LEDs are by far more efficient than incandescents and even CFLs while being used as a light source, but what about over their entire life cycle? Until a recent study, there had been doubts that the technology could claim the title of "most efficient" once you factored in production.
A new study conducted by Siemens Corporate Technology Centre for Eco Innovations and released by lighting company Osram claims to put those doubts to rest. The study compared the life cycle energy use of one 25,000-hour LED lamp to that of 2.5 10,000-hour CFLs and 25 1,000-hour incandescents.
The report states that the energy needed to make, ship, install, use and then recycle LEDs was about equal to CFLs and much less than incandescents. While the report didn't go into the technical details of the study or release specific numbers, Osram says it will release all of that information in the fall with support by three independent analysts.
via Bits
Hits: 10381
Comments (16)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by extole, August 04, 2009
How can LEDs be "far more efficient than incandescents and even CFLs" and then in the last paragraph of the summary be "about equal to CFLs"?
-
- +0
-
-
written by Bob Wallace, August 04, 2009
Did the analysis include 'cost of capital'?
I'd like to buy a couple of LED lamps for my most frequently used spots. But I can't see spending that much money up front for about a 50% 'right now' power savings.
Lighting just doesn't eat that much of my energy budget, $70 for the equivalent of a $0.50 CFL would burn my wallet. Leaving that other $69.50 working makes more sense to me.
Additionally, there is no appreciable installation cost for me. Changing a light bulb 2.5x as often over a long number of years just doesn't bother me. I could use the exercise.
I'd like to buy a couple of LED lamps for my most frequently used spots. But I can't see spending that much money up front for about a 50% 'right now' power savings.
Lighting just doesn't eat that much of my energy budget, $70 for the equivalent of a $0.50 CFL would burn my wallet. Leaving that other $69.50 working makes more sense to me.
Additionally, there is no appreciable installation cost for me. Changing a light bulb 2.5x as often over a long number of years just doesn't bother me. I could use the exercise.
-
- +1
-
-
written by Barney Sperlin, August 05, 2009
The initial phrase was that LEDs were more efficient while being used AS A LIGHT SOURCE. Then the discussion went on into total expenditures (production, etc.) in which they were, in total, about equal to CFLs. Now, if they don't have a pollution factor as bad as CFL's mercury contamination, then that would be a plus. I don't know the answer to that, though.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Bob Wallace, August 05, 2009
Barney - CFLs have very little mercury in them, less than 1/100th of what a mercury thermometer contains.
And it doesn't get released unless the bulb is broken.
I wouldn't be surprised if the mercury released by those few broken CFLs was quite a bit less than the mercury that would have been released by burning coal to power the incandescents they replaced.
Just learn how to clean up if you do break one, find out where to recycle them once they burn out, and keep your eyes open for LEDs to come down in price (eventually).
And it doesn't get released unless the bulb is broken.
I wouldn't be surprised if the mercury released by those few broken CFLs was quite a bit less than the mercury that would have been released by burning coal to power the incandescents they replaced.
Just learn how to clean up if you do break one, find out where to recycle them once they burn out, and keep your eyes open for LEDs to come down in price (eventually).
-
- +1
-
-
written by EV, August 05, 2009
I'd like to see the report to make sure they used the same lummens count for each type of bulb.
Re:Bob Wallace
That would be difficult as thermometers haven't used mercury for years.
This is correct, provided that all, or a significant percentage, of the power come from Coal.
Re:Bob Wallace
Barney - CFLs have very little mercury in them, less than 1/100th of what a mercury thermometer contains.
That would be difficult as thermometers haven't used mercury for years.
I wouldn't be surprised if the mercury released by those few broken CFLs was quite a bit less than the mercury that would have been released by burning coal to power the incandescents they replaced.
This is correct, provided that all, or a significant percentage, of the power come from Coal.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Haflidi Eirikur Gudmundsson, August 05, 2009
Can you really trust a study made by Siemens of all companies?
-
- +0
-
-
written by Jacob Wilson, August 05, 2009
LED lighting is really more relevant for offices and retail spaces right now; usage in homes will become practical in a few years.
We're about to have 3 floors in our facility changed out from fluorescent tubes to LED tubes. After doing a lot of research, we discovered that there are a lot of unreliable products out there skewing perception of LED performance. Just be sure to compare and select only UL listed, Energy Star compliant, 100% recyclable lamps & fixtures that contain no lead or mercury, & generate no UV light, infrared radiation or CO2 emissions.
You might want to check out www.novicomm.com, they seem to be leading the technology right now.
We're about to have 3 floors in our facility changed out from fluorescent tubes to LED tubes. After doing a lot of research, we discovered that there are a lot of unreliable products out there skewing perception of LED performance. Just be sure to compare and select only UL listed, Energy Star compliant, 100% recyclable lamps & fixtures that contain no lead or mercury, & generate no UV light, infrared radiation or CO2 emissions.
You might want to check out www.novicomm.com, they seem to be leading the technology right now.
-
- -1
-
-
written by Kat M, August 05, 2009
There's an old saying about leaving the fox guarding the chicken coop - I am inclined to wait for further studies done by unbiased sources before I believe that LED's are better than CFL's or incandescents cradle-to-cradle.
And of course there's always the question of "do recycling facilities exist?" (I don't know the answer to this question) when you're looking at life-cycle analysis. You can't just say "which is more efficient to recycle" if there's only one or two places in the country that recycle them.
