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DOE Shines $21M on Advanced Lighting Research
coondoggie writes to mention that the US Department of Energy is planning to fork over close to $21 million for 13 projects promising to advance solid-state lighting research and development. "SSL lighting is an advanced technology that creates light with considerably less heat than incandescent and fluorescent lamps, allowing for increased energy efficiency. Unlike incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, SSL uses a semi-conducting material to convert electricity directly into light, which maximizes the light's energy efficiency, the DOE said in a release. Solid-state lighting encompasses a variety of light-producing semi-conductor devices, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). "
OK, so the light is encrypted?
I thought about this the last time I was flying across the country at night. "Why am *I*, at almost six miles up, able to see all these street lights and parking lots and malls and houses? What a waste of energy."
Seriously, we need to think about our light placement and usage.
There's even studies that show a lot of lighting does NOT deter crime. All it does is let the crook see what he's doing.
Where do I buy them now?
Do they fit into my regular sockets, including BR30 form factors?
Will they give me at least as much focused light?
How much do they cost?
How long do they last?
How much better than fluorescents?
Are they dimmable?
Are they protected against lightening strikes near by?
What toxic materials do they contain?
Will they let me adjust for the color balance I desire (a highly desirable feature)?
Who is exploited in their manufacture, and which country is getting all my money from them?
Going to a new lightening system is seldom as simple as unscrewing one and screwing in another. Many trade-offs exist.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."