New $3 LED Light Bulb 12 Times More Efficient, Lasts 60 Years

‘Magic’ lights to slash household electricity use

A new way of making LEDs could see household lighting bills reduced by up to 75% in five years time, thanks to research at Cambridge University.

The new LEDs use Gallium Nitride (GaN), a man-made semiconductor that emits a brilliant bright light but uses very little electricity. Until now high production costs have made GaN lighting too expensive for widespread use in homes and offices.

The Cambridge University Centre for Gallium Nitride, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), has developed a new way of making GaN which could produce LEDs for a tenth of current prices.

The new technique grows GaN on silicon wafers, which achieves a 50% improvement in cost and efficiency on previous approaches to grow GaN in labs on expensive sapphire wafers, used since the 1990s.

Based on current results, GaN LED lights in every home and office could cut the proportion of UK electricity used for lights from 20% to 5%. A reduction equivalent to the output of eight power stations.

A GaN LED can burn for 100,000 hours and therefore, on average, only needs replacing after 60 years. And, unlike currently available energy-saving bulbs, GaN LEDs do not contain mercury eliminating the environmental problems posed by their disposal. GaN LEDs also have the advantage of turning on instantly and being dimmable.

Professor Colin Humphreys, lead scientist on the project said: "This could well be the holy grail in terms of providing our lighting needs for the future. We are very close to achieving highly efficient, low cost white LEDs that can take the place of both traditional and currently available low-energy light bulbs. That won't just be good news for the environment, it will also benefit consumers by cutting their electricity bills."

GaN LEDs, used to illuminate landmarks like Buckingham Palace and the Severn Bridge, are also appearing in camera flashes, mobile phones, torches, bicycle lights and interior bus, train and plane lighting.

Parallel research is also being carried out into how GaN lights could mimic sunlight to help 3m people in the UK with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Ultraviolet rays made from GaN lighting could also aid water purification and disease control in developing countries, identify the spread of cancer tumours and help fight hospital 'super bugs'.

Source : University Of Cambridge

Comments

[JB]

sounds great, i love how they manage to slash old records each time! 75% reduction on lighting bills! next time this will be a 98% reduction on current energy prices, before everyones bought these LEDs!

[aditya]

nice techlogy and also cheap. every one should start adopting this technology fast to make our earth more green.

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Nice knoeing these amazing technologies!!!Hope this technology will have a big reach!!!

[BYD Middle East]

Every one should start adopting this technology fast to make our earth more green. And everyone should aware of the global warming and the earth atmosphere.!

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Light bulb is found throughout the world and has become one of the most common of household item. This is known as an integral part of a house. Light bulb has evolved with the advent of energy-conscious initiatives to reduce the impact of consumer products.

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LED lights are available in a huge variety of white color temperatures (and indeed, colors) but since it has always been easier to manufacture blue LEDs, many cheap LEDs have a naturally cold/bluish tinge.

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The reason I like LED lights is that they seem to work forever and are very visible in daytime conditions unlike alot of the older style lights. I have read more about LED Lights at http://www.ledlights.org/FOR/ what do you feel about this page

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LED lights can be a very useful tool in your home, especially if you are environmentally conscious or want to save money in the long run. These savings can really add up. If you were to run a single reading lamp with an LED bulb 12 hours a day for a year, it would cost less than 50 cents, and you wouldn't have to replace the bulb!

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LED's are cheap to run but do we get the same light output?

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