And of course there's always the question of "do recycling facilities exist?" (I don't know the answer to this question) when you're looking at life-cycle analysis. You can't just say "which is more efficient to recycle" if there's only one or two places in the country that recycle them.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Bob Wallace, August 05, 2009
EV - in the US about 50% of our electricity comes from coal. Good news is, that dropped to 46% percent last year, hopefully the beginning of the end for coal.
Jacob - LEDs make economic sense when there is a high cost for bulb replacement. It can cost as much to send a crew out with a truck and cherry picker to change a street light as a long lasting LED would cost.
California has (I believe) completed switching all its traffic signals/stop lights to LED clusters.
A nice feature of these new lights is that each red/amber/green light is made up of several LEDs. If one fails the light is still fine. It would take lots of failures before functionality is lost.
That same "additional value" just doesn't exist in the floor lamp next to my chair....
Jacob - LEDs make economic sense when there is a high cost for bulb replacement. It can cost as much to send a crew out with a truck and cherry picker to change a street light as a long lasting LED would cost.
California has (I believe) completed switching all its traffic signals/stop lights to LED clusters.
A nice feature of these new lights is that each red/amber/green light is made up of several LEDs. If one fails the light is still fine. It would take lots of failures before functionality is lost.
That same "additional value" just doesn't exist in the floor lamp next to my chair....
-
- +1
-
-
written by Lyon, August 05, 2009
To learn more about the importance of a transparent supply chain listen to Ecological Awareness, More Than Sound's audio dialogue series with Daniel Goleman, Dara O'Rourke, Michael Lerner and Greg Norris. Organic food from China? Photo-carcinogens in our sunscreen? Want to know more? Here's a clip: http://tiny.cc/4ZhyU or find More Than Sound on facebook: http://tiny.cc/RJCBD
-
- +0
-
-
written by MD, August 05, 2009
Just remember... Gallium is also found in coal along with mercury... now what do they use in LEDs again...
Gallium
BTW - Flue dusts from burning coal may contain as much as 1.5% gallium.
Oh and they mix it with another material... Arsenic !
Oh lovely arsenic...
6 of one, half dozen of another
Instead of screwing things up mining for coal, the mining companies will go full force into mining for gallium and arsenic...
... but hey, "It's Green"
Gallium
BTW - Flue dusts from burning coal may contain as much as 1.5% gallium.
Oh and they mix it with another material... Arsenic !
Oh lovely arsenic...
6 of one, half dozen of another
Instead of screwing things up mining for coal, the mining companies will go full force into mining for gallium and arsenic...
... but hey, "It's Green"
-
- -1
-
-
written by Bob Wallace, August 05, 2009
Gallium does not exist in free form in nature, and the few high-gallium minerals such as gallite (CuGaS2) are too rare to serve as a primary source of the element or its compounds. Its abundance in the Earth's crust is approximately 16.9 ppm.[10] Gallium is found and extracted as a trace component in bauxite and to a small extent from sphalerite. The amount extracted from coal, diaspore and germanite in which gallium is also present is negligible.
Wikipedia can be your friend....
Wikipedia can be your friend....
-
- +2
-
-
written by Bob Wallace, August 06, 2009
Mark - the site is in German. Can you help me out?
They have LEDs that would give one the equivalent light of a 100 watt incandescent/18 watt CFL that will operate on 110 volts? And screw in standard US sockets?
If so, how much? And shipping?
They have LEDs that would give one the equivalent light of a 100 watt incandescent/18 watt CFL that will operate on 110 volts? And screw in standard US sockets?
If so, how much? And shipping?
-
- +0
-
-
written by Oakleigh Solargroupies, August 07, 2009
How many astronomers does it take to change a light bulb? But seriously, the Hg experts tell us that you get more mercury off-gassing from filllings in your teeth than you will ever get from anywhere else. And the data has been out for years that LEDs are many times more efficient with energy use and they last for decades or longer. The LED costs will come down as they ramp up production. GE will be manufacturing zero-mercury CFLs soon. BTW- astronomers prefer the dark!
-
- +1
-
-
written by sue, August 11, 2009
California has (I believe) completed switching all its traffic signals/stop lights to LED clusters.
In checking with the Oakland Public Utilities this year
on how many traffic lites had been converted in our fair city, the answer was about 70%( if I am remembering correctly--data not with me at the moment) as of March '09 .. so I am curious what your source info is on #'s of LED traffic lites in all of CA
In checking with the Oakland Public Utilities this year
on how many traffic lites had been converted in our fair city, the answer was about 70%( if I am remembering correctly--data not with me at the moment) as of March '09 .. so I am curious what your source info is on #'s of LED traffic lites in all of CA
-
- +0
-
-
written by jimskyguy, August 12, 2009
I have been working with LED's for about 1 1/2 years now and have been having some reliability problems. In the last 3 months I have found some LED bulbs that seem to have solved some of the problems of too little light and the bulb prices have come down to $5-6 each and are easily accessible at Sam's Club. These lights are 300-500 lumens and some have warm white and cool white bulbs that we have installed in 6 elevators and have reduced energy usage from 1800 watts P/Hr to 120 watts P/Hr. These lights are on 24/7/365 and our savings are appx. $2100 p/Yr in Hawaii. I have also installed a lot of led bulbs in refrigerators since a std bulb can get up to 150-180 degrees when left open for 30-45 seconds--then you have to cool off the std incandescent bulb. LED bulbs slowly warm up to appx 80-90 degrees. I would like any info on LED tubes that have proven to be reliable !!
-
- +0
-
-
Write comment
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
AUG 04
"I have been working with LED's for about 1 1/2 years now and have been..."
View all Comments