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Making Strides Toward Low-Cost LED Lighting
Roland Piquepaille writes "You all know that incandescent bulbs are pretty inefficient, converting only 10% of electricity into light — and 90% into heat. Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, could soon replace incandescent and compact fluorescent bulbs in our homes. They are more efficient and environmentally friendly. But LED lights are currently too expensive because they are using a sapphire-based technology. Now, Purdue University researchers have found a way to build low-cost and bright LEDs for home lighting. According to the researchers, the LED lights now on the market cost about $100 while LED lights based on their new technology could be commercially available within a couple of years for a cost of about $5. It would also help to cut our electricity bill by about 10%."
I'm as much of a tree-hugger as the next guy, but I really don't like Compact Flourescent bulbs. Theoretically, if you're worried about energy use, they're a good idea. But I think in practically, they're a bad idea, because of the mercury content.
Compact fluorescents give out crappy light, and nobody really wants crappy light in their home. It's the wrong color, wrong intensity, etc. Once LEDs become widely available, we'll all be throwing out the compacts, and replacing them with LEDs that give off light that we like. Those compacts have mercury in them, and all that mercury will be going straight into the landfills and our drinking water. The compacts have a life of 10 or so years; but we won't be using them that long, once LEDs come along. So the long-term money saving aspect will be a waste.
Also, I can't count the number of lamps and light-bulbs I smashed as a kid. Do you want your little ones smashing up these compacts and getting a good dose of mercury vapors?
I say just hold off until LEDs really become affordable. Don't put any more mercury into our environment; especially not your home.
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
-- Pablo Picasso
Problem is, drop an LED lamp, and the worst you have to do sweep it up and throw it away. Drop and break a CFL, and you have a hazmat situation. . . Ever read the EPA guidelines on cleaning up broken CFLs ??? ??? Illuminating, indeed. . .
God bless you. Proof positive that CFLs do, in fact, look like shit. I ought to put that second one in my sig.