In UV applications, LED displace conventional light sources

LEDs are becoming the light source of choice not only in the visible part of the light spectrum, but increasingly also in the ultraviolet (UV) part of the spectrum. Market research company Yole Développement predicts that the market for UV LEDs will grow by a factor of 5 by 2016.


Thanks to its compactness, lower cost of ownership and environmental friendly composition, UV LEDs continue replacing traditional UV lamps in incumbent applications, predicts a new market study from Yole. Currently the main application field is curing. UV LEDs will also create new applications, especially portable ones. Hence, UV LED business is expected to grow from $32.5M in 2011 to more than $150M in 2016: within this period, UV LED market (M$) will grow by a factor x5 whereas the traditional UV lamps market will only grow by a factor x1.5.

According to the market researcher, in 2011 LEDs kept on being sold mostly in the UVA/B spectrum (especially in upper wavelengths, between 365 to 400 nm). More than 90% of the UV LED market (outside of R&D) was still covered by UV curing, counterfeit detection and medical & instrumentation applications requiring UVA/B sources. Concerning UVC LEDs, they were still mainly sold for R&D and scientific instrumentation purpose, but 2012 should see the commercialization of the first UV LED based purification system. UVA (400-315nm) business is currently the main UV LED market and will remain so for at least the next 5 years.
The booming UV LED market has attracted several new players from different backgrounds over the past years: traditional mercury lamp supplier, traditional UV curing systems suppliers, pure UV LED curing system suppliers, visible LED suppliers, substrate suppliers... Each player addressing different strategy to capture the maximum of value created by this disruptive technology.
At the device level, Asian companies, especially Japanese and Taiwanese ones, have taken the lead on the UV LED market but recently, some Chinese companies have also entered the field: this should increase competition, reduce prices and enable mass applications at middle/long term.
Beyond that, as for visible LEDs few years ago, the value chain is consolidating with the arrival of pure players at the packaging and system level mainly. This process creates the chances to increase the performance of UV LEDs with specific package developments, and to facilitate technological transition with traditional UV system manufacturers.

Water & Air purification are the potential next high volume applications for UVC LEDs. In 2011, the UVC LED industry achieved a new milestone of structuration:
Crystal IS has been acquired by Asahi Kasei (large Japanese group). Dot Metrics, the first pure UV LED water purification company, announced they (in partnership with Aquionics) will launch a first commercial product in 2012. SETi announced the increase of its production capacity by a factor x6 with $20M investment.
In parallel, numerous research results published in 2011 have demonstrated an impressive improvement of the optical power output of UV LEDs: up to x10 compared to 2010. Hence, Yole expects that UVC LEDs should penetrate those key applications in 2014 after having completely solved the efficiency, lifetime and cost challenges.

Technology Changes with Innovative LED Downlights

Innovative LED downlights are amazing combination of advanced physical technology, optical technology, electrical technology and the latest LED lighting technology. Compared with traditional downlights such as the halogen and CFL, LED downlights are more energy efficient with much lower power consumption to deliver the same light intensity. LED downlights are spotlighting fixtures with narrow lighting beam, which can concentrate the light and project the light to specified areas. LED downlights generate much less heat thanks to the cold light source light emitting diodes and the aluminum heat sink with effective thermal control. LED downlights are eco-friendly lighting fixtures without any hazardous materials such as mercury and lead which can do harm to the environment and human body.

As a matter of fact, lighting emitting diodes can be considered as the most innovative invention nowadays since they have the potential to solve the energy shortage issue all over the world. LED downlights with high efficacy LEDs can save over 70% energy when compared with traditional halogen downlights and CFLs. Meanwhile LED downlights are more durable and can last over 50,000 hours which can be as 10 times as the lifetime of halogen and CFL. You can save considerable bulb replacement costs as well as maintenance costs during the lifetime of LED downlights.

LED downlights can concentrate the light with a narrow lighting beam, which is very helpful to highlight the objects that they project the light to. Therefore LED downlights are widely used in shopping malls and department stores to attract attention of customers. Besides commercial areas, LED downlights can also be used in offices because they can keep the stuff alert and improve the efficiency. In addition, LED downlights are also suitable for home use in kitchens, bathrooms and so on.

Unlike the halogen and CFL, LED downlights do not generate much heat thanks to its aluminum heat sink with effective thermal control. LEDs are cold light source which emit light not depending on transform electricity to heat, plus the excellent thermal control technology, LED downlights can greatly reduce the carbon dioxide emission and heat emission, which may decelerate the step of global warming.

