibility in design options. This one tool provides designers with information that they need to make decisions about product lifetimes, driver constraints, number of LEDs required, and thermal management.

1. Aging and failure modes of lighting sources
2. Established lighting industry definitions of useful life
3. Established LED industry definitions: Lumen maintenance
4. Understanding LED operation and lifetimes
5. Completing the expression for lumen maintenance
6. Designing with B/L data for optimal lighting performance
7. Predicting LED lifetimes

Conclusion
The lighting industry needs LED manufacturers to provide data that is compatible with current design practice. However, this only answers a part of the challenge. LED vendors should also be in a position to provide more detailed information about product lifetimes under various operating conditions. This data allows lighting designers to deliver the best combination of purchase price, lighting performance, and cost of ownership for the life of the product.

From a user’s perspective, this data is most usefully expressed as a combination of B- and Llifetime as junction temperature and forward current are varied. This allows the system designer to make intelligent choices about the number of LEDs required, how they are driven, and the operating temperature.

Every power LED customer should therefore expect their supplier to provide this data as a matter of course, in any combination of B, L, Tj and If values, with clear definitions of failures (e.g. lumen maintenance below specified condition, electrical failures).

Download the PDF report "Understanding Power LED Lifetime Analysis"

SYLVANIA LED lighting products are rated by several certification agencies to provide customers with choice to meet their commercial and residential lighting needs, requirements and prerequisites for green building rating systems.

Three widely recognized lighting quality and application systems are listed below.  Sylvania products are regularly submitted for these kinds of certification and compliance programs.  Check their website for specific technical informatino.
 

In 2007 Cree and Raleigh, North Carolina, Launch Nation’s First “LED City” with Cost-Saving Municipal Lighting

Raleigh Recognizes Greater than 40 Percent Energy Savings as Municipal Garage Switches to LED Lighting.

Cree, Inc., a U.S.-based leader in LED solid-state lighting components, and the City of Raleigh, North Carolina, the anchor city in a rapidly growing metro area, developed a joint, city-wide initiative to test, deploy and promote LED technology focused on a variety of general lighting applications.

The “LED City” initiative will create a “living laboratory” to deliver the economic, environmental and usage benefits of LED lighting to the urban residents.

The first project is focused on validating both the cost savings and technology capabilities of LEDs through an installation of LED lighting in the City’s Municipal Building parking deck.

Both Cree and Raleigh public officials expect the initiative to serve as a model for other cities that are considering implementing energy-efficient infrastructures.

As part of the commitment to creating an “LED City,” Raleigh plans to deploy LED lighting, through its living-laboratory initiative, to serve a number of lighting applications over the next 18 months including:

• garage and parking lot lights
• street lights
• architectural and accent lighting
• portable lighting
• pedestrian and walkway lighting

Cree, the City of Raleigh and Lighting Science Group Corporation (OTCBB: LSGP) of Dallas, TX, also announced initial results of the first installation of the LED City initiative. LED-based lighting fixtures, provided by Lighting Science Group, were installed by Amtech Lighting Services in the Raleigh Municipal Building parking deck in December 2006. Progress Energy, Raleigh’s primary electric utility provider, says the floor equipped with LED lights uses over 40 percent less energy than the standard lighting system. Plus, according to Progress Energy’s research, the quality of light in the garage is greatly improved.

“The economic benefits for municipalities to invest in LEDs are clear – they

• save energy
• reduce environmental impact
  
• improve the quality of light

As leaders in one of America’s fastest growing cities, it’s our civic responsibility to invest in the future and ensure the highest possible quality of life and safety for our citizens in generations to come,” stated Charles Meeker, Raleigh mayor. “We believe that the cost savings and benefits of LED lighting are real and achievable today.”

“Today’s announcement represents a milestone toward large-scale adoption of clean, energy-efficient technologies,” commented Kateri Callahan, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance to Save Energy (ASE).

“Raleigh’s progressive commitment to becoming the first ‘LED City’ will no doubt serve as a model for other cities seeking to improve energy consumption and reduce negative impacts on the environment. We commend Cree and the City of Raleigh for helping support our mission of achieving a healthier economy, a cleaner environment and greater energy security.”

“The City of Raleigh is willing to set the pace, and we invite other municipalities to join us in developing energy-efficient civic centers,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree CEO and chairman. “This leading-edge effort establishes an important driver for LED adoption within the United States.”

About the City of Raleigh, N.C.
The City of Raleigh is the municipal government for North Carolina’s capital city. Raleigh’s  reputation for the high quality of living has grown the population to more than 350,000. The City is proud to provide the leadership, direction and daily services that have contributed to Raleigh being among America’s most livable cities.

About Lighting Science Group Corporation
Lighting Science Group Corporation (www.lsgc.com) designs and sells highly energy-efficient and environmentally friendly lighting solutions based on its proprietary Optimized Digital Lighting® (ODL®) technology. The Company's patented and patent-pending designs and manufacturing processes enable affordable, efficient and long-lasting LED-based lighting systems to be quickly deployed in existing lighting applications and produce immediate cost savings and environmental benefits. Products include low bay fixtures for parking garages and industrial facilities, MR-16, R30, R25, G11, G25, candelabra and flame tip bulbs, which can be purchased at store.lsgc.com.

About Cree, Inc.
Cree is a market-leading innovator and manufacturer of semiconductors and devices in solid-state lighting, power and communications products for energy performance and efficiency. Key to Cree’s market advantage is its materials expertise in silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) for chips and packaged devices that can handle more power in a smaller space while producing less heat than other available technologies, materials and products.

Cree licenses its  technology into multiple applications, including  alternatives in brighter and more-tunable light for general illumination, backlighting for more-vivid displays, optimized power management for high-current, switch-mode power supplies and variable-speed motors, and more-effective wireless infrastructure for data and voice communications. Cree customers range from lighting-fixture makers to defense-related federal agencies.

Cree’s product families include blue and green LED chips, lighting LEDs, LED backlighting solutions, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. For additional product specifications please refer to www.cree.com.