Electrical Contractors Boost LED Savvy

More electrical contractors are boosting their knowledge of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to develop a strategic, optimum lighting mix offering aesthetics with energy efficiency—according to a special supplement in the latest issue of Electrical Contractor magazine.

With 60 to 80 percent of electrical contractors now directly influencing or specifying lighting brands, a creative blend of traditional lighting with fast-emerging LEDs solves lighting challenges and meets green requirements such as earning Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) credits and other emerging standards, energy codes and programs.

Three Indian Cities Join The Climate Group’s Global LED Project

Reportedly, Thane, Kolkata and Haldia, the three cities of India ,have joined The Climate Group’s global LED project to replace existing streetlights with longer-lasting, high-efficiency LEDs.

Thane arranges to install 314 LED streetlights, Kolkata expects to install 273 LED streetlights as part of a pilot program, and Haldia plans to put up 290 LED lamps.

Asides from that, other Indian communities are also taking actions to promote the adoption of cleaner, more efficient lighting. Delhi has worked with India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), to distribute 2.18 million compact fluorescent light bulbs to households with the expectation that it could reduce peak energy loads by 100 megawatts.

LEDs to Burn Competition

There is a controversy brewing over new lighting regulations that will ban "normal" bulbs in favor of the curly CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp) type.
Many Americans hate CFL bulbs, and resent the idea of government regulations dictating rules about the kinds of light bulbs they can use. But their rant is misguided.
Both CFL and incandescent bulbs will be eclipsed as LED technology becomes dominant, offering a huge source of revenue to the semiconductor industry.

McKinsey releases lighting market analisys

Based on a worldwide survey of lighting professionals and consumers, as well as other input factors, McKinsey has developed a lighting market model that estimates the size of the global lighting market through to 2020, differentiated by application, geography, and light-source technology.
This survey can be viewed here.

Stores Saves Energy with LED Lights

Pets Corner is a chain of premium quality pet stores occupying key niche locations nationwide.

All new stores will be fitted with LED lamps as part of the company’s wider green objectives which include buying all electricity from renewable sources and recycling 75% of its waste. In addition, lighting in all existing stores will be upgraded to LED as part of an ongoing refurbishment programme.

German Net Researchers Apply LED Light in 800 Mbit/s Networking

Networking researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI in Berlin, Germany have been using LED lights to distribute HD videos to portable devices such as smartphones and notebooks, using a system that can join WiFi and PowerLine networks and shuttling high-speed data around home and/or office.

The optical WLAN co-opts white LEDs used for regular illumination to transmit data at up to 100 Mbit/s, by flickering it more rapidly than the human eye can see. It relies on normal LEDs and a simple modulator to control the flickering – each have a roughly 90 square foot range, while any gadget wanting to receive the signal is outfitted with a simple photo diode.

They suggest it would work best as a companion to, rather than a replacement for, existing WiFi, 3G or other methods.

According to the researchers, boosting transmission speed is the next step, with researchers working on increasing the data rate eightfold.

LED industry situation

The LED lighting industry is highly competitive, being composed by many start-up companies. When the technology will mature, the industry will consolidate. The active involvement of governments is a key factor, as they pass favorable legislation and create incentive programs to encourage LED lighting purchase and development.

Government and industry players will establish LED specific standards, helping to raise quality, standards and guaranties, as the consumers become more aware about LEDs and energy savings. Price-wise competition and innovation are very strong as brands try to differentiate themselves and to gain advantages in local markets.

Great growth potential is seen in green technology today. Especially in the construction and property development sectors, where demand for energy efficient product will grow between 10% and 20% in 2011-2012.