Already, LED lighting efficiency is fast surpassing that of conventional lighting technologies.
Conventional lighting technologies tend to suffer decay in quality over time and have shorter useful lives when they are dimmed. Yet the lifespan of LED lighting actually increases when the average current flowing through it is reduced. This makes LED lighting better suited to smart controls than any previous lighting technology, further increasing the potential for energy efficiency and making it possible to match light output closely to what is required.
Colour can be precisely controlled by embedding selected impurities in LEDs’ semiconductors. Coloured LED lighting has brought altogether new possibilities to architectural lighting, entertainment and other aesthetic applications. Newer white LED lighting brings the potential to illuminate public spaces and offices with light that mimics daylight.
LED lighting provides highly directional light, meaning that it shines light only where it is needed. This accounts for a large proportion of the technology’s energy-saving potential. LED lighting is extremely durable and is resistant to vibration and other mechanical stress.
The materials used in making LED lighting are inherently stable. Laboratory testing and experience with the stability of the silicon carbide from which many semiconductors are made, indicates well produced LED lighting may last up to five times longer than even the most advanced fluorescent lamps.
The controllability of LED light colour, intensity and direction allows novel lighting system designs that can deliver a wide range of social benefits. In schools, for example, an LED lighting system with three colour/intensity settings (‘energy’, ‘focus’ and ‘calm’) has been shown to dramatically improve student performance. In public lighting, surveys show that the public prefers the white light provided by LEDs to the colour of conventional street lighting, and that LED lighting brings advantages in both subjective visibility and public safety.
Overall, white LED lighting has begun to be adopted in market segments where the technology’s advantages such as optical performance, energy efficiency, low maintenance costs, and aesthetic quality have outweighed any additional up-front costs.