| With energy waste on the minds of many these days, | | | | would eventually begin to show its uniqueness for |
| high gasoline prices to run the inefficient engines that | | | | applications in our lighting world. |
| power our vehicles help move the majority of us to | | | | The LED found its prime application in our traffic lighting |
| cut energy costs in as many areas as possible, some | | | | system in the late 1990s, where it began to replace the |
| of us are even beginning to ration our lighting usage. Is | | | | totally dominant use of the incandescent lamp that had |
| there an answer to our increasing lighting costs? | | | | been used for decades and since the inception of the |
| Granted, much of the cost is being passed on by the | | | | system. Soon, LEDs were replacing the original |
| utility suppliers and with recent increases in oil prices, | | | | incandescent lamps in many parts of the world. The |
| this amount is being noticeably felt in each of our | | | | electric power energy savings have been extremely |
| monthly utility budgets. Energy costs are governed by | | | | high...in a few cases an average of 90 %. We must |
| the varying costs of fuel and with our major source of | | | | also keep in mind that there is also the ongoing savings |
| lighting today being the incandescent light, our lighting bill | | | | from a much lower upkeep because the LEDs will last |
| is much too high. Is there a developing technology | | | | as much as ten years(when running 24/7). LEDs will |
| today that shows a promising hope for our immediate | | | | not shatter under high vibration as do the incandescent |
| future? | | | | lamps, negating their need for replacement from these |
| We must roll back about 35 years and refresh | | | | causes of failure. With much of the world looking for |
| ourselves some history when a small pea size lamp | | | | ways to save our remaining fossil fuels, this lighting |
| was introduced to the Americas. It was the Light | | | | source has the definite ability to show us the way. We |
| Emitting Diode, more popularly known as the LED, a | | | | could say, "what about the CFL(fluorescent) lamp?" |
| lighting source that emitted light through a clear molded | | | | Could they become our knight in shining armour? The |
| plastic housing using a small current flow between two | | | | question? Can the CFL emit an infinite number of |
| solid state junctions that were extended to facilitate an | | | | colors? Negative..and they are far from shatterproof. |
| electrical connection. At the time of its introduction, the | | | | Their longevity is also several times less than the LED. |
| LED did not emit very much light, as a matter of fact in | | | | Having praised the LED for just a few of its merits, it |
| normal daylight, some were barely visible. At the time | | | | can be seen that it is totally practical for the worlds |
| of its release to the world, the LED efficiency to | | | | present needs and many believe all our needs in this |
| produce light was very low. In the early days of the | | | | field in the years to come. Even in its present stage of |
| LED development, their use was fairly limited and sold | | | | development, It is well suited to lessen our present |
| for use on instrument panels where light intensity was | | | | energy consumption overload. At the present time, the |
| not an issue. It would take the better of 20 years of | | | | nations of the world must adopt methods of lighting |
| gradual development before they began to find their | | | | which are the most efficient to lower energy use, but |
| way into the main stream of use in areas where | | | | unless the consumer follows this same trend, our |
| contemporary lighting was truly dominant. The LED | | | | nation and the worlds efforts will be in vain. |