The 50th anniversary of the birth of the LED is being celebrated at the University of Illinois with participation from the LED inventor himself, Nick Holonyak Jr.
On the 9th of October 1962 Holonyak, who was then a consulting scientist at General Electric, demonstrated the first practical, visible spectrum LED at the company’s advanced semiconductor laboratory in Syracuse, New York. This first III-V alloy PN junction design is the prototype for all high-brightness LEDs made today.
Many of the researchers who studied under Holonyak have subsequently refined the technology, through improvements in crystal manufacturing techniques, to develop bright-light LEDs in every colour, including white.
Read more - http://www.lighting.co.uk/news/happy-50th-birthday-to-the-led/8636890.article
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Monday, 17 September 2012
UK Carbon Trust pours cash into fuel cell systems
In a bid to reduce the costs of fuel cells for automobiles, the UK’s Carbon Trust (logo, pictured) has poured £1.95million into two fuel cell companies. The beneficiaries are ITM Power and ACAL Energy, which have the goal of delivering a step change to the cost of fuel cell technology: to around $35/kW. The investments are part of the Polymer Fuel Cells Challenge, which was set up in 2009.
Fuel cell systems that are currently under development are estimated to cost around $50/kW. However, the Carbon Trust believes that if fuel cell cars are to realistically compete with vehicles with internal combustion engines, then these costs must be reduced to around $35/kW. In order to achieve this cost reduction, it will be necessary to achieve significant technological breakthroughs and so now the Carbon Trust has turned to ACAL Energy and ITM Power to make the next step.
Read more - http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/09/04/uk-carbon-trust-pours-cash-into-fuel-cell-systems/
Fuel cell systems that are currently under development are estimated to cost around $50/kW. However, the Carbon Trust believes that if fuel cell cars are to realistically compete with vehicles with internal combustion engines, then these costs must be reduced to around $35/kW. In order to achieve this cost reduction, it will be necessary to achieve significant technological breakthroughs and so now the Carbon Trust has turned to ACAL Energy and ITM Power to make the next step.
Read more - http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2012/09/04/uk-carbon-trust-pours-cash-into-fuel-cell-systems/
Monday, 6 August 2012
New service to help commercial property occupiers cut energy bills
Owners or occupiers of commercial properties now have a new way of accessing cutting-edge advice on reducing their energy bills.
Real estate adviser Savills has teamed up with the Carbon Trust Implementation Services to offer a one-stop solution for occupiers across many sectors, including retail, leisure, warehousing, industry and hospitality, to help them reduce their carbon emissions and cut costs.
Non-domestic buildings make up 18% of the UK's total carbon footprint, and the Trust estimates that the sector can deliver at least £4bn in energy savings for the British economy by 2020.
Specialist advisers on the team will be able to offer their expertise on topics such as lighting, heating, ventilation and high efficiency air-conditioning which can, as well as reducing bills, making property more commercially attractive. They will give timeframes for return on investment, and help to develop a business case.
They will also provide best practice examples and employee engagement checklists and assist with the tendering process, providing access to a trusted pool of accredited suppliers, matching customers with the right skills at the right price.
The Carbon Trust says: "Energy efficiency is a fantastic opportunity to drive down costs to help the UK's economy in the face of a double-dip recession and to meet national carbon targets. For example, a typical retail organisation could cut their lighting energy bill by up to 70% through installing new lighting fittings and effective controls."
Read More - http://www.eaem.co.uk/news/new-service-help-commercial-property-occupiers-cut-energy-bills
Real estate adviser Savills has teamed up with the Carbon Trust Implementation Services to offer a one-stop solution for occupiers across many sectors, including retail, leisure, warehousing, industry and hospitality, to help them reduce their carbon emissions and cut costs.
Non-domestic buildings make up 18% of the UK's total carbon footprint, and the Trust estimates that the sector can deliver at least £4bn in energy savings for the British economy by 2020.
Specialist advisers on the team will be able to offer their expertise on topics such as lighting, heating, ventilation and high efficiency air-conditioning which can, as well as reducing bills, making property more commercially attractive. They will give timeframes for return on investment, and help to develop a business case.
They will also provide best practice examples and employee engagement checklists and assist with the tendering process, providing access to a trusted pool of accredited suppliers, matching customers with the right skills at the right price.
The Carbon Trust says: "Energy efficiency is a fantastic opportunity to drive down costs to help the UK's economy in the face of a double-dip recession and to meet national carbon targets. For example, a typical retail organisation could cut their lighting energy bill by up to 70% through installing new lighting fittings and effective controls."
Read More - http://www.eaem.co.uk/news/new-service-help-commercial-property-occupiers-cut-energy-bills
White LED Lighting Grows Directly On Paper
White LEDs that can be printed and manufactured directly on paper have been developed by researcher Gul Amin from Linköping University.
With the development of this new technology, applications as diverse as luminous curtains, bright wallpaper that functions as lighting, self-lit books, etc., are possible.
Gul Amin, in his doctoral thesis at the Physical Electronics and Nanotechnology group, Campus Norrköping, demonstrated how it's possible for white LEDs to be grown directly on paper. And also, as an example, how to print them on wallpaper - the method for this is currently patent pending.
The LEDs, which are made from zinc oxide and a conducting polymer, can be manufactured directly on paper. The active components of the technology "are nanorods of zinc oxide on a thin layer of polydiethylflourene (PFO), a conducting polymer. But the paper has first been coated with a thin, water-repellent, protective and levelling layer of cyclotene, a resin."