LED downlights are eco-friendly lighting fixtures without any hazardous materials such as mercury and lead which can do harm to the environment and human body. You do not have to worry about health issue when you use LED downlights. Even when their lifetime ends, they are 100% recyclable and will not pollute the environment. Just go green with LED downlights and enjoy the innovative technologies.

LED downlights nowadays are widely used for not only commercial lighting but also residential lighting. They are replacing traditional halogen downlights and CFLs, and then what is the impact of LED downlights on our life? Do LED downlights really bring changes to our life? The answer is yes, and LED downlights do change our life.

Firstly, LED downlights can greatly save our energy bills. LED downlights adopt LEDs as light source, whose luminous efficacy can reach 100 lumen per watt for indoor lighting. Thanks to the high efficacy of LEDs, LED downlights can save 70% energy when compared with halogen downlights and CFLs. With a lifetime of over 50,000 hours which is as ten times as the halogen and CFL, LED downlights hardly need any maintenance costs during their lifetime and also the bulb replacement costs that they save will also be very considerable. Because LED downlights generate much less heat than halogen downlights and CFLs, they can save the associated air conditioner expense.

Secondly, LED downlights are green lighting fixtures without any hazardous materials. They will not do harm to human beings’ health. Traditional downlights and CFLs not only contain hazardous materials such as mercury and lead which can be harmful to human beings’ health and the environment, but also emit UV or IR which can hurt human beings’ eyes. LED downlights do not emit UV or IR and will not cause eye strain.

Thirdly, LED downlights generate much less heat and carbon dioxide than traditional lights. By switching traditional downlights and CFLs to LED downlights, the annual carbon emission will be greatly reduced and global warming progress will be decelerated.

Actually impact of LED downlights on our life is far more than just energy saving, healthy and eco-friendly. Just switch your old style light bulbs to LED downlights and experience the benefits of LED downlights yourself.

More Downlights:http://www.lightinginstore.com/indoor-led-lighting/led-downlights

LED'S Developing:Incandescent lighting fast becoming history

Fluorescent light bulbs and LED lights are rapidly coming to replace the incandescent bulbs perfected by Thomas Edison in the late 1800s, as state governments encourage a switch for the sake of energy conservation. In California and New Jersey, laws have been proposed that would actually ban the use of incandescents in some contexts. Australia has already begun a three-year phase-out of incandescent bulbs.

Conventional View

• Incandescent bulbs, which function by forcing electricity through a thin filament, use more than twice as much energy for the same light output as fluorescent bulbs, which produce light by heating up a trapped gas. Fluorescent bulbs also last four to 16 times as long.
• LED light bulbs are ten times more efficient than incandescent lights, lasting up to one hundred times as long and producing far lower CO2 emissions due to power consumption. They are, however, far more expensive in the initial purchase.

• Many states encourage consumers to switch to fluorescents, in cooperation with the federal Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency.

• Fluorescent light bulbs, however, contain mercury. There is enough mercury in one fluorescent light bulb to contaminate 2,000 gallons of water. LED lights, in contrast, contain no mercury and are more environmentally friendly.

• In 2005, Thomas Edison's home state of New Jersey distributed more than 1.2 million fluorescent lamps and fixtures as part of its Clean Energy Program.

• Approximately 22 percent of electricity usage in the United States is consumed by lighting, most of which remains extremely inefficient incandescent lights.

• New Jersey Assemblyman Larry Chatzidakis has introduced a bill calling for the phasing out of incandescent bulbs from state buildings over the next three years. California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine has announced plans to introduce a bill that would ban the bulbs his state altogether.

• Quote: "The light bulb was invented a long time ago and a lot of things have changed since then. I obviously respect the memory of Thomas Edison, but what we're looking at here is using less energy." - New Jersey Assemblyman Larry Chatzidakis


Alternative View

• "It is time for modern society to move beyond the outdated technology of incandescent lights. We now have safer, cleaner and far more efficient lighting technology available, and we can help save the future of our planet while reducing American's dependence on fossil fuels by switching to LED lights in our homes and businesses." - Mike Adams, founder of EcoLEDs.com, an LED light bulb importer and retailer.

Resources you need to know

• EcoLEDs.com - a company dedicated to reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions by encouraging consumers and business to switch to LED light bulbs.

Bottom line

• Incandescent lighting is an outdated, inefficient technology that will soon be replaced by fluorescent bulbs and LED light bulbs that use far less energy.

Learn more: http://www.lightinginstore.com/