Read More - http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20120711/white-led-lighting-grows-directly-paper.htm
With the development of this new technology, applications as diverse as luminous curtains, bright wallpaper that functions as lighting, self-lit books, etc., are possible.
Gul Amin, in his doctoral thesis at the Physical Electronics and Nanotechnology group, Campus Norrköping, demonstrated how it's possible for white LEDs to be grown directly on paper. And also, as an example, how to print them on wallpaper - the method for this is currently patent pending.
The LEDs, which are made from zinc oxide and a conducting polymer, can be manufactured directly on paper. The active components of the technology "are nanorods of zinc oxide on a thin layer of polydiethylflourene (PFO), a conducting polymer. But the paper has first been coated with a thin, water-repellent, protective and levelling layer of cyclotene, a resin."
Read More - http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20120711/white-led-lighting-grows-directly-paper.htm
Friday, 6 July 2012
Free webinars for LED lighting controller design
A series of free webinars co-hosted by MSC Gleichmann UK and Renesas Electronics are intended to provide engineering insight in use of digital control techniques in LED-based lighting products.
The online sessions will demonstrate how microcontroller-based techniques can be used to reduce system cost, increase energy efficiency and make used of various forms of connectivity.
Aimed at experienced designers and MCU novices alike, the webinars will provide specific examples of how to implement basic and advanced functions such as constant-current LED control, power factor correction (PFC), colour mixing, flashing and dimming sequencing, and sensor interfacing. Delegates will also learn the principles of DALI and DMX512 communications.
The first of these registration-only events will take place on July 5 at 11am. To register, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/690615569
Further events will take place on September 13 and November 22. To pre-register for these events, email lighting-uk@msc-ge.com
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/21/06/2012/53951/free-webinars-for-led-lighting-controller-design.htm
The online sessions will demonstrate how microcontroller-based techniques can be used to reduce system cost, increase energy efficiency and make used of various forms of connectivity.
The first of these registration-only events will take place on July 5 at 11am. To register, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/690615569
http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/21/06/2012/53951/free-webinars-for-led-lighting-controller-design.htm
Thursday, 21 June 2012
LED lightbulbs can save you hundreds in energy bills
Despite costing six times as much as halogen bulbs, LEDs can return on their investment within two years.
With prices up to £25 per bulb, the received wisdom that LED lighting is too expensive seems deserved. But rising electricity prices and falling LED costs mean that for homes with a large number of halogen bulbs, the new generation of low-energy lighting finally makes financial sense.
Concerns over the weak or cold quality of LED light have abated, say energy experts, whose verdict is backed up by shoppers posting positive online reviews on Amazon and energy-saving forums. Despite usually costing more than six times as much as halogens, the payback for LEDs now comes in 15 months or less – and for homeowners changing dozens of halogen bulbs, the savings can be in the hundreds of pounds every year afterwards.
James Russell, technical development manager at the Energy Saving Trust, said: "If customers are prepared to pay the up-front higher cost they will quickly calculate that they will see a return on their investment within the first couple of years – and will go on making financial savings for many more years. Customers will also not have the hassle of continuously replacing burnt-out halogen lamps." LED bulbs come with advertised lifetimes of 10,000 hours and up, compared to the typical 1,000-hour lifetime of hot-running halogen bulbs.
Read More - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/08/led-lightbulbs-save-energy-bills?newsfeed=true
With prices up to £25 per bulb, the received wisdom that LED lighting is too expensive seems deserved. But rising electricity prices and falling LED costs mean that for homes with a large number of halogen bulbs, the new generation of low-energy lighting finally makes financial sense.
Concerns over the weak or cold quality of LED light have abated, say energy experts, whose verdict is backed up by shoppers posting positive online reviews on Amazon and energy-saving forums. Despite usually costing more than six times as much as halogens, the payback for LEDs now comes in 15 months or less – and for homeowners changing dozens of halogen bulbs, the savings can be in the hundreds of pounds every year afterwards.
James Russell, technical development manager at the Energy Saving Trust, said: "If customers are prepared to pay the up-front higher cost they will quickly calculate that they will see a return on their investment within the first couple of years – and will go on making financial savings for many more years. Customers will also not have the hassle of continuously replacing burnt-out halogen lamps." LED bulbs come with advertised lifetimes of 10,000 hours and up, compared to the typical 1,000-hour lifetime of hot-running halogen bulbs.
Read More - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jun/08/led-lightbulbs-save-energy-bills?newsfeed=true
Monday, 18 June 2012
LED street lights bring 85% savings to world’s largest cities
The two-and-a-half-year independent LightSavers trial of LED street lamps in cities including London, New York, Toronto, Sydney and Kolkata in India also found that residents felt safer with LED lighting and reported better visibility.
In a report outlining the findings of the trial, Lighting the Clean Revolution: The Rise of LED Street Lighting and What it Means for Cities, LED street lights were found to last from 50,000 to 100,000 hours and have a failure rate of just 1% compared to around 10% for conventional lighting technologies.
LEDs are now mature enough for a major scale-up to outdoor applications like street lighting, where the technology could save some 670 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
The Clean Revolution campaign, which launched the report as part of its efforts in the run up to Rio+20 UN Global Compact Corporate Sustainability Forum together with The Climate Group in partnership with Philips, says governments should now accelerate the rollout of LED street lighting as a priority.
Read More - http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/articles/i/5191/?cid=6